Malta Kicks Off Its United Nations Security Council Presidency
Today marks an important milestone in Maltese diplomacy, with the tiny Mediterranean island kicking off its United Nations Security Council Presidency.
“As a young girl and later as a young diplomat, never did I imagine that I would have the privilege to utter these words,” Malta’s Permanent Representative of the UN Vanessa Frazier wrote this afternoon.
“I hope that by my actions I can inspire girls to dream big!”
There are 15 Council members in total. Five of these — China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States — are permanent members.
The other 10 are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms.
Malta, Ecuador, Japan, Mozambique and Switzerland were elected to the Security Council by the General Assembly last summer, for the next two years 2023-2024.
This is the second time Malta was elected, with the first being in 1983 and 1984.
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The smallest EU Member State, Malta is still not the smallest country to have had a seat on the Security Council, with that record instead going to St. Vincent & the Grenadines and its population of 104,332
In a statement after the election, Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg said Malta will be following three important principles throughout its presidency: security, sustainability and solidarity.
What do you hope to see during Malta’s Presidency?
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