UNITED NATIONS, New York — The national flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) was installed at the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, January 2, 2020, as the nation begin its historical two-year term as a non-permanent member.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines became the smallest country to be elected to the UN Security Council on Friday, June 7, 2019.
Speaking at the flag installation ceremony at the UN headquarters in New York, I. Rhonda King, SVG’s permanent representative to the UN, said: “All over the world, there is a growing disquiet. People are rising up. Many, if not most, are young and they are calling on those with power to correct the current trajectory of our planet and our politics.”
King said that SVG — a small island developing state, a mere 40 years after reclaiming its independence from colonial powers — was taking up its seat for the first time as an elected member of the Security Council.
“This day is a historic one, not only because we are the smallest nation ever to sit on the security council but also perhaps because the urgency of now calls for fresh, disinterested and impartial perspectives on the seemingly intractable problems of our day,” King said.
Noting that SVG has no “geopolitical axe to grind,” King added: “We are just a young nation that yearns for a better world. We come to the task with a team that largely comprises young, well-educated, enthusiastic and creative thinkers.”
She noted that she, SVG’s permanent representative to the UN, is female, as are the two deputy permanent representatives, political coordinator, and legal advisor.
“Indeed, we are a team that is two-thirds female,” she said to applause. “That, too, is probably historic.”
The envoy, however, said that above all, “we are a Caribbean people.”
Thanking member states of the UN General Assembly for placing their trust in SVG, King added: “We will endeavour every day for the next two years to maintain that trust by discharging our duties and responsibility with integrity, steadfast adherence to the rule of law, the values and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter.”
The UN Security Council is tasked with protecting peace and security in the world. The Security Council has 15 members, with five permanent and 10 elected members. SVG began its membership on Thursday along with four other new members – Niger, Tunisia, and Vietnam, and Estonia – until the end of 2021. Belgium, Germany, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, and South Africa will continue as non-permanent members in 2020 alongside five permanent members, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China.
