Kyrgyzstan was elected on Wednesday as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the first time since gaining its independence in 1991.
Kyrgyzstan won the Asia-Pacific Group vacancy, defeating the Philippines for one of the 2027-2028 seats.
It marks the first Central Asian country’s election to the 15-member UNSC in more than a decade, following Kazakhstan’s seat in the 2017-2018 term.
It also represents a major victory for Kyrgyz diplomacy, after President Sadyr Japarov urged world leaders to support Bishkek's bid and give greater voice to countries that have never held a seat on the UNSC — especially landlocked or mountainous countries with specific security, climate or development challenges.
Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev earlier this week called on the UN to reform the Council by expanding the representation of countries from Asia, Africa, and Latin America among its permanent members, an issue that has been raised repeatedly by other Central Asian countries.
