Pak, Denmark, Greece, Panama & Somalia get seat on UN Security Council

The United Nations General Assembly has elected Pakistan, Somalia, Panama, Denmark, and Greece as the new non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. They have been reelected for a two-year term starting 1 January 2025.

Newly elected non-permanent members of the Security Council

The election to elect five new members of the UN Security Council was held on 6 June 2024 in the UN’s headquarters in New York,the United States of America.

The newly elected members Pakistan, Somalia, Panama, Denmark, and Greece will replace Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Ecuador and Switzerland. These countries' terms will end on 31st December 2024. 

The newly elected members will join Algeria, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia as the other non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. The terms of Algeria, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia started on 1 January 2024 and will end on 31st December 2026. 

The terms of the newly elected Pakistan, Somalia, Panama, Denmark, and Greece will start on 1 January 2025 and end on 31st December 2027.

Security Council and its Composition 

The UN Security Council is the most important body of the United Nations, and it is primarily responsible for maintaining international peace and security. The decision of the Security Council is binding on all the members of the United Nations.

It comprises 15 members, 5 of whom are permanent and 10 non-permanent. 

The five permanent bodies of the UN Security Council are the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China.They have veto power, and if they vote against a resolution in the UN Security Council, then the resolution cannot be passed.

The 10 non-permanent members of the UN Security Council are elected for two years and do not have veto power.

The 10 seats are distributed among the four regional groups: Africa and Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western Europe and other States. The members can be candidates for the election from the regional group they belong to.

Pakistan and Somalia were elected from the African and Asia groups.

Panama was elected from the Latin America and Caribbean group.

Denmark and Greece were elected from Western Europe and other state groups.

How are the non-permanent members of the UN Security Council elected?

A country needs the votes of at least two-thirds of the UN member countries present and voting to be elected as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. The United Nations has 193 members. A secret ballot is used to elect the non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Countries with non-member Observer State status at the United Nations cannot take part in the election of UN Security Council members. Palestine and the Holy See(Vatican) are the non-member Observer States of the UN. 

Every year, elections are held to elect five non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. The member's tenure starts on 1 January next year.

India and the UN Security Council Membership 

India has been elected eight times as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. It was a member in 1950-1951, 1967-1968, 1972-1973, 1977-1978, 1984-1985, 1991-1992, 2011-2012, and 2021-2022.

United Nations 

The United Nations is an international organisation that was formed in 1945 after the League of Nations failed to stop the Second World War.

Initially, it consisted of 51 member countries, including India, but now, it has 193 member countries.

Secretary General of  United Nations: Antonio Guterres

Headquarters: New York, the United States of America.

Founded:24 October 1945