Germany, S. Africa, Indonesia to join UN Security Council in 2019

UNITED NATIONS, United States: The UN General Assembly elected Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Indonesia and South Africa to serve as non-permanent members on the Security Council for two years starting in January.

All but three of the 193 UN member states cast paper ballots. Germany and the Dominican Republic each obtained 184 votes. South Africa got 183 votes, Belgium 181 and 144 went to Indonesia.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas – who was present for the vote – said his country wanted to be a ‘strong voice for peace in the Security Council.’

“But above all, we want a multilateral world order for the future, based on the rules that we have worked on tirelessly for decades, especially here at the United Nations,” Maas added.

The Belgian government said it was joining the council at a ‘pivotal moment.’

“It’s a period when multilateralism no longer seems obvious to all, with some even questioning it, even as the planet is confronted with multiple global challenges, including climate change, the (UN) Sustainable

But above all, we want a multilateral world order for the future, based on the rules that we have worked on tirelessly for decades, especially here at the United Nations. — Heiko Maas, German Foreign Minister

Development Goals, the fight against terrorism and illegal migration,” it said.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said his country was “humbled and honored by the confidence the international community has demonstrated in our capability to contribute to the resolution of global challenges.”

He also expressed concerns about “the emergence of unilateralism and its attendant threat to the international rulesbased system.”

There are 15 members on the UN Security Council, including the five permanent ones – Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States – and 10 nonpermanent members, half of which are elected each year.

Each candidate country needed to secure two thirds of the votes in order to clinch a seat.

The Dominican Republic will take its first turn on the Security Council, while the other nations chosen have served before.

Belgium and Germany obtained the two seats for the Western Europe and Others Group after Israel dropped out of the competition.

The Maldives, with only 46 votes, lost out to Indonesia for the Asia Pacific regional group’s seat.

The African Union made a deal to see that South Africa was elected, while the Dominican Republic took up Latin America’s spot after a similar consensus in that regional group.

The five new members will replace Bolivia, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands and Sweden on the council.

Just before taking up their duties, the elected states get intense training about Security Council protocol and customs. — AFP