Pakistan assumes UN Security Council presidency after 12 years

Dubai: Pakistan has recently assumed the presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the month of July, 2025.

This marks Pakistan’s eighth term as a non-permanent member of the council, and is the first time the country has assumed presidency since its previous participation in the 2012-2013 cycle.

But what does this role signify and what does Pakistan plan to do with this newfound position? Here’s what you need to know.

In this presidency role, some of the main responsibilities are to conduct the meetings of the Security Council and lead the council in supervising any developing crises. While this means Pakistan has no singular authoritative power, the country in charge of the council tends to have some influence over the discussions held.

Currently, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad is the country’s permanent UN representative and will be overseeing events and meetings Pakistan will administer during this period, alongside other authoritative members.

Pakistan is set to oversee two key events in July, as highlighted by a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The first event will take place on July 22 and is an open debate on “Promoting international Peace and Security through Multilateralism and the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes.” Whereas, the second event is a briefing on “Cooperation between the United Nations and Regional and Sub-Regional Organizations: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC),” which is set to occur on July 24.

Deputy Prime Minister, Ishaq Dar, highlighted Pakistan’s commitment to addressing and resolving various current global problems.

“Our presidency comes at a time of escalating conflicts and humanitarian crises across the world. We will strive to steer the Security Council towards responsive and effective action grounded in dialogue, diplomacy, and peaceful dispute resolution,” he said in a statement on X.

The UN Security Council was first established in 1946 and is dedicated to maintaining international peace and security.

The Security Council consists of 15 members, where five members - China, France, Russia, UK, US - are permanent. The remaining 10 non-permanent members are elected on a two-year cycle basis. Any UN state is eligible to become a non-permanent member. Since its inauguration, the organisation has always had a rotating schedule for the presidency selected from the 15 council members.

This is likely the last time Pakistan holds this position before the country’s current term with the UN Security Council ends in December 2026. In fact, the organisation has already established its schedule for 2026, as well as for the remaining half of 2025.

In the remainder of the year, the countries who will follow Pakistan’s position are Panama, South Korea, Russia, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia. Whereas the countries who have completed their term prior to Pakistan includes Algeria, China, Denmark, France, Greece, and Guyana.