Croatia is marking the 29th anniversary of joining the United Nations, which occurred on 22 May 1992 and is considered the culmination of the international recognition process and the crowning achievement of Croatian independence and statehood, the Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

The first years of membership were marked by diplomatic efforts to bring the military aggression against Croatia to an end and then to ensure the peaceful reintegration of occupied territories and full territorial integrity and sovereignty, followed by affirmation on the world’s political scene.

As a young state, Croatia succeeded in ensuring relatively quickly its participation in the work of all key UN bodies through membership of the Security Council and the Human Rights Council, and several times of the Economic and Social Council and the Peacebuilding Commission.

Croatia is an active participant in many important processes, from the UN reform, including the work of the General Assembly and the model for the election of the secretary-general, the adoption of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to the recent coordination of global efforts in dealing with all aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Croatia intends to continue contributing to UN activity, from the keeping of international peace and security and the strengthening of international law, to the promotion of international cooperation in dealing with economic, social, cultural and humanitarian challenges, including the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, the ministry said.

All that is confirmed by Croatia’s current applications for membership of the Economic and Social Council (2022-24), the Peacebuilding Commission (2026-27), the Security Council (2030-31) and the Human Rights Council (2032-34).