NEW YORK – Mozambique has pledged to safeguard African interests as it takes over from Kenya as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
In a speech on Tuesday ahead of the handover, Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi also promised to use the country’s experience in “building peace through dialogue” to contribute to “building a more peaceful, harmonious and prosperous world.
“We reaffirm our guideline focused on defending and safeguarding the interests of Mozambique, Africa, developing countries and the world in the defence of international peace and security,” President Nyusi said.
The Mozambique president further noted that his country was taking up its two-year mandate at a time when there are strong international challenges such as threats to peace and international security that are caused, by among others, conflicts between states, terrorism and the impacts of climate change.
According to UN News, the Security Council raised the five flags of the UNSC’s new rotating members, who officially assumed their seats for the 2023-2024 biennium. They are Ecuador, Japan, Mozambique, Malta and Switzerland.
At the ceremony in New York, the ambassadors of the five nations spoke about the priorities for the mandate. After being elected by the General Assembly last year. They join 10 more members, including the five permanent members – China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Mozambique Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Pedro Comissário said the membership comes with a sense of great responsibility.
Mozambique was elected a non-permanent member of the UNSC for the period 2023-24 on June 9 and will assume the helm of the body responsible for international peace and security in March.
Ambassador Comissário said they will devote their energy to maintaining peace and security around the world, and that great importance will be given to situations that constitute serious threats to the peaceful coexistence of states, with emphasis on what he called the “progressive Africanization of terrorism” friendly relations.
He said terrorism must be contained and reversed, by inviting the international community to join their efforts in the war on terror.
Mozambique’s election came at a time it was battling armed insurgency in Cabo Delgado province, which remains the main security challenge in the country.
The five-year insurgency has resulted in a military response since July 2021, with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community.
The conflict has left one million people displaced, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and about 4,000 dead, according to the ACLED conflict registration project.
Kenya Mission to the UN welcomed the new members in a tweet saying, “As our two year term at #SecurityCouncil comes to an end, Kenya thanks @IndiaUNNewYork , @NorwayUN & @MexOnu & @irishmissionun for the assistance & support shared during our tenure. We welcome incoming members Mozambique, Malta, Switzerland, Ecuador and Japan and wish them success”.
