Germany. A Strong Partner for Africa.

On October 12, at the 65th session of United Nations General Assembly in New York, Germany was elected as a non-permanent member of the international organization's Security Council for the years 2011/2012. The Security Council is regarded as the most important committee in the United Nations and as the key body for a peaceful world order.

Germany was elected in the first ballot, when it received 128 of the votes cast by the 192 United Nations member states, and thus the necessary two-third majority. Federal Forgeign Minister Guido Westerwelle expressed his thanks for the "sign of trust and confidence" in Germany's international commitment:"Over the next two years we will do our utmost to justify this trust in us." He said Germany sees the seat on the most powerful United Nations committee "as a great responsibility, but also as a great opportunity to do even more for peace and security, and for development thoughout the world."

In the coming two years Germany will be taking a seat at the Security Council's round table for the fifth time since 1977/78. The Security Council is composed of 15 UN memberg states with China, France, Great Britain, the USA and Russia as permanent members. Germany will be working as one of the international body's ten non-permanent members and will be able to build on its broad spectrum of involvement as an important actor within the United Nations organization.

The United Nations plays a central rol in Germany's foreign policy. Since the country became a full member in 1973 it has worked as a dependable partner for the goals and values of the world organization. As the third largest contributor following the USA and Japan, Germany is one of the major financial supporters of the United Nations. Germany is the world's third largest contributor in funding development cooperation and is actively involved in the work of numerous UN institutions and committees. Meanwhile, 18 of the international organization's agencies are represented at the UN Campus in the Federal City of Bonn.

"Germany is internationally renowed for its reliability, for its commitment to peace and develop and for its multilateral approach," said Federal Foreign Minister in his United Nations address supporting his country's candidacy. Westerwelle also stressed that Germany will strive for a reform of the Security Council during its term as a member. The aim is to create a Security Council that reflects present-day weights in the interantional community and gives greater influence to continents such as Africa and Latin America.