Ambassador Ion Jinga, the Permanent Representative of Romania to the United Nations, was elected president of the UN Disarmament and International Security Committee in the elections held within the UN General Assembly plenary session on June 5. His mandate spans between September 2018 and September 2019.

It is the first time a Romanian diplomat is elected president of this main committee of the UN General Assembly. Previously, Romanian diplomats have served five times in the position of vice-president, in 1972, 1983, 2002, 2003 and 2014.

The UN Disarmament and International Security Committee, also known as the "First Committee", is one of the six main specialized bodies of the UN General Assembly, consisting of all the member states of the organization. The First Committee portfolio includes all disarmament and international security matters within the scope of the Charter or relating to the powers and functions of any other organ of the United Nations.

The candidature of the Romanian diplomat was endorsed by the Eastern European Group which, in accordance with the rule of geographical rotation between the five regional groups of the organization, was responsible for nominating the Chair of the First Committee for the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly.

“In our world of today, the Disarmament and International Security Committee has a duty to operate at the highest possible standards. Romania will continue to bring its active contribution to the work of the First Committee, in line with the UN Charter and the norms of international law. The Presidency's approach will be that of an "honest broker", acting in transparency to identify the best solutions for preserving peace,” Jinga said.

Jinga has been working in the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1992. Between 2003 and 2008 he served as Romania’s ambassador to Belgium and between 2008 and 2015 he was the country's ambassador to the United Kingdom. He was appointed the Permanent Representative of Romania to the United Nations in New York in August 2015.

(Photo: londra.mae.ro/en/ Wikipedia)

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