Canada to run for 2021-2022 U.N. Security Council seat: Trudeau
Canada will campaign for a seat on the United Nations Security Council in 2021-2022, new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on March 16, seeking to repair battered relations with the world body.
Canada has previously served six terms on the 15-member council, but suffered a humiliating defeat in 2010 under Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who favored a more unilateral approach to diplomacy.
"Protecting vulnerable populations, leading on the world's stage and engaging on some of this era's greatest challenges - this is the Canada of today, this is how we build the world of tomorrow," Trudeau told reporters and diplomats during a visit to the United Nations in New York.
Canada will now be competing against Ireland and Norway for two spots. A spokeswoman for the San Marino Department of Foreign Affairs said on March 16 the country had dropped out of the race.
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The 15-member council has five veto-powers - the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China - and 10 members elected for two-year terms. The 193-member UN General Assembly will hold an election in 2020 for the seat Canada wants.
"Our last term concluded in 2000. With a renewed commitment to international peace and security, now is the time for our return," Trudeau said.
The new Liberal government, Trudeau added, was determined to revitalize what he called Canada's historic role as a key contributor to UN peacekeeping. Ottawa would offer troops and police as well as backing efforts to strengthen civil society.
