For the first time in the countryʼs history, Switzerland began to chair the UN Security Council, replacing Russia in this position. The Swiss presidency will last a month, and from June 1 it will be the UAEʼs turn.
"Switzerlandʼs one-month presidency will allow it to focus on its thematic priorities for 2023-2024 and give impetus to the work of the Security Council," the countryʼs Foreign Ministry noted.
The head of the department of foreign affairs of Switzerland, Ignazio Cassis, will hold a debate on the topic of sustainable peace building in early May.
At the end of the month, the countryʼs president, Alain Berse, will preside over a debate on civil protection of the population.
The Swiss will also hold an event dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the peacekeeping activities of the Security Council. In 1948, the Security Council sent its first UNTSO peacekeeping mission to maintain a ceasefire in the Middle East.
Ukraineʼs Permanent Representative to the UN, Serhii Kyslytsia, says that this presidency will be a challenge for Switzerland, given its position of neutrality.
"Switzerland for the first time in history "applied and was elected to the Security Council, where it has to state its position on complex global issues almost every day, this is a powerful challenge for the government," Kyslytsia said.
Chairmanship of the UN Security Council
The Security Council consists of five permanent members of the UN, including Russia, Great Britain, France, the United States and China, who have the right to veto, as well as 10 member countries on a rotating basis.
The Council of Security considers and adopts decisions on security matters, which other members of the UN are obliged to follow. On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine during the UN meeting. During the year of the great war, the members of the Security Council did not manage to exclude Russia from the organization, and even more so, they did not deprive it of the opportunity to preside. At the same time, the Russian Federation, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has the right to veto any of its decisions.
The chairmanship of the Security Council changes every month in the order of the English alphabet.