By Alfred Koroma
Sierra Leone is set to be elected to the United Nations Security Council on the 6th of June, next month, according to Prof. David Francis, Minister of Foreign and International Corporation.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations tasked with the primary responsibility to maintain international peace and security.
In May 2022, President Julius Maada Bio launched a bid to present Sierra Leone’s candidature for a seat in the Non-Permanent Category of the UN security organ for the period 2024-2025.
If elected in June, it will be the second time Sierra Leone, the 100 member of the UN would have served as Non-Permanent member of the UN Security Council. The country was first elected into the council in 1971.
There are 193 members state in the UN. To win the Security Council seat, Sierra Leone needs two-thirds of the member states vote at the UN General Assembly session next month. That means, the country is required to gather about 129 votes, if all the member states vote.
Sierra Leone secured its candidacy against Nigeria which backed down to support Sierra Leone. And according to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Union (AU) and the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS and other countries have also confirmed they will vote for Sierra Leone.
“For the first time Sierra Leone is going to get elected to go back to the Security Council after 50 years. We have done a lot of work in the last two years. We have done a lot of campaigns for this election,” the Minister told the State Broadcaster last week.
“I’m very pleased to say as of today, we have got a lot of positive responses that they will vote for us on the 6th of June. The confirmation shows a mark of confidence that Sierra Leone will be elected to the UN Security Council for the non-permanent category for the period 2024-2025,” Prof Francis added.”
If successful, Sierra Leone will use the seat to advocate for youth and women in peace processes and peace keeping operations with a focus on fighting terrorism, climate change and human security. The country will also support small arms control, canvass support for the common African position, affirms the need for a system which significantly leads to holding the principles, objectives and ideals of the UN Charter for a shared world and regional balance, says President Bio while launching the bid at State House last year.
He said wining the seat will give the country opportunity to share with the world, its unique selling point which includes religious tolerance, peaceful coexistence, and resilience, referring to the bid as a national duty for all.
“Our time in the Security Council we will support a priority that strengthens and address partnership and representation in the Security Council.”
