Munir Akram, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, and other delegates attend the meeting in New York on Thursday.

Tariq Butt, Correspondent / AP

Pakistan, Denmark, Greece, Panama and Somalia got seats on the UN Security Council  (UNSC) in a secret ballot in the General Assembly on Thursday.

The 193-member world body elected five countries to serve two-year terms on the council. The 10 non-permanent seats on the 15-member council are allotted to regional groups that usually select their candidates but sometimes can’t agree on one. There were no such surprises this year.

Loud applause filled the General Assembly hall as its president, Dennis Francis, announced the winners of the five non-permanent seats: Pakistan, Denmark, Greece, Panama, and Somalia. These countries will replace Japan, Ecuador, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland, whose terms end on Dec.31. Francis congratulated the new members on their victory.

Pakistan will replace Japan in the Asian seat starting Jan.1, 2025, beginning its eighth term on the Council.

Munir Akram, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, expressed his elation as he emerged from the hall. Akram stated, “Pakistan’s election represents the confidence of the international community in Pakistan’s ability to promote the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.”

He emphasised that Pakistan would work actively with other Council members to advance shared objectives, particularly in preventing and peacefully settling conflicts.

Pakistan, representing the Asia-Pacific group alongside India, stands as a strong contender for one of the available seats. The elections are exclusive to the 10 non-permanent positions, as the UNSC’s five permanent members - Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States - do not undergo the electoral process.

Traditionally, the allocation of the non-permanent seats follows a rotational method among regional groups. Consensus within these groups often determines the selected candidate, said a report. India and Pakistan, despite their historical rivalry, frequently support each other’s candidacies in these elections, reflecting diplomatic pragmatism amidst their differences.

All five candidates have served on the UNSC previously: Pakistan seven times, Panama five times, Denmark four times, Greece twice, and Somalia once.

The five seats available for the 2024 election, according to the regular distribution, include one for the African group, one for the Asia-Pacific group, one for the Latin American and Caribbean group, and two seats for the Western European and Others group (WEOG). The five new members elected this year will take up their seats on Jan 1, 2025 and will serve until Dec 31, 2026.

The incoming members will inherit a world grappling with heightened tensions sparked by events like the war in Palestine and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Last year, Slovenia soundly defeated Russia’s close ally Belarus for the seat representing the East European regional group, a vote that reflected strong global opposition to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

All five countries that won seats on Thursday have previously served on the Security Council - Pakistan seven times, Panama five times, Denmark four times, Greece twice and Somalia once.