Austria Designates Special Envoys for Austrian Candidacy for the United Nations Security Council

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) consists of fifteen members, besides the five famous ones, that are permanent, there are ten rotating non-permanent members. As stated in the introduction, if a country wants to be part of the UNSC, a two-thirds majority vote from the United Nations General Assembly is needed. Austria wants to convince with a call and a reminder for the preservation of the rules-based international order and campaigned for Austria's renewed entry into the most powerful body of the United Nations, as reported by Vindobona.org. Austria has promoted its candidacy in recent years through targeted diplomatic initiatives and high-level international visits, as well as through ongoing bilateral contacts. However, the solid foundation thus created must be further expanded and secured for electoral success.

Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger therefore appointed honorary special envoys to support Austria's candidacy for the UN Security Council for the period 2027/28. The special envoys are former Federal President Heinz Fischer (SPÖ), former EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn (ÖVP), former Vice-President of the European Parliament Ulrike Lunacek (Greens), and former Defense Minister Herbert Scheibner (formerly FPÖ, then BZÖ).

Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger emphasized her gratitude to all special envoys and their willingness to actively promote Austria's bid. According to Meinl-Reisinger, the fact that this is to be pursued as a national and common goal across party lines shows “how important this issue is for Austria. This is about the overall national interest of our country—about Austria's security and our role in the world."

How do the appointed emissaries see their role? Lunacek said she was ‘very pleased’ as a ”defender of multilateralism.” She sees her experience as an interpreter, EU member of parliament, and vice president, as well as her expertise in climate and feminist issues, as skills she wants to contribute. Fischer wants to bring his experience from twelve years as president and 171 trips abroad during that time to the table “as best he can.” Hahn, who repeatedly joked about standing in front of a light blue and white UN flag instead of a blue and yellow EU flag for once, is delighted to be able to represent Austria and hopes to speak with as unified a voice as possible.

Diplomacy as a higher goal

The goal of the federal government is to work together with the Austrian Parliament, the parliamentary clubs, and the federal states to promote the application—in the spirit of national solidarity—and to advance it as best as possible within the framework of all international activities. All special envoys reiterated that “Austria's security depends on our role in the world.” This year, Austria celebrates the 70th anniversary of its membership in the UN. Since then, active engagement in the UN has been a priority of Austrian foreign policy. Austria has already been a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council three times (1973-1974, 1991-1992, and 2009-2010). The veto power of the permanent members allows them to block any decision, which often leads to deadlock in the Council due to political conflicts. The ten temporary members, on the other hand, have far less influence. Work on reforming the Security Council has been ongoing for some time. Austria was recently entrusted with the task of drafting reform proposals, together with Kuwait.

For Meinl-Reisiger, applying for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council is an opportunity to “have a seat at the table and actively shape the world.” The Foreign Minister reiterated the importance of Austria's candidacy: “When we strengthen what protects us, we also strengthen ourselves many times over. Hence our application to the UN Security Council: as a contribution to a free world and a secure Austria.”

Each year, half of the ten non-permanent members are re-elected for a two-year term. The election relevant to Austria will take place in June 2026 at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The Foreign Ministry has been allocated a budget of ten million euros per year for the campaign this year and in 2026. The money will primarily go toward hosting conferences, which in turn will strengthen Vienna as a conference venue, Meinl-Reisinger said.

Opportunities and competition

Because Austria is a neutral nation, already holds a seat at the UN, and participates actively in UN peacekeeping operations, Emil Brix, the longtime director of the Diplomatic Academy, sees "good opportunities" for a temporary seat. In ORF's “Mittagsjournal” radio news program, Brix stated, "The chances may even have increased in recent days because not all countries around the world may vote for Germany due to the controversial election of Annalena Baerbock as Germany's representative to the General Assembly."

"We must put in a lot of effort if we hope to win this election." Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler (SPÖ) added in the morning that we are in a "competitive situation" with countries like Portugal and Germany. "We want to bring this foreign policy Córdoba home," said Babler, who is also the Minister of Sport, drawing a parallel to football. With a faint smile, Meinl-Reisniger emphasized that Germany was "the last to come up with the idea of applying," while Austria was the first. Meinl-Reisinger refused to acknowledge that Berlin's chances of winning the Security Council mandate might be weakened and Vienna's increased if former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock's bid for the position of President of the UN General Assembly was successful. To gain points, the foreign minister stated, "I just want to focus on our diligence and our work." The bulk of the 193 UN members are small or medium-sized states, according to former Commissioner Hahn. For instance, Hahn did not state directly that Austria, being a medium-sized state, could better represent their voices than Germany, but he wished to imply this.

Austrian MFA