Slovenia begins on 1 January its two-year membership of the United Nations Security Council, a stint that senior officials see as a great honour and opportunity, but also a great responsibility.

Prime Minister Robert Golob wrote in a special statement that Slovenia, joining this UN body at a time of massive challenges for the international community, will be an active member and work hard for balanced international relations.

"We will work with the other members of the Security Council. We will not be silent observers, but active participants. We will build partnerships and coalitions with members and seek common ground with each one individually," he added.

Golob is convinced that Slovenia's size translates to balance, a feature that will allow it to succeed in ways unattainable to large countries, burdened as they are with history and their own interests.

"The eyes of the world will be on us. Let us turn the respect we have into actions that will contribute to peace and stability in the world's hot spots," he stressed.

Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon sees Slovenia's membership as a major opportunity but also responsibility as the current situation in the world is demanding and complex.

"This is the reason we will make a special effort to be a bulwark of peace, prosperity and security," Fajon said in a statement as she stressed that Slovenia's 30-strong team in New York is well prepared and highly motivated to do the job.

Second time for Slovenia

Slovenia served on the Security Council once before, in 1998 and 1999, when its diplomatic mission at the UN was led by Danilo Türk, who was later elected the country's president.

His deputy was Samuel Žbogar, who is now Slovenia's special representative to the Security Council, while the diplomatic mission in New York is led by Boštjan Malovrh.

According to Žbogar, Slovenia's priorities will include European issues, such as Ukraine, the Balkans, Armenia and Cyprus, and the Middle East, especially from the perspective of human rights in Gaza.

When it campaigned for a seat on the Security Council, Slovenia also promised African countries to pay attention to their issues.

Its priorities as endorsed by the government and parliament include conflict prevention, the protection of civilians in armed conflict, the inclusion of women in conflict prevention and resolution processes, and climate change.

Election not a given

The 15-strong Security Council is the UN's most important body for deciding on international peace and security.

It has five permanent permanent (the US, China, Russia, the UK and France) and ten which serve two-year terms, with five elected each year by the General Assembly.

Slovenia was elected on 6 June, getting 153 votes in the first round of voting to beat Belarus in the Eastern European group.

The resounding vote in favour of Slovenia was by no means a given. Candidacies typically take several years, whereas Slovenia did not enter the fray until after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

It did so at the behest of the United States, after Belarus threw its weight behind Russia, whereupon Slovenian diplomats spent months zigzagging the globe to drum up support, in particular in Africa and Asia.