On 1 November 2026, the Republic of Latvia, for the first time in its history, assumed the duties of President of the United Nations Security Council. The presidency lasts one month — until the end of November.
During this period, Latvia will chair all formal and informal meetings of the Security Council. While the presidency is largely procedural in nature, it is during this month that the country gains the highest visibility and the opportunity to shape the agenda.
Latvia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Sanita Pavļuta-Deslandes, noted that the country’s main task in the Security Council is to strengthen its own security and statehood. One of the key priorities will be to keep Russia’s war against Ukraine at the centre of the Council’s attention. Riga intends to counter the normalisation of Russian aggression, refute propaganda, and explain to the international community Moscow’s imperialist goals and the global consequences of its actions.
In addition to the situation in Ukraine, Latvia’s priorities for the presidency include respect for international law and the UN Charter, as well as the challenges and opportunities associated with new technologies. The first meeting of the UN Security Council’s Informal Expert Group on Technology, Peace and Security — established at the initiative of Latvia and Greece — is scheduled to take place in November.
Latvia is a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the 2026–2027 term. It was elected in June 2025, receiving 178 votes out of the 188 countries that participated. In 2026, Latvia works on international security issues alongside the five permanent members (the United States, the United Kingdom, China, France and Russia) and nine non-permanent members (Denmark, Greece, Panama, Colombia, Bahrain, Pakistan, Liberia, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
This year, Latvia, together with its European allies, initiated the majority of the 16 official Security Council meetings devoted to Ukraine. The country also organised an Arria-formula meeting on the humanitarian aspects of the conflict.
