UNITED NATIONS(National Times)- Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad hosted a largely attended reception to mark the end of Pakistan’s presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of July. Heads of diplomatic missions accredited to the United Nations, senior U.N. officials, prominent citizens and senior journalists attended the event. Pakistan’s former’s UN Ambassador, Munir Akram, also attended the reception. Ambassador Asim Iftikhar thanked his counterparts and guests for attending the reception and for their cooperation during Pakistan’s presidency of the Council. He also thanked former Ambassador Akram, a well-known figure at the U.N., for his presence at the gathering. During its presidency, besides other agenda items, Pakistan organized two signature events — a high-level open debate on “Promoting International Peace and Security through Multilateralism and Peaceful Settlement of Disputes”. At the end of the debate, the 15-member Council unanimously adopted a Pakistan-sponsored resolution calling on member-states to take measures for the effective implementation of the Council’s resolutions for peaceful settlement of disputes. The other signature event was a high-level briefing of the Security Council focusing on enhancing cooperation between the UN and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) following which a presidential statement was issued. Pakistan also presided over the quarterly open debate of the Council on the “Situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian Question”. The high-level events were presided over by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Ishaq Dar. Pakistan began its current two-year term as a non-permanent member in January 2025 and will serve through the end of 2026.