UAE on the UN Security Council
In 2022-2023, the UAE served as an elected member of the United Nations Security Council.
Emirati diplomacy, under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, sought to be a principled and pragmatic voice on a turbulent international stage.
As a Council member, the UAE promoted its values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence, advocated for Palestine and other Arab causes, championed the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Climate, Peace and Security (CPS) agendas, and advanced global counterterrorism efforts.
Led by Her Excellency Lana Nusseibeh, the Mission drove the adoption of several landmark Council resolutions led by the UAE, including resolution 2686, which acknowledged for the first time that hate speech, racism, gender discrimination, and disinformation contribute to the outbreak, escalation, and recurrence of conflict; resolution 2681, which condemned the Taliban’s decision to ban Afghan women from working for the UN in Afghanistan; and resolution 2720, which laid the groundwork for the establishment of a UN mechanism to accelerate the flow of desperately needed humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
The UAE also chaired the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), co-chaired the Informal Expert Group on WPS, the Informal Expert Group on CPS, and served as Vice-Chair of the Informal Working Group on Working Methods. The UAE also served as co-penholder on the Afghanistan file — overseeing the adoption of four resolutions and securing the Council’s unanimous support for an independent assessment on Afghanistan. The UAE also convened a field visit for Security Council members to the Rafah Crossing to advance the Council’s efforts to address the dire humanitarian needs in Gaza.
The UAE’s term on the Council reflected its longstanding commitment to maintaining international peace and security, upholding the principles of the UN Charter and international law, and strengthening multilateralism and partnerships. Through these and other efforts on the Security Council, amidst fractured times, the UAE maintained its faith in dialogue, diplomacy, consensus, and bridge-building.
