Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone Assume Responsibilities as Elected Members of UNSC

Algeria, Guyana, South Korea, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia have officially taken on their responsibilities as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Tuesday.

Although their two-year term started on Monday, Tuesday is the first working day of the council for 2024, following the Christmas and New Year holiday break. To mark the start of their responsibilities, a flag installation ceremony was held. 

These five newly elected members have replaced the non-permanent members of Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, and the United Arab Emirates for the 2024-2025 period.

Nicolas de Riviere, the Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations, has taken over the presidency of the UN Security Council for January and welcomed the new members to UNSC. He emphasized the responsibility and honor that comes with sitting in UNSC, especially at a time when regional crises are multiplying, particularly in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Africa.

The French diplomat expressed hope for working together for 2 years to implement the council's mandate, preserve peace, security, and multilateralism respecting the UN Charter's values.

In turn, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, promised that Guyana will be one of the "leading voices" in the council to ensure that peace and security are maintained across the world.

UNSC is considered the most powerful body of the United Nations, with 15 members, five of which are permanent: Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States. The 10 non-permanent seats of the council are allocated by geographic region, with five replaced each year. 

The council is tasked to maintain international peace and security and can make legally binding decisions, impose sanctions, and authorize the use of force against states.