His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio has departed Freetown for the United States of America to attend the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, for the first time with a significantly greater level of responsibility now that Sierra Leone is a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, UNSC.

President Bio wrote on X saying: “I look forward to attending the 78th session of UNGA with the theme: ‘Rebuilding Trust and Reigniting Global Solidarity: Accelerating Action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards Peace, Prosperity, Progress and the Sustainability for All.’ “During this mission, I will hold constructive meetings on the sidelines of UNGA with key stakeholders to advance Sierra Leone’s strategic interests. Also, my engagements with relevant stakeholders will be crucial before the commencement of Sierra Leone’s tenure as a Non-Permanent Member of the UN Security Council for the term 2024-2025. Our great nation is expected to assume the UN Security Council Presidency in August 2024”.

The country, voted for by 188 countries out of 193 UN member states on 6th June 2022, is returning to the Council in that category after 53 years, a demonstration of respect for the small West African nation.

Sierra Leone is now among other countries like Algeria, Guyana, Republic of Korea and Slovenia to join the premier body for maintaining international peace and security, for the period 2024 to 2025 and starting in January 2024, serving for a two-year period.

President Julius Maada Bio is the Coordinator of the African Union Committee of Ten Heads of State and Government (C-10) on the reform of the United Nations Security Council. He is on record to have successfully moved for a UN resolution on sexual violence survivors in 2021, a historic feat that marked the first time in the history of the United Nations General Assembly, to have sexual violence survivors on the agenda.