Malta is a bridge-builder committed to neutrality, disarmament, peace and consensus through dialogue, Malta’s Ambassador to the United Nations Vanessa Frazier said, as the country officially took its seat on the UN Security Council, its most powerful body.
“We will be guided by the three pillars of security, sustainability and solidarity and we’ll continue to advocate for peace, security, stability, dialogue, de-escalation and respect of international law,” she told the official ceremony in which she raised the Maltese flag outside the council chamber.
Malta joins Ecuador, Japan, Mozambique and Switzerland on the UN Security Council after they all won their two-year seat in June. Malta secured 97 per cent of the vote from among the 190 voting member states in a ballot.
Frazier said Malta will be focusing efforts related to children and armed conflicts, advancing the women, peace and security agenda, highlighting climate change as an existential threat and emphasising literacy as a peace-building tool. And with the Russian invasion of Ukraine still dominating the world’s agenda, the council’s work is expected to be especially delicate.
Describing it as a historic day for Malta as it took the seat for the second time in its history, Frazier said sitting on the council provided Malta with an opportunity to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security.
“It gives Malta a chance to work towards safeguarding the values and principles enshrined in the UN charter at a time when these values and principles are most threatened,” she said.
The Security Council is charged with handling issues related to international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the general assembly, and approving any changes to the UN charter.
It is made up of five permanent members – the US, the UK, France, Russia and China – and 10 elected, non-permanent members each serving two-year terms.
Non-permanent seats are divided among the UN’s five regional groupings to ensure geographic proportionality, and terms overlap to ensure five members change from one year to the next.
Although non-permanent members can table resolutions, take part in security briefings and chair security council meetings, the five permanent members wield a veto which can be used to stop any resolution in its tracks.
Malta had served for a two-year term on the council in 1983 after the first attempt in 1977 fell short at the last voting stage.
It gives Malta a chance to work towards safeguarding the values and principles enshrined in the UN charter at a time when these values and principles are most threatened
Addressing the 77th UN General Assembly in New York in September, Prime Minister Robert Abela said that Malta will be doing its utmost to address climate change, pushing forward the realities of small islands on the UN security council.
“The interplay between climate change and the health of our ocean is important for Malta as we draw from our maritime legacy and our historical contribution at the United Nations.
“The ocean plays a vital role in combating climate change, but it is also vulnerable to the impact of climate change, such as the changes in sea temperature, the rise in sea levels, and the effects on sea currents,” Abela had said.
According to a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, being on the UNSC will provide Malta with the opportunity to contribute to the resolution of international peace and security issues in line with the UN charter, for example, in voting to despatch UN peacekeepers to contexts where peace is fragile.
“We also believe that during the next two years we will have space to focus on security, including non-traditional security issues, such as climate, literacy or other factors contributing to conflict,” he said.
During its time on the council, Malta will be representing the views, values and priorities of the EU, as well as of small island states, each of which are facing significant challenges.
“The signature event to be held under Malta’s US security council presidency next month will be on the existential threats faced by small island developing states due to sea level rise,” he added.
The next two years will likely produce a number of unexpected challenges in the international situation that Malta will need to respond to due to its council membership.
But Malta has priority areas on which it will seek to focus, including eradicating the use of children in armed conflict.
“As an island state vulnerable to climate change, we are also determined to do what we can to increase knowledge on issues like sea level rise, which is threatening a number of other countries around the world, including small island states like ours,” he said.
It will also focus on women, peace and security and the promotion of literacy.
“Conflicts invariably leave a large negative impact on women and children, and we will seek to increase involvement of women in peace processes. On literacy, we will seek to promote recognition of the link between low literacy levels and prosperity and security,” he said.