UAE will assume its elected seat on the UN Security Council on January 1, 2022

Today, Member States of the United Nations gathered at the General Assembly and elected the United Arab Emirates to serve on the United Nations Security Council alongside Albania, Brazil, Gabon, and Ghana for the term 2022-2023. The UAE has been a member of the UN since the country’s founding in 1971 and has only held a seat once before on the Security Council in 1986-1987.

The UAE’s campaign for a seat on the Security Council was anchored by the country’s national and international commitments to advance inclusion, spur innovation, build resilience, and secure peace. At a moment of increasing polarization, the UAE’s candidature was based on its firm belief in building bridges to foster relationships among Council members and renew Member States’ confidence in the Council’s ability to be relevant and effective in responding to increasingly complex and daunting threats to global peace and security.

The UAE received endorsements by the League of Arab States in 2012 and by the Asia-Pacific Group in June 2020. The UAE launched its campaign in September 2020 and held virtual briefings with various regional groups of Member States to the UN. These meetings reinforced the UAE’s strong relationship with partners and reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to proactively listen to, learn from, and reflect the views of the entire UN membership while serving on the Council.

"The UAE has always been ready to shoulder its share of responsibility for the world’s most pressing challenges in collaboration with the international community and this was the driving force of our bid," said His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

"Since its establishment, our country has been committed to multilateralism, international law, and the Charter of the UN. When we serve on the Security Council, we will continue to uphold these principles. I hope that our history as a trusted partner and intermediary will enable us to make a lasting contribution during the two years we serve on the Security Council. We recognise the significant responsibility associated with membership on the Security Council and the extensive challenges the Council faces, and we affirm that the UAE will strive to contribute to peace and security with great diligence and determination."

"The UAE’s turn to serve on the Security Council is based on our belief that our values and principles can help drive progress to achieve our collective goal of international peace and security," said Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs and Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN.

"During the two years that we serve on the Council, our team here in New York, in Abu Dhabi, and across the globe will seek to work constructively with fellow Member States to overcome divides and make demonstrable progress in addressing the most critical challenges of our time. From building resilience to climate change, to tackling global health crises and pandemics, to harnessing the potential of innovation for peace, the UAE is committed approaching its work on the Council with the spirit of collaboration and partnership. I also congratulate Albania, Brazil, Gabon, and Ghana on their successful election to the Security Council today and look forward to working together to build a more peaceful, secure, and inclusive future for all."