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<title>AXWORTHY WELCOMES SUCCESSFUL CANADIAN SECURITY COUNCIL BID</title>
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<p><font face="Courier"></font><font face="Courier"></font><font face="Courier"></font><font face="Univers" size="+2">October 8, 1998 <em> (12:00 p.m. EDT)</em> No. 237</font><font face="Courier"></font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Univers" size="+2"></font><font face="Univers" size="+2">AXWORTHY WELCOMES SUCCESSFUL CANADIAN </font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Univers" size="+2">SECURITY COUNCIL BID</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier"></font><font face="Courier">Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy expressed his great pleasure today on
learning that Canada had succeeded in its bid to serve a two-year term on the
United Nations (UN) Security Council starting January 1, 1999.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">"This is a tremendous recognition of Canada's international stature by member
states of the UN," said Mr. Axworthy. "By electing Canada to the Security Council,
they have acknowledged Canada's solid international peace and security
credentials. Canada's leadership on such initiatives as the anti-personnel mine
ban, our work on the International Criminal Court, and our extensive history of
participation in UN peacekeeping operations puts Canada in an excellent position
to play an effective and constructive role on the Council and help prepare it to
meet the challenges of the coming century."</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">The Security Council is the world's paramount body for safeguarding and promoting
international peace and security. One of Canada's main objectives during its term
will be to include human security concerns in Council discussions. Such concerns
include conflict prevention, peacebuilding and respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms. Canada will also work to make the Security Council more
effective, transparent and responsive to the legitimate views of UN member states. </font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">"I also want to congratulate the Netherlands on their successful bid," added the
Minister. "Both the Netherlands and Greece were strong competitors for Canada. We
look forward to working with all of our Security Council colleagues, including
Argentina, Malaysia and Namibia, who were also elected today, on the many complex
issues that will face us over the next two years."</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Mr. Axworthy also expressed his great appreciation for the excellent work of
Canadian diplomats in Ottawa, at our Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, and
around the globe, who promoted Canada's candidacy over the past four years. He
also paid special tribute to the contribution of his Cabinet colleagues, members
of Parliament and special envoys.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Canada was elected today on the first ballot with 131 votes; 177 UN member states
were eligible to vote in the election held earlier today at the UN headquarters in
New York.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">The Security Council consists of five permanent members -- China, France, Russia,
the United Kingdom and the United States -- and 10 elected members, whose seats are
allocated among five regional groups for two-year terms each. Canada and the
Netherlands were elected today to the two available seats in the Western Europe
and Others Group (WEOG).</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">-30-</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">A backgrounder is attached.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">For further information, media representatives may contact:</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Debora Brown</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">(613) 995-1851</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Media Relations Office</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">(613) 995-1874</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">This document is also available on the Department's Internet site:
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca</font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Univers" size="+1">Backgrounder</font></p>
<p align="CENTER"><font face="Univers" size="+1">CANADA AND THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL</font><font face="Courier"></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">The United Nations (UN) Security Council is the UN body with primary
responsibility for international peace and security issues. It is made up of five
permanent members, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States
of America. In addition, there are 10 elected members, whose seats are allocated
among five regional groups: the Western Europe and Others Group (WEOG); the
Eastern Europe Group; the Africa Group; the Group of Latin America and Caribbean
States; and the Asia Group. Elected members serve two-year terms, with five seats
becoming available each year. </font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Canada, along with the Netherlands, is a member of WEOG, and both countries will
serve on the Security Council from January 1, 1999, until December 31, 2000.
Argentina, Malaysia and Namibia have also been elected to serve during this same
term. Bahrain, Brazil, Gabon, The Gambia and Slovenia will serve on the Council
until the end of 1999. All countries on the Council take turns holding the Council
presidency in rotations of one-month periods. Canada will hold the presidency of
the Security Council in February 1999 and again during the spring of 2000.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">All member countries in good standing -- countries not more than two years behind
in their dues -- are eligible to vote in Security Council elections. To win a seat,
countries must secure at least two-thirds of the total votes cast. Canada achieved
this by obtaining 131 out of a total of 176 votes.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Canada has served on the Council about once every 10 years since the UN's
establishment in 1945 -- during 1948-49, 1958-59, 1967-68, 1977-78 and most
recently in 1989-1990. This will be Canada's sixth term as a Security Council
member.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Canada has always sought to maximize its international influence through
participation in multilateral bodies, and, as such, our active involvement at the
UN is a cornerstone of our foreign policy. Active membership on the Council is an
important way to advance Canadian values within the organization and to
demonstrate our commitment to the multilateral process. </font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">One of Canada's goals is to see the Council become more responsive and adopt a
broader, integrated approach to international peace and security, which in
addition to addressing traditional security concerns would also focus increasing
attention on human security. The notion of human security is made up of a broad
range of concepts, including democratic development, human rights and fundamental
freedoms, the rule of law and good governance. Canada believes the Council must
move to encompass this wider view of the root causes of conflicts in order to
address more effectively our new security environment, where threats to
international peace and security arise more and more from conflicts within states
than between them, and where these threats increasingly affect civilian
populations.</font></p>
<p><font face="Courier">Canada also supports reforms that would make the Council more effective,
transparent and responsive to the legitimate concerns of the entire UN membership.</font></p>
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