Dubai: The UAE has been elected as a member to the UN Security Council for the period 2022-2023, it was announced on Friday.
This will only be the second time in the UAE’s history that the country holds one of the ten elected Council seats.
Lauding the new achievement, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said: “Electing the UAE as one of five members to the UN Security Council for the period 2022-2023 reflects the county’s active diplomacy, its international position and distinguished development model. It is all thanks to the Emirati diplomatic team led by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed. We look forward to an active, positive and active membership in the UN Security Council.”
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, said: “Today the UN elected the UAE as one of five members to the Security Council for 2022-2023. We pledge that our team of dedicated diplomats will pursue the same spirit of global engagement and collaboration that has guided the UAE since its founding in 1971”.
Member States of the United Nations gathered today at the General Assembly and elected the UAE to serve on the United Nations Security Council alongside Albania, Brazil, Gabon, and Ghana for the term 2022-2023.
The UAE has been a member of the UN since the country’s founding in 1971 and has only held a seat once before on the Security Council in 1986-1987.
The UAE’s campaign for a seat on the Security Council was anchored by the country’s national and international commitments to advance inclusion, spur innovation, build resilience, and secure peace.
At a moment of increasing polarization, the UAE’s candidature was based on its firm belief in building bridges to foster relationships among Council members and renew Member States’ confidence in the Council’s ability to be relevant and effective in responding to increasingly complex and daunting threats to global peace and security.
The UAE received endorsements by the League of Arab States in 2012 and by the Asia-Pacific Group in June 2020. The UAE launched its campaign in September 2020 and held virtual briefings with various regional groups of Member States to the UN.
These meetings reinforced the UAE’s strong relationship with partners and reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to proactively listen to, learn from, and reflect the views of the entire UN membership while serving on the Council.
"The UAE has always been ready to shoulder its share of responsibility for the world’s most pressing challenges in collaboration with the international community and this was the driving force of our bid," said Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
"Since its establishment, our country has been committed to multilateralism, international law, and the Charter of the UN. When we serve on the Security Council, we will continue to uphold these principles. I hope that our history as a trusted partner and intermediary will enable us to make a lasting contribution during the two years we serve on the Security Council. We recognise the significant responsibility associated with membership on the Security Council and the extensive challenges the Council faces, and we affirm that the UAE will strive to contribute to peace and security with great diligence and determination."
"The UAE’s turn to serve on the Security Council is based on our belief that our values and principles can help drive progress to achieve our collective goal of international peace and security," said Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs and Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN.
"During the two years that we serve on the Council, our team here in New York, in Abu Dhabi, and across the globe will seek to work constructively with fellow Member States to overcome divides and make demonstrable progress in addressing the most critical challenges of our time. From building resilience to climate change, to tackling global health crises and pandemics, to harnessing the potential of innovation for peace, the UAE is committed approaching its work on the Council with the spirit of collaboration and partnership. I also congratulate Albania, Brazil, Gabon, and Ghana on their successful election to the Security Council today and look forward to working together to build a more peaceful, secure, and inclusive future for all."
Lana Nusseibeh, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the UAE to the United Nations, has affirmed that the UAE - as a dynamic and forward-looking country - believes that it has a lot to offer to the UN Security Council and to the entire multilateral system.
Speaking ahead of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly held to elect five new non-permanent members of the Security Council for the period 2022-2023, Nusseibeh said: ''It is now the UAE’s turn to prove that we can help address the challenges the world is facing,''.
"We believe that the UAE has a lot to contribute to the Security Council and to the multilateral system as a whole. We are a dynamic and forward-looking country in our region, a bridge builder, a humanitarian leader, and a global hub of commerce, trade, and innovation."
The Ambassador added, "Since the founding of the UAE in 1971, a spirit of collaboration has been at the heart of our nation. We have always sought to work together with partners in pursuit of solutions that benefit our shared humanity.
"Serving as a member of the UN Security Council, a body dedicated to the pursuit of international peace and security, is an immense opportunity to put this principle into practice at the highest levels of multilateralism to address the world’s most critical issues.
"We believe that the UAE has a lot to contribute to the Security Council and to the multilateral system as a whole. We are a dynamic and forward-looking country in our region, a bridge builder, a humanitarian leader, and a global hub of commerce, trade, and innovation."
"The world today is very different than when the UAE first served on the Council in 1986-1987. However, we continue to believe that peace and security are best served when the international community stands together, with multilateralism at its core. This is why our campaign is anchored under the theme 'Stronger United'," she added.
