Dynamic Nations: Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia Poised to Join UN Security Council

UNITED NATIONS – Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia are poised to snag seats on the U.N. Security Council. These decisions will be made through a covert ballot in the General Assembly on Thursday.

The assembly, which consists of 193 nations, will cast votes to appoint five countries to fill two-year roles on the council. The council, housing 15 seats, has 10 allocated for members with limited terms, chosen by regional clusters. Most of the time, regions settle on their picks, although there are occasional hiccups. This year, no curveballs to anticipate.

Take last year: Slovenia trumped Belarus, a staunch Russian comrade, for the East European seat. That vote mirrored widespread condemnation of Russia’s sweeping invasion of Ukraine.

For the upcoming vote, regional delegations have nominated Somalia for an African seat, Pakistan for Asia-Pacific, Panama for Latin America and the Caribbean, and Denmark and Greece for primarily Western slots.

Upon securing their seats, these nations will kick off their duties on January 1st, replacing those whose terms conclude on December 31st—namely, Mozambique, Japan, Ecuador, Malta, and Switzerland.

These incoming members will stand alongside the five permanent juggernauts holding veto power—the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and France—and the five elected last year, which include Algeria, Guyana, South Korea, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia.

The Security Council’s chief aim is global peacekeeping and security. However, Russia’s veto clout has stalled any moves on Ukraine, while U.S. ties to Israel have hindered peace calls in Gaza.

All countries slated to win Thursday have seen previous council stints: Pakistan seven times, Panama five, Denmark four, Greece twice, and Somalia once.

There’s near-universal consensus that after nearly 80 years since the United Nations’ creation, the Security Council needs updating to mirror the 21st century, not the post-World War II landscape it still represents.

However, with 193 countries pursuing their interests, the big question – and the chief bone of contention – is how this overhaul should unfold. For four decades, these rifts have bottled up any progress in reforming the U.N.’s mightiest entity.