On Wednesday, the United Nations will hold elections for multiple positions on the UN Security Council. Germany's government is actively campaigning for a spot.
Germany is competing for a seat on the Security Council as the UN General Assembly elects new members to the UN's most influential body on Wednesday. Under the UN Charter, the Security Council holds "the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security."
The council's rulings are mandatory for all UN member states. It has the authority to enforce sanctions, deploy peacekeeping operations, and authorize military action. The Security Council includes five permanent members with veto power: the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and France.
"I would say the chances are good, but it's a competition, and it's democracy," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told DW during a visit to UN headquarters in New York in April. "So we can win. We can lose. Both is possible. We have good arguments. We engage in this world. We are engaged in the UN system. It (Germany) is the second largest donor. And we have some experience because we have for six times been already as a non-permanent member in the Security Council."
Germany is the second-largest contributor to the UN
On its website, the Foreign Ministry highlights Germany's financial contributions to support its case: "As the second-largest contributor to the UN system, Germany has been a reliable partner to the UN for more than 50 years."
Johannes Varwick, a professor of international relations at Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, doubts that Germany's success is assured. "For decades, Germany was widely accepted as a driving force behind multilateral political solutions in many parts of the world. Now there are many divisive issues," he tells DW, pointing to the Israel-Gaza conflict, the Iran war, and the Ukraine war as examples. Ultimately, Varwick said the financial argument could be the decisive factor.
German foreign minister: UN General Assembly 'a vital forum'
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Germany accused of double standards
What does Germany aim to achieve with the seat? In a short film titled "More than a Seat at the Table," produced specifically to promote Germany's candidacy, the message is: "We are ready to take a seat to stand up. For respect, justice and peace."
On its website, the Foreign Ministry states: "On the Security Council, Germany wants to focus on the issues of conflict prevention, crisis resolution, climate and security." Since these are goals that nearly anyone would endorse, they can hardly serve as a unique selling point for Germany.
Some aspects of Germany's bid sound like a counterpoint to US President Donald Trump's strongman policy, such as when the German Foreign Office calls for a "rules-based international order" and the validity of international law. "The UN system is under pressure," German Foreign Minister Wadephul told DW in New York. However, he added, "I believe that diplomacy remains very important so that the law of the jungle does not prevail." He did not mention Donald Trump by name.
According to Johannes Varwick, even Germany's emphasis on international law has drawn criticism at the UN. Some accuse Germany of applying a double standard: "For example, by siding so firmly with Israel on the Gaza issue. I think almost everyone at the United Nations understands that Germany has different historical ties to Israel — there's no question about that." Varwick is referring here to the Holocaust, the murder of some six million Jews during the Nazi era in Germany. "But the fact that one stands so clearly on the side of the aggressor — as many perceive it — while at the same time holding high the banner of international law in Ukraine in a very dogmatic manner, somehow doesn't add up," he explains.
What's behind Germany's special relationship with Israel?
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Reform of Security Council seems hopeless
German Foreign Minister Wadephul would like to restore the United Nations' role in international conflict resolution. Regarding the wars in Ukraine and Iran, he has called for the UN to "become the linchpin of current crisis diplomacy."
In both wars and in many other conflicts, the United Nations has remained relatively passive, largely because at least one of the parties involved in these conflicts holds veto power on the Security Council: Russia in the war in Ukraine and the US in the war in Iran. They have blocked resolutions targeting them, effectively paralyzing the Council itself.
Wadephul sees this as further evidence that the Security Council must be reformed—something that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also advocated. They argue that the Council's current composition, especially the veto-wielding members, still mirrors the global political landscape immediately after World War II and does not reflect today's world.
For years, Germany, Japan, Brazil, and India have each been pushing for a permanent seat, along with two additional seats for African states. Additionally, they want seats allocated to four or five non-permanent members, primarily to give more weight to underrepresented regions like Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
But nothing has ever materialized from this. And it seems unlikely to happen anytime soon, as the existing five veto powers would need to agree to relinquish their privileges. Johannes Varwick also says that such reform efforts, however justified, are "doomed to failure."
The UN's diminishing influence
The question, however, is to what extent the Security Council and the United Nations as a whole remain relevant. In a report released in late August, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) referred to "the near-total marginalization of institutions like the United Nations, due to a combination of financial, political, and geopolitical factors."
New alternative groups and power blocs have long emerged, such as the G20, the group of the twenty most important industrialized and emerging economies, or BRICS Plus, where key non-Western states have united, including China, Russia, and India. These groups have thus been able to bypass the United Nations.
This is not in Germany's interest, Varwick argues in his analysis of the UN's significance: "Strengthening traditional UN multilateralism must remain the strategic goal of German foreign policy. This is very difficult and arduous, but the world would not be better off if forums such as the G20 or BRICS were to emerge as successors to this UN multilateralism."
Austria and Portugal also strong candidates
Germany has served a total of six terms on the Security Council, most recently from 2019 to 2020. In its current 2027–2028 bid, Germany faces competition from two other EU countries, Austria and Portugal, which are also strong contenders, especially since Germany's application was submitted relatively late. To succeed, Germany needs two-thirds of the votes from the 193 member states.
In an interview with DW, Johann Wadephul advised the General Assembly: "One should choose a country that has experience and is interested in fostering greater understanding of other countries and other continents." Needless to say, he sees Germany as the frontrunner here. Whether enough other countries share this view will become clear on June 3.
This article was translated from German.