Crown Prince Haakon has taken a high profile role in the Norwegian fight for a seat on the United Nations Security Council. This week, he finds out if the campaign has been successful.
In recent days, the Crown Prince of Norway has continued his work on the issue. Last week His Royal Highness attended a digital reception for UN ambassadors on the occasion of the campaign for Norway’s candidate for UN Security Council 2021-2022.
Crown Prince Haakon teamed up from Oslo via video with Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide. During a video-conference they talked to the voting nations on issues that Norway will fight to promote if they get a seat in the council from 2021.
His Royal Highness said: “We live in a time where we need more international cooperation, not less. The corona-pandemic has made this even clearer. It has once again shown us that we can only solve the biggest challenges of our time if we work together”.
Norway’s campaign for a seat in the Security Council was launched in New York on June 22, 2018. In the Rose Garden at the UN headquarters, Crown Prince Haakon and the Foreign Minister held a press conference, emphasising that Norway has national interests in defending the UN and international law. The Crown Prince has been active during the two-yearlong election-campaign.
“It is important to have an international system of rules, negotiations and constructive dialogue. Therefore, the UN is important. I have been an ambassador for the UN Development Fund (UNDP) for 14 years. Through those years I have seen how the UN works at the country level, and what good efforts the UN is doing for health, education and fighting poverty”, said the Crown Prince to the press in 2018.
The 2020 United Nations Security Council election will be held on 17 June 2020 during the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The elections are for five non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council for two-year mandates commencing on 1 January 2021. Canada, Norway and Ireland are currently battling for two seats on the council allocated to the Western Europe and Other States grouping.
