Five countries elected to UN Security Council seats

Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia were chosen to be part of the United Nations Security Council for two years. They will replace Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Switzerland, and Mozambique. The Security Council has 15 members, with five permanent members and 10 elected members. The permanent members are Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States. The other 10 members are elected by the General Assembly, with five new countries joining each year. Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia were elected to the Security Council for two-year terms starting on Jan. 1, 2025. The Security Council is the only U.N. body that can make decisions like imposing sanctions and authorizing the use of force. The five permanent members have veto power. The remaining 10 members are elected, with five new members joining every year. These five countries will replace the previous members. To ensure representation from different regions, seats are allocated to regional groups. Even if candidates run unopposed in their group, they still need to win the support of more than two-thirds of the General Assembly. Denmark received 184 votes, Greece 182, Pakistan 182, Panama 183, and Somalia 179 votes. The Security Council is responsible for maintaining international peace and security. However, due to Russia's veto power, it has been unable to take action on certain issues like the situation in Ukraine. Many countries agree that the Security Council needs to change to better reflect the modern world, but there is no agreement on how to do this. Louis Charbonneau from Human Rights Watch criticized the uncontested elections for Security Council seats, saying they undermine the idea of an election. He believes that countries should have a choice to reject governments involved in serious human rights abuses. Pakistan's U.N. Ambassador Munir Akram stated that Pakistan, a significant contributor to U.N. peacekeeping, aims to make peacekeeping forces more proactive in addressing conflicts worldwide. He emphasized the need for the U.N. to play a more active role in enforcing peace in various conflicts.