Denmark appoints special envoy to secure UNSC seat

"Kristian Jensen is the right man to fight for the Danish candidacy. Thank you for taking responsibility," Xinhua news agency quoted Frederiksen as saying in his announcement on Tuesday. 

Jensen, 49, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, resigned in August 2019 as deputy chair of the liberal Venstre, the largest opposition party. 

"I will be part of a campaign to ensure that Denmark is elected so that we can sit at the finest table in the UN Security Council. Here we can help influence the decisions of the world around us," Jensen told journalists on tuesday. 

The Prime Minister also elaborated on why Denmark sought a seat on the UN Security Council. 

"Denmark has a long tradition of participating in international cooperation forums. We participated in the UN's first peacekeeping mission in 1948 and are among the countries that provide the most to the UN. 

"We as the Danish government are now ready for an even greater global responsibility," she said. 

The UN Security Council has five permanent members -- China, France, Russia, the UK and the Us. 

It also has ten non-permanent members, five of which are elected each year by the General Assembly for a two-year term.