The convoy grinds through New York City traffic as sirens wail and horns blare. New Yorkers grumble, and the German foreign minister arrives at the United Nations with only minutes to spare. Johann Wadephul steps into the heart of the 80-year-old institution and addresses the Security Council for three minutes on maritime security, the damaging effects of the war in Iran and the risks from a closed Strait of Hormuz. After speaking, he is directed to sit in the rows beside the famed horseshoe table: Germany is not (yet) a member of the Security Council.
Wadephul’s mission in New York is to win a non-permanent seat on the Council for 2027 and 2028. Germany (including former West Germany) has served as a non-permanent member six times, and the former East Germany once. The Council’s five permanent members — the US, China, Russia, France and the UK — retain veto power.
In an interview, Wadephul sounded cautiously optimistic about Germany’s chances. “I would say the chances are good, but it’s a competition and it’s democracy,” he told DW. “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.”
Of the 10 non-permanent Council seats, five will be decided in a June election. To win, a candidate needs two-thirds of the 193 member states’ votes in a secret ballot. Campaigns are complex, shaped by alliances and trade-offs — and Germany declared its candidacy relatively late. The Western European and Others Group had already backed Austria and Portugal, so Germany must secure support from other regional blocs.
Wadephul is focusing on the Africa group, the UN’s largest voting bloc with 54 members, and planned multiple bilateral meetings during his 29-hour New York visit, including with the African Union’s mission. He reminded hosts of Germany’s role as a major donor, but framed his appeal less in financial terms than as an argument for experience and willingness to understand other countries and continents.
Germany has also signalled support for the African Union’s push for two permanent Security Council seats — potentially part of broader UN reform. That stance may bolster ties with some African states, and several AU representatives expressed confidence in Germany’s campaign.
The broader question remains whether the UN retains influence amid rising geopolitical tensions. “Of course we are under stress,” Wadephul acknowledged, noting the UN system is strained. Yet he argued diplomacy remains crucial to prevent a return to the law-of-the-jungle world order.
With wars in Ukraine, Sudan and the Middle East, many at the UN hope the post-World War II rules-based order can be revitalised. Germany is quietly positioning itself as one of the potential standard-bearers of that revival — ideally with a seat at the Security Council.
Edited by: Matthew Moore