NEW YORK -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will vie for a seat on the Security Council for a two-year term starting in 2021.

The members of the General Assembly won't vote on candidates for the vacancy until the fall of 2020, which means Trudeau will have to win another federal election in 2019 if he wants to personally see Canada return to the UN's most powerful body.

Canada's last two-year stint on the council ended in 2000.

Canada served six times on the Security Council, once every decade since the late 1940s, before it was upset by Portugal in 2010, a defeat that was blamed on a lacklustre attempt by a Conservative government that wasn't overly fond of the UN to begin with.

Trudeau is launching Canada's campaign this morning at UN headquarters.

He says Canada is determined to help the UN make greater strides in support of its goals for all humanity