On Tuesday, Mozambique, Ecuador, Japan, Malta, and Switzerland were formally welcomed to the United Nations Security Council and assumed their two-year seats that they had gained without opposition in June.
The ambassadors of the five nations on Tuesday installed their national flags alongside those of other members outside the council rooms, continuing a custom that Kazakhstan inaugurated in 2018.
As his nation joined the U.N.’s top body, Mozambican Ambassador Pedro Comissário Afonso termed it “an historic date.”
The permanent members of the group are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, all of which have veto power. The General Assembly of 193 nations elects its additional 10 members to staggered, two-year mandates. They are distributed based on world regions.
Gaining a seat on the council, for many nations, entails having a stronger voice in current international peace and security issues.
The council examines subjects with broad thematic appeal, such as terrorism and arms control, while also deploying peacekeeping missions, authorizing penalties, and occasionally speaking out on disputes and flashpoints. While a lot of topics are almost always on the agenda, members can also bring up new issues or subjects that particularly interest them.