New York - Saba:
Starting today, Friday, Panama assumes the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of August, succeeding Pakistan.
The Council President, Ambassador Eloy Alfaro de Alba, Panama's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, will hold a press conference this evening, New York time, during which he will brief the accredited press on the Council's work program after the Security Council approves the program in a morning session.
The Council consists of 15 countries, each with one vote. Five permanent members have veto power: France, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Ten non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly. In addition to Panama, they are Pakistan, Guyana, Greece, Algeria, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Denmark, and Somalia.
The Security Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, along with the Secretariat, the General Assembly, the International Court of Justice, the Trusteeship Council, and the Economic and Social Council.