UNITED NATIONS, United States, June 7, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia were elected by secret ballot Thursday at the United Nations General Assembly to serve on the Security Council for the 2025-2026 term.

The top UN panel, charged with maintaining international peace and security, is comprised of 15 nations, including five veto-wielding permanent members: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

Ten others are elected to two-year terms, half of which are renewed each year.

The five nations elected Thursday had run unopposed.

"Our tenure will be guided by the full commitment to multilateralism and respect of the principles of international law enshrined in the UN Charter," said Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, who last month called for the departure of the UN mission in his country by the end of the year.

"We will strive to strengthen the cooperation between the Security Council and the regional organizations, including the African Union," he added.

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgios Gerapetritis highlighted how his country's position "at the crossroad" of three continents could help build bridges between north and south, east and west.

"We aspire to give a new meaning to the idea of peaceful settlement of disputes," he said.

Human Rights Watch denounced the non-competitive vote.

"Uncontested elections for seats on the Security Council or any other UN body make a mockery of the word 'election,'" Louis Charbonneau, UN director for the NGO, said on X, the former Twitter.

"Member countries should give themselves a choice so governments responsible for serious human rights abuses can be rejected," he said.

Charbonneau noted how Russian ally Belarus was defeated by Slovenia last year in a competitive election for the East European regional group seat, as members strongly opposed Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The five incoming countries will replace Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland starting January 1, 2025.

They will join the other five non-permanent members elected last year: Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and South Korea.