Sierra Leone Flag hoisted at the UN Security Council Chamber
New York: On Tuesday, January 2, 2024, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the United Nations, His Excellency Dr. Michael Imran Kanu, joined his four other colleague Permanent Representatives to install their respective national flags as newly elected members of the United Nations Security Council, marking the official beginning of their two-year tenure.
The ground breaking event occurred in the UN Security Council media stakeout area outside the Council’s chamber. It is a solemn symbolic ceremony for member states joining the United Nations body with the primary responsibility of maintaining international peace and security. This is the second time, in 62 years of the country’s membership of the UN, that Sierra Leone is undertaking this important collective responsibility.
In his statement, Ambassador Kanu stated that Sierra Leone’s “return to the Security Council is a concrete manifestation of the leadership of His Excellency, President Julius Maada Bio, whose New Direction foreign policy embodies our national ambition to contribute to strengthening multilateralism and enhanced international cooperation to maintain global peace and security, protect and promote fundamental human rights and achieve sustainable development”.
Sierra Leone will pursue its priorities based on partnership and a representative approach to sustained global peace and security and shall “work within the formulation of the A3 plus, the E10 and with the P5, to most significantly make the Council take meaningful action, and timeously, in maintaining international peace and security, underlining the utility of regional arrangements and regional ownership”.
Sierra Leone achieved a significant milestone on June 6, 2023, when it was elected to the non-permanent category of the UN Security Council for the term 2024 to 2025. Sierra Leone is returning to the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member after 53 years, with 188 votes out of 193 UN Member States.
Sierra Leone joined the United Nations as its 100th Member State in 1961 after gaining independence from Great Britain. It has served on the Council once (1970-1971).
Sierra Leone has emphasised promoting partnership, multilateralism, and a representative approach to maintain sustained global peace and security. Thus, it seeks to contribute to strengthening the multilateral framework to maintain international peace and security.
Sierra Leone has also expressed its support for strengthening the Peace Building Commission’s (PBC) efforts in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
While on the Council, Sierra Leone will share its experience and lessons learned on its post-conflict peacebuilding journey and as a successful UN peacekeeping operations model.
