New Zealand assumes UN Security Council rotating presidency for July

New Zealand on Wednesday assumed the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for July.

New Zealand's Permanent Representative to the UN, Gerard van Bohemen, took over the rotating council presidency from Dato' Ramlan Ibrahim, Malaysia's permanent envoy to the UN who held the council presidency for June.

During July, Gerard van Bohemen may speak on behalf of all council members, building the Program of Work for the month and chairing council meetings. The president plays a pivotal role in times of crisis.

Under the UN Charter, the Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of peace and security in the world at large.

The Council is composed of five permanent members -- China, the United States, Britain, France, and the Russian Federation -- and 10 non-permanent members that are elected in groups of five, with a tenure of two years on the Council.

The presidency of the Council rotates among its 15 member states based on the English-language alphabetical order of the countries' names on a monthly basis. Enditem