At the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia were chosen by secret ballot to fill the 2025–2026 term on the Security Council.
The United States, China, France, Russia, Britain, and China make up the five permanent members of the top UN body, which is tasked with preserving global peace and security.
Half of the ten additional elected officials’ two-year tenure are renewed annually.
The five countries chosen on Thursday did not face any opposition.
“Our tenure will be guided by the full commitment to multilateralism and respect of the principles of international law enshrined in the UN Charter,” said Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, who last month called for the departure of the UN mission in his country by the end of the year.
“We will strive to strengthen the cooperation between the Security Council and the regional organizations, including the African Union,” he added.
Greek Foreign Minister Giorgios Gerapetritis highlighted how his country’s position “at the crossroad” of three continents could help build bridges between north and south, east and west.
“We aspire to give a new meaning to the idea of peaceful settlement of disputes,” he said.
Human Rights Watch denounced the non-competitive vote.
“Uncontested elections for seats on the Security Council or any other UN body make a mockery of the word ‘election,'” Louis Charbonneau, UN director for the NGO, said on X, the former Twitter.
“Member countries should give themselves a choice so governments responsible for serious human rights abuses can be rejected,” he said.
As members of the East European regional group fiercely opposed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Charbonneau pointed out that last year, Slovenia defeated Belarus, a Russian ally.
Beginning on January 1, 2025, the five new nations will take the place of Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland.
They will join the other five non-permanent members—South Korea, Algeria, Guyana, Slovenia, and Sierra Leone—who were chosen by popular vote last year.
