*Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio Publicly Presents Promotional Items, Launches Country’s Bid for a Seat on United Nations Security Council*
*_State House, Freetown, Monday 9 May 2022 –_* His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has launched Sierra Leone’s bid for a seat in the non-permanent category of the United Nations Security Council, UNSC, for the period 2024-2025, again since the country’s first inning 51 years ago.
In his statement, President Bio recalled that in just eight years after Sierra Leone became a member of the United Nations, it had the singular honour for the first time to be elected to serve on the organisation’s most powerful deliberative body, the Security Council.
“These two unforgettable years of Sierra Leone’s tenure in the Council from 1970 to 1971, served as bold footprints that continue to define our nation’s commitment to its international obligations and its unflinching support for a multilateral rules-based world order to advance and sustain global peace and security.
“Fifty plus years after our 1970-1971 tenure on the Security Council, we are once again presenting Sierra Leone’s candidature for a seat in the non-permanent category of the United Nations Security Council for the period 2024-2025,” he said at the presentation of information, education and communication and promotional items for the country’s proposal.
President Julius Maada Bio also reiterated that as a nation, they had always continued to play their part as a responsible member of the international community, adding that at various times, Sierra Leone had proudly contributed troops and police to peace support operations so that others might enjoy the peace the country was now experiencing.
“Sierra Leone can today proudly boast of its credentials as a successful model of peacebuilding and post-war state reconstruction. We owe it to the global family of nations to share our experience and lessons in peace-making, peacekeeping and peacebuilding.
“Also, given the centrality of Sierra Leone’s role as Coordinator of the C-10 on Security Council reform, we will continue to canvass, mobilise and promote support for the Common African Position. We will unequivocally affirm the need for a comprehensive reform of the United Nations System, which will significantly contribute to upholding the principles, objectives and ideals of the UN Charter for a fairer world, based on universalism, equity and regional balance,” he said.
In a welcome statement, the Director General of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Prince Cole, said he was extremely happy about such a history-making event, adding that the bid for Sierra Leone to seat in the non-permanent category of the UNSC for the period 2024-2025 would be held in the General Assembly of the United Nations in June 2023.
He further noted that Sierra Leone would once again be on the verge of ascending the global stage, especially as the sole African candidate for the position.
“I am pleased to inform all that Sierra Leone is running with a faith, blessing and support of not only our sub-regional organisation, ECOWAS, but also with the support of the continent as an endorsed candidate of the African Union,” he concluded.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Professor David John Francis, said the event was historic because Sierra Leone was returning to the UNSC, the world’s most important body for the maintenance of global peace after more than 50 years.
Prof. Francis maintained that the position in the UNSC would give Sierra Leone the perfect opportunity to tell the country’s success story as a country of resilience, hope, and a country that successfully transitioned from war to peace, a country no longer defined by its past, but a country of recent beacon of hope and for Human Capital Development.
“Sierra Leone has maintained an evidence record of support for multilateral rules-based world order, that is why Sierra Leone is increasingly elected or appointed to global leadership organisations such as President of the United Nations Women Executive Board; President of the Arms Trade Treaty, to name but a few.
“We are running under the theme: Partnership, Multilateralism and Representative Approach to Sustained Global Peace and Security. It is our firm desire that this endeavour will contribute significantly to re-brand Sierra Leone,” he concluded.
