Estonia concludes its elected membership in the UN Security Council
December 31, New York
Today 31 December, a formal ceremony is held in New York with the flags of Estonia and other outgoing members lowered in front of the UN Security Council Chamber. Estonia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Sven Jürgenson will speak at the ceremony.
Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets underlined that Estonia has proved a small state can have an impact in the UN Security Council and make its voice heard among the heavyweights of global politics. “Every state has a right and responsibility to contribute to peace, including resolving urgent global crises. Being at the centre of crisis diplomacy and standing up for human rights, international law, democratic values and the security of our region, including keeping the Council and the international community focused on the actions of Belarusian authorities, we can state Estonia has met this responsibility and our efforts have borne fruit,” the foreign minister added.
Ambassador Jürgenson said that while the Council is not a body of like-minded countries, our cooperation with all Council members has been constructive and successful. “Estonia has been a reliable partner as a penholder for Afghanistan and on Libya, formally introducing cybersecurity as a topic for the first time, making sure grave human rights violations do not go unnoticed, and actively contributing to increased awareness of the connections between the climate and security. Through this, we have increased our foreign policy reach and reinforced relations with allies,” the ambassador added.
The Council has 15 members, including five permanent and 10 elected members. Estonia’s membership in the UN Security Council concludes with four other elected members: Niger, Tunisia, Vietnam and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Albania, United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Gabon and Ghana will take up their elected membership in 2022.
The ceremony can be broadcasted live on UN Web TV at 12.00 PM: https://media.un.org/en/asset/k19/k19zy2adyu
