AS UNGA81 KICKS OFF, LIBERIA EYES DECEMBER COUNCIL LEADERSHIP WHILE BALANCING UNSG VOTE, SAHEL CRISIS, AND MAJOR INVESTMENT

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AS UNGA81 KICKS OFF, LIBERIA EYES DECEMBER COUNCIL LEADERSHIP WHILE BALANCING UNSG VOTE, SAHEL CRISIS, AND MAJOR INVESTMENT DEALS

BY: Rufus Divine Brooks Jr.

MONROVIA, Liberia — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has flagged a pivotal moment for Liberia’s foreign policy as the 81st UN General Assembly (UNGA81) formally opened and the process to select the 10th UN Secretary-General moved into a decisive phase, with implications for Liberia’s upcoming December Presidency of the UN Security Council.

According to MOFA’s internal brief dated September 9, 2026, Liberia must now convert its UNGA engagements into tangible outcomes ahead of its Council leadership, while navigating major geopolitical files including Iran, the Sahel, and peacekeeping mandates.

The 81st Session of the UN General Assembly opened on September 8 under President Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh, themed _“Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All.”

Liberia is publicly centering its agenda on youth and women, peace and security, climate and natural resources, multilateral reform, and sustainable development.

These priorities align directly with the narrative Monrovia intends to project during its December Security Council Presidency.

MOFA warns that without coordination, UNGA events risk becoming disconnected rather than strategic.

Each Liberia-led UNGA engagement should produce a concrete December asset — a political commitment, coalition, financing pledge, joint communiqué, expert network, or draft Council proposal.

With UNGA80 closed, responsibility for the General Assembly component of the UNSG selection has transferred to President Rahman.

The Security Council has already begun straw polling, with France, as September Council President, pushing for an early recommendation to allow transition time.

Reporting indicates Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana has emerged as a frontrunner after initial polls, while Michelle Bachelet’s candidacy has weakened.

Why it matters for Liberia?

As one of only 15 Council members, Liberia will vote directly on the recommendation to the General Assembly — giving Monrovia outsized diplomatic leverage.

MOFA should deploy a consistent questionnaire for candidates covering Africa, UNSC reform, peacebuilding financing, ECOWAS/Sahel, women’s leadership, and support for fragile states. An internal candidate matrix is advised before decisive voting.

There is also a contingency risk: if the Council has not finalized its recommendation by December, Liberia could preside over the closing stages of one of the UN’s most sensitive personnel decisions.

France’s September program includes votes on Sudan sanctions, Haiti’s Gang Suppression Force, and the Iran Panel of Experts, plus mandated meetings on DRC/MONUSCO, Afghanistan, counter-terrorism, and Middle East crises.

The provisional program remains disputed due to objections by China and Russia over Iran items.

This is the clearest rehearsal for Liberia’s December Presidency, which will require managing mandates, signature initiatives, contentious negotiations, and emergency crises simultaneously.

Liberia’s December planning should be structured in four tracks: 1. Mandatory Council business 2. Liberia’s signature events 3. Expected contentious negotiations 4. Emergency-response capacity.

The U.S., UK, France and Germany have drafted an IAEA Board resolution that could refer Iran to the Security Council over alleged non-compliance with nuclear safeguards.

Any Council action would deepen the existing Russia/China vs. Western divide already affecting September’s agenda.

Iran may become a recurring Council file extending into Liberia’s Presidency.

Liberia’s Permanent Mission to the UN (PMUN) should track the IAEA outcome and map Monrovia’s positions on non-proliferation, safeguards, and regional diplomacy to ensure consistency.

Meanwhile, MOFA also highlighted a major economic win, the Ministry of Agriculture and JR Farms Group signed a US$60 million, 20-year Liberia Coffee Prosperity Partnership.

The deal targets nearly 200,000 smallholder farmers in seven counties and will develop Liberica, Robusta, and Arabica for export.

JR Farms was introduced to the Agriculture Minister during the Liberia-EU Business Forum, underscoring MOFA’s role in investment facilitation.

The coffee partnership should feature in UNGA investment talking points, with follow-up to identify buyers, development finance partners, and retailers to brand “Liberian Liberica” globally.

Niger has accused France of involvement in a recent military mutiny, amid deepening Russian security ties with Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, and a more assertive Algeria in the region.

The Sahel is no longer just ECOWAS vs. AES. External powers are competing over security architecture.

Liberia’s best lane is pragmatic, African-led engagement — upholding ECOWAS principles while supporting dialogue with AES states and avoiding alignment with external geopolitical blocs.

THREE IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES FOR MOFA

1. Begin structured assessment of UNSG candidates and prepare for a possible December vote.

2. Link every UNGA engagement to a December deliverable to avoid a fragmented agenda.

3. Finalize government position on third-country nationals ahead of intensified media scrutiny during High-Level Week.