UN General Assembly elects five new members to shape global security agenda

In a vote held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the UN General Assembly elected Pakistan, Somalia, Panama, Denmark, and Greece as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for the 2025–2026 term.

These countries will replace Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland, whose terms conclude on December 31, Caliber.Az reports, citing the organization.

The five newly elected members secured their seats through a secret ballot, achieving the requisite two-thirds majority in the 193-member General Assembly. A total of 190 Member States participated in the vote, which concluded in a single round—an indication of strong regional endorsements and largely uncontested candidacies.

The allocation of non-permanent seats on the 15-member Council adheres to a formula of regional distribution: Africa and Asia-Pacific (5), Latin America and the Caribbean (2), Western Europe and Others (2), and Eastern Europe (1). This year’s election filled two seats in the African and Asia-Pacific group (one each), one in Latin America and the Caribbean, and two in the Western Europe and Others group.

Pakistan and Somalia were elected from the Africa and Asia-Pacific grouping, receiving 182 and 179 votes respectively, with five abstentions recorded. Panama emerged as the representative from Latin America and the Caribbean, securing 183 votes, while Argentina garnered one vote and six countries abstained. In the Western European and Others category, Denmark received 184 votes and Greece 182, with Italy and Norway receiving one vote each; two abstentions were noted.

The newly elected members will join current non-permanent members Algeria, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia, who began their two-year terms on January 1, 2024. The five permanent members of the Council—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—retain veto power over substantive resolutions.

As outlined in the UN Charter, the Security Council bears the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, and its decisions are binding on all UN Member States. The incoming members are expected to assume their seats on January 1, 2025.

By Vafa Guliyeva