United Nations Security Council on the United Nations Headquarters in New York City – Picture through Wikipedia Commons, free licence.
Ireland, Norway and Canada are bidding for two seats on the Security Council accorded to Western countries. These seats become available in 2021-22, with the election being held in 2020.
Ireland won its last bid for a seat in 2001 by a landslide whereas Canada withdrew in defeat from its bid in 2010, and the wins fell to Germany and Portugal.
Canadian officials point out in the memorandum that the country has been a leading contributor to UN peace missions, including the United Nations Transition Assistance Group in Namibia in 1989 and 1990 as well as the missions in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On the other hand, Ireland has continued its official development assistance funding to developing countries during some tough recent years. Ireland’s Official Development Assistance’s (ODA) budget was nearly $1 billion (about 0.4% of its GDP.)
Norway on her side has consistently and actively contributed to peace, security and development. Norwegians continue to spend one percent of their Gross National Income on development aid every year
Since the UN’s inception, more than 40,000 Norwegian men and women have served in UN operations across the globe. Specialised Norwegian military and police personnel have contributed significantly over the years, from Congo and Lebanon to Kosovo, Haiti and Mali.
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