Somalia Joins UN Security Council After More Than 50 Years

VOA
Somalia on map
6 June 2024
Voice of America (Washington, DC)
By Mohamed Olad Hassan

Washington — The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday elected Somalia to the 15-member U.N. Security Council for a two-year term starting in 2025.

The tiny Horn of Africa nation was among five countries that received the winning votes, alongside Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, and Panama.

"It is both symbolic and strong diplomatic status for Somalia to appear among the Security Council members and this will help Somalia to have a better access for member nations," said Somalia analyst Abdiqafar Abdi Wardhere, who is based in Virginia.

For the first time in more than 50 years, he said, Somalia will have a vote on decisions regarding world conflicts.

"The Security Council is the only U.N. body that can make legally binding decisions such as imposing sanctions and authorizing use of force. Therefore, Somalia would get a vote that determines the world issues and resolutions," Wardhere said.

Announcing the elections' results, the U.N. General Assembly President Dennis Francis, said, "In a secret ballot, the elected countries secured the required two-thirds majority of Member States present and voting in the 193-member General Assembly."

Following the news, the United Nations in Somalia congratulated the Somali government and its people "on their country's election today to a seat on the UN Security Council for 2025-2026."

"Somalia has come a long way over the past three decades on its path to peace, prosperity, and security," said the UN Secretary-General's Acting Special Representative for Somalia James Swan. "Election to a seat on the Security Council is recognition of that commendable progress."

"Somalia's experiences place it in a unique position to contribute to Council deliberations on international peace and security," Swan added.

The Security Council's five permanent veto-wielding members are Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

The five countries that got elected Thursday will replace Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland, whose terms end December 31.

Somali and the other elected new members will join existing non-permanent members Algeria, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia, whose terms started in January.

According to United Nations, the 10 non-permanent seats on the Security Council are distributed according to four regional groupings: Africa and Asia; Eastern Europe; Latin America and the Caribbean; and the Western European and other States group.

The newly elected members were endorsed by their respective regional groups and ran largely uncontested.

Margaret Besheer contributed this report from New York.

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