5 countries assume responsibilities as elected members of UN Security Council

Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday began to assume responsibilities as non-permanent members of the Security Council.

Their two-year term officially started on Jan. 1. But Tuesday is the first working day of the council for 2022 after the Christmas and New Year break.

A flag installation ceremony was held to mark the start of their responsibilities.

Kazakh UN ambassador Magzhan Ilyassov, who presided over the ceremony, congratulated the five new council members and wished them success in realizing their priorities in their two-year term.

The flag installation ceremony for new Security Council members was initiated by Kazakhstan.

"We believe that 2022 is a year of hope for all of us and for our world organization," said Ilyassov. "Global peace, security and further sustainable development will largely depend on the decisions of the Security Council, the UN system and our other close partners."

Norwegian UN ambassador Mona Juul, in her capacity as president of the Security Council for the month of January, welcomed the new members.

"The (COVID-19) pandemic is not the only challenge facing us. We find ourselves, at the beginning of 2022, at a volatile moment of increasing violence and geopolitical tension worldwide," she said. "The international community is confronted with numerous conflicts -- both new and protracted, which demand our robust council response -- one based on a renewed commitment to multilateralism, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and respect for human rights, as stipulated by the UN Charter."

She said the Security Council must be measured by its actions. "It is my hope that the council, with aid and support of the new members, will act decisively this year to deliver on its mandate to uphold international peace and security," she said.

The permanent representatives of the five new council members made short speeches before they installed their respective national flags outside the Security Council Chamber.

The five countries replaced Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia, and Vietnam.

The 15-member Security Council has five permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the UN General Assembly. Five non-permanent members are replaced every year.

India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway are in the middle of their two-year term as non-permanent members.