Six countries enter the UN Security Council

Ambassadors representing the council's six new member countries placed their flag among those of the body's nine other members

UN security officers gather flags for a ceremony to mark the start of a new two-year term for six non-permanent members of the UN Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York on January 2, 3018. Justin Lane / EPAShow less

Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kuwait, Peru, Poland and the Netherlands formally joined the ranks of the non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday "to make a difference", the body's president said.

"Peace and security are difficult to achieve," Kazakh envoy Kairat Umarov, who took the rotating presidency in January, told council members at a special ceremony. "You are going to have a real chance to make a difference."

One after the other, ambassadors representing the council's six new member countries — five men and a woman, Polish envoy Joanna Wronecka — placed their flag among those of the body's nine other members.

The UN Security Council has 15 members, including five with permanent seats who have the power to veto resolutions — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

Three women and 12 men are among the 15 ambassadors who will soon be seated at the U-shaped table in the centre of the Security Council's chamber.

In addition to Ms Wronecka and US envoy Nikki Haley, Karen Pierce will take her seat later this month as Britain's ambassador.

The six countries which left the Security Council on December 31 were Egypt, Italy, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine and Uruguay.