Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, addresses the general debate of the sixty-eighth session of the General Assembly at UN World headquarters  New York City, 27 September 2013 /(UN Photo /Ryan Brown)

By Gary Raynaldo    DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UNITED  NATIONS –  NEW  YORK –  Caribbean nation St. Vincent and the Grenadines  officially took over the rotating Presidency of the UN Security Council Monday.  The tiny island nation of  some 100,000 folk has the distinction of being the smallest country ever to garner a seat on the powerful UN Security Council. Tiny St. Vincent and the Grenadines has a big profile now in the global arena.  The Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ambassador Inga Rhonda King  will preside as President at the Security Council for the month of November.  The presidency of the council is held by each of the members for one month, following the English alphabetical order of the member states’ Names.  St. Vincent and the Grenadines follows Russia  which held the presidency the month of  October.  The UN Security Council comprises  15 member states, including five permanent members – the United Kingdom, China, Russia, the United States and France.   Much of the Council’s work is likely to remain remote due to COVID-19 restrictions, although an effort is underway to hold several meetings on UN premises. 

The Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, H.E. Mr. Ralph Gonsalves, along with the Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ambassador Inga Rhonda King,  briefed reporters Monday on the Council’s programme of work for November.  St. Vincent and the Grenadines has chosen to hold a high-level open debate on “contemporary drivers of conflict and insecurity”, under the Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace agenda. The Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, will chair the meeting. The expected briefers are Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed; Chief Executive Officer of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Ibrahim Mayaki; Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies Sir Hilary Beckle.

“Our term on the UN Security Council signifies a new phase in our political journey as an independent nation.  Together we will make a difference for the better.  And our common humanity binds us all as a people and a nation to lend our voices to the most pressing  challenges of international peace and security. As a small state, without the military and economic might to insulate us from the  rivers of a tumultuous international system, our safety and security depends on a steadfast adherence to a firm advocacy and adherence to the principles to international law.  As we coordinate the council’s activity,  we will address a number of important issues affecting our Caribbean region, in our Hemisphere,  and indeed the world.”

-Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, H.E. Mr. Ralph Gonsalves

Credit: Gary Raynaldo / ©Diplomatic Times  /  Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is all smiles as he speaks to the press outside the General Assembly Hall after nation’s election to UN Security Council June 7, 2019 world headquarters New York. 

ST VINCENT and Grenadines to Address Issues in HAITI at  UN Security Council 

“Haiti is also a priority. We intend accordingly to highlight some the issues affecting our brothers and sisters in Haiti including efforts to build capacities in the Haitian National Police, and to advance women’s participation in the political and peace processes,” – PM Ralph Gonsalves.

Tiny Island Nation ST VINCENT  Has Big Plans On UN Security Council

©Diplomatic Times  /  Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, surrounded by diplomatic staff members,  speaks to the press outside the General Assembly Hall after nation’s election to UN Security Council June 7, 2019 world headquarters New York. 

“St. Vincent Grenadines views this as a historic occasion. We are the smallest country ever to be elected as a non-permanent member of the Security Council. We stand steadfast on the fundamental principles of this organization which is founded in the  aftermath of the Second World War to bring about peace and security. We are committed to the principle of the equality of states, interference and non intervention in the internal affairs of other countries. Defense of sovereignty and independence and for overall sustainable development.”

-Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

According to a UN Security Council Report, St Vincent and the Grenadines is likely to take a special interest in the situation in Venezuela. 

There will be the biannual briefing, followed by consultations, on the Joint Force of the Group of Five for the Sahel (FC-G5S), which Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger (G5 Sahel) established in 2017 to combat terrorist and criminal groups in the region. Several meetings on Somalia are expected. The Council is scheduled to adopt a resolution renewing several elements of the Somalia sanctions regime that will expire on 15 November. Additionally, the Council is expected to hold a meeting on the implementation of the mandates of UNSOM and AMISOM. Regarding Libya, there will be a briefing on the ICC by the Prosecutor and a briefing and consultations on UNSMIL.  The regular meetings on Syria, Yemen and the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question, are also on the November programme of work. On Syria, there will be an open and closed meeting on the political and humanitarian situation and a closed meeting on the use of chemical weapons. The meetings on developments in Yemen and on the situation in the Middle East are planned in both open and closed format. Other meetings on the Middle East include:   Iraq, with briefings and consultations on UNAMI and UNITAD

Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the UN,  Ambassador Inga Rhonda King / UN Photo Rick Bajornas

Her Excellency Inga Rhonda King was elected seventy-fourth President of the Economic and Social Council on 26 July 2018. Ambassador King is currently the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the United Nations in New York.  Ms. King, who comes to diplomacy from the private sector, has lived and worked in several Caribbean countries, the United States of America, and China.  She is a small business owner, business strategist, the author of three books, and a management accountant with more than two decades of professional experience. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and chemistry, is the immediate past chair of the Investment Promotions Agency of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Invest SVG), and a former Honorary Consul for Portugal to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.