United Nations, Jan 3 (IANS) – Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia have officially begun their two-year tenure as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), starting January 1, 2025.
New Members Replace Outgoing Nations
The five incoming members replace Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland, whose terms ended in December 2024.
The transition was marked by a flag installation ceremony at the UN headquarters in New York, a tradition introduced by Kazakhstan in 2018.
Congratulatory Messages
Kazakh UN Ambassador Kairat Umarov, who presided over the ceremony, extended congratulations and best wishes to the new members.
Algerian UN Ambassador Amar Bendjama, as president of the UNSC for January 2025, commended the outgoing members and welcomed the new ones. He emphasized the "immense privilege" and "huge responsibility" of serving in the council, urging all members to uphold the values of multilateralism and address global challenges effectively.
Member Responsibilities
The UNSC consists of 15 members: five permanent members (Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States) and ten non-permanent members elected by the UN General Assembly for staggered two-year terms.
Each year, five non-permanent members are replaced.
The permanent representatives of the new members gave short speeches before raising their respective national flags outside the Security Council Chamber, symbolizing their formal entry into the council.