New Members Join the UN Security Council

Somalia, Greece, Denmark, Pakistan, and Panama have officially begun their terms as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

A flag-raising ceremony for these five nations was held this Thursday at the UN headquarters in New York, symbolizing the start of their tenure within the organization’s executive body.

The new members succeed Mozambique, Malta, Switzerland, Japan, and Ecuador, whose terms ended on December 31, 2024.

The new members’ mandates will last for two years. All of them have previously held seats on the Council: Somalia once, Greece twice, Denmark and Pakistan four and seven times respectively, and Panama five times.

The Security Council, responsible for maintaining international peace and security, comprises five permanent members (China, the United States, Russia, France, and the United Kingdom) and ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly. Each year, five new non-permanent members are elected.