UNITED NATIONS — Somalia is set to assume the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council at the start of January 2026, a milestone seen by diplomats as a sign of the country’s growing voice in global security debates and multilateral diplomacy.
The monthlong presidency will place Somalia at the center of the council’s work. The presiding member sets the program of work, chairs meetings, steers discussions and can convene high-level debates on urgent threats to international peace and security. While the role does not grant additional voting power, it offers a powerful agenda-setting platform that can shape what the 15-member council prioritizes and how it responds.
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Somalia is expected to use the gavel to focus attention on Africa’s security landscape and the Horn of Africa’s overlapping crises, from state fragility to climate shocks. Diplomats and analysts say the presidency will give Mogadishu a timely opportunity to spotlight regional priorities and push for more coordinated international responses to complex conflicts.
Topics likely to feature prominently include:
- Peacekeeping operations and transitions in fragile states
- Counterterrorism and efforts to degrade transnational armed groups
- Regional stability in conflict-affected areas, with a focus on the Horn of Africa
- Humanitarian crises driven by war and climate shocks, including prolonged drought
Somali officials are expected to emphasize pragmatic, peaceful solutions, advocate stronger global cooperation and urge sustained support for countries emerging from conflict and state collapse. The council presidency will also allow Somalia to elevate perspectives from the Horn of Africa—where climate stress, displacement and security threats often intersect—and ensure they are reflected in New York’s deliberations.
The U.N. Security Council presidency rotates monthly among council members, typically in English alphabetical order. The presiding nation oversees the adoption of the program of work and may convene signature sessions—open debates that invite wider U.N. membership and civil society to weigh in on a specific theme. That visibility can help frame negotiations and drive attention to neglected emergencies.
For Somalia, the timing is consequential. The country has spent recent years rebuilding state institutions, deepening regional ties and confronting insurgent violence while contending with recurrent droughts and floods. Steering the council’s agenda in January 2026 will serve both as a diplomatic test and as a platform to link security, governance and climate resilience in a way that aligns with African and global priorities.
Analysts say the presidency will also be a measure of how effectively newer or returning diplomatic actors can bridge divides on a gridlocked council. While permanent members retain veto power, the presidency can carve out room for consensus by spotlighting practical measures—humanitarian access, protection of civilians, support for transitions and targeted sanctions oversight—that move beyond entrenched geopolitical rifts.
As the month approaches, observers will watch how Somalia shapes its signature events, balances regional focus with global crises and leverages the council’s machinery—from expert briefings to draft resolutions—to translate priorities into action. The task is procedural as much as political: managing a crowded agenda, keeping debates disciplined and ensuring follow-through on decisions.
Even without extra votes, the gavel matters. For a nation long associated with conflict and recovery, chairing the U.N. Security Council is both symbolic and substantive—an opportunity to steer conversations that affect not only the Horn of Africa, but the international system’s response to war, extremism and climate-driven emergencies.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
