Didier Reynders launches Belgian campaign for a seat in the UN Security Council
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders, together with Their Majesties the King and Queen, just launched the Belgian campaign for a seat as a non-permanent member in the UN Security Council for the period 2019-2020. He unveiled the campaign logo and the slogan: « Fostering Consensus, Acting for Peace ». These symbolize the long Belgian tradition as a mediator, in which the Belgian diplomacy always seeks consensus and brings together parties around peaceful solutions to conflicts. This multilateral tradition is in Belgian’s ‘Diplomatic DNA’.
This launch is the beginning of a campaign that will last for three years, until the election in June 2018. Didier Reynders: « We want to mobilize our network of contacts, not only among public authorities, to support our campaign: scholars, businessmen/women and civil society. All our citizens, convinced by the objectives and principles of the UN Charter, are called on to contribute to the success of Belgium’s candidacy. »
Several Belgian ‘goodwill ambassadors’ for the UN, such as Ozark Henry, Goedele Liekens, Helmut Lotti, Tom Waes and Axelle Red attended the launch, as well as the Brussels-based diplomatic corps and representatives of UN agencies. The launch followed a conference on the role of Belgium during 70 years of United Nations, with the participation of Belgians who play a leading role around the organization: Serge Brammertz, Jacques Rogge, Olivier De Schutter, Marleen Temmerman and Jean-Pascal van Ypersele.
Belgium is a founding member of the UN, former prime minister Paul-Henri Spaak was the first President of the General Assembly in 1946. Our country already held five times a seat in the UN Security Council, and thus actively contributed to the development of several innovative tools for conflict management, mediation and peacebuilding.
