Soon after declaring independence on 31 August 1957, Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman wrote to the United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld to express Malaya's interest to join the United Nations. On 17 September 1957, the twelfth session of the United Nations General Assembly, presided by Sir Leslie Munroe, unanimously agreed to admit Malaya as its 82nd member through resolution 1134. Tun Dr. Ismail Abd Rahman was appointed as Malaya and Malaysia's first ambassador to the United States of America, as well as the United Nations – two posts which he held concurrently from 1957 till 1959. On 16 September 1963, Malaya merged with the former British colonies of Singapore, North Borneo and Sarawak to form Malaysia. However, less than two years after the merger, Singapore was expelled from the federation.
Activities
Malaysia is a strong proponent of multilateralism and international cooperation. Malaysia's presence in the United Nations, among others, is to formulate, coordinate, defend and advance Malaysia's positions and interests on all three pillars of the United Nations.
General Assembly
On 17 September 1996, Razali Ismail was elected President of the United Nations General Assembly’s 51st session. At the time of his election, he was serving as Malaysia's ambassador to Cuba and its High Commissioner to Barbados, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. He was the third representative from Southeast Asia to preside over the world body after Dr. Carlos Pena Romulo and Adam Malik. Razali Ismail presided the General Assembly’s 51st session from 17 September 1996 to 15 September 1997.
Security Council
Malaysia served as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for four terms in 1965, 1989–1990, 1999–2000 and 2015–2016. In 2015, Malaysia introduced a , calling for the establishment of an international criminal tribunal, in response to the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. The resolution, however, failed to pass as a result of Russia's veto. On 23 December 2016, resolution 2334 sponsored by Malaysia made history as the first resolution adopted by the Security Council on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in eight years. Adopting the resolution with 14 votes in favor, with the United States abstaining, the Security Council reaffirmed that Israel’s establishment of settlements in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, had no legal validity, constituting a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the vision of two States living side-by-side in peace and security, within internationally recognized borders. The Council also reiterated its demand that Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.
Malaysia consistently advocates for the cause of nuclear disarmament in the international fora, and supports all efforts towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons. From 27 April to 22 May 2019, Malaysia, represented by Ambassador Syed Mohamad Hasrin Aidid, chaired the third and final preparatory committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The NPT has played an invaluable role in the preservation of international peace and security for the past five decades, by preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and imposing a legal obligation on the five Nuclear Weapon States to eliminate their nuclear arsenals, towards a nuclear-weapon-free world. Malaysia will be chairing Main Committee I on Nuclear Disarmament at the 2020 NPT Review Conference, when it is convened. The Conference, initially scheduled to take place from 27 April until 22 May 2020, has been postponed to a later date in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. 2020 marks the 50th anniversary since the Treaty’s entry into force in 1970, and the 25th anniversary of its indefinite extension in 1995.
Representation
Malaysia has three permanent missions to the United Nations. Ambassador Syed Mohamad Hasrin Aidid heads the Malaysian Mission in New York, Ambassador Ahmad Faisal Muhamad heads the Malaysian Mission in Geneva, and Ambassador Ganeson Sivagurunathan heads the Malaysian Mission in Vienna.
