Illustrative: The UN Security Council holds an emergency meeting on the risk of famine and attacks on humanitarian workers in Gaza, at UN headquarters in New York on April 5, 2024. (AFP)

Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia are poised to secure seats on the UN Security Council through a secret ballot held today in the General Assembly.

The 193-member international body will vote to elect five countries to two-year terms on the council. Of the 15-member council, 10 non-permanent seats are designated for regional groups, which typically nominate their candidates, though disagreements occasionally arise. This year, however, there are no unexpected developments.

Last year, Slovenia was elected as a non-permanent UN Security Council member for the period 2024–25.

This year, the regional groups have nominated Somalia for an African seat, Pakistan for an Asia-Pacific seat, Panama for a Latin American and Caribbean seat, and Denmark and Greece for two predominantly Western seats.

The five council members chosen today will begin their terms on January 1, succeeding those whose two-year terms conclude on December 31 — Mozambique, Japan, Ecuador, Malta, and Switzerland.

They will join the five permanent members with veto power — the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and France — as well as the five countries elected last year — Algeria, Guyana, South Korea, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia.