The UN General Assembly on Tuesday elected Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Latvia and Liberia to the Security Council for two-year terms starting next year.
Bahrain secured 186 votes, the DRC 183, Liberia 181, Colombia 180 and Latvia 178. All five nations ran uncontested in their respective regional groups but needed support from more than two thirds of the assembly. They will take up their roles on the Security Council on January 1 next year.
This will be Bahrain’s second term on the council. The country’s Foreign Minister, Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani, told reporters the vote reflected "unwavering trust and confidence" in Bahrain’s diplomatic efforts.
"This outcome not only validates our dedication to enhancing international peace and security, but also reinforces our determination to be a proactive contributor to these critical goals," Dr Al Zayani said.
Bahrain will be the Arab representative on the council, and Mr Al Zayani said his country’s election to the council reinforces its determination to be “a proactive contributor" to international peace and security.
He said that Gaza will definitely be on the agenda during the country’s time on the Security Council, as diplomatic efforts intensify around Palestinian statehood.
“Our goal is to fortify peace and stability within our region,” Mr Al Zayani said, stressing that resolving the decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict is “the cornerstone for achieving peace in the region.”
The immediate requirement, he said, is a ceasefire and massive influx of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the release of all hostages taken from Israel on October 7, 2023, and progress toward a two-state solution and “a viable state of Palestine.”
"Our diplomatic and political efforts are to increase the number of countries recognising the state of Palestine, and hopefully will provide all the support that we can to facilitate the success of dialogue and conferences," Dr Al Zayani told reporters.
He also voiced support for a coming peace conference co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France.
"We wish all the best for the coming conference ... if the world unites on supporting a peaceful, political, diplomatic solution, I think it will be the great present for humanity," Dr Al Zayani said.
Bahrain, which normalised relations with Israel in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords, has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza and a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The Security Council is the only UN body with the power to impose legally binding measures, including sanctions and the authorisation of military force. Its five permanent members – Britain, China, France, Russia and the US – hold veto power.
The newly elected members will replace Algeria, Sierra Leone, South Korea, Guyana and Slovenia when their terms expire at the end of 2025.
In another vote on Monday, the UN General Assembly elected former German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock as president for its 80th session, which begins in September.
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BRAZIL SQUAD
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All matches in Bulawayo
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Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
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Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
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Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
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