According to UN News, the President of the General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, announced on Friday, 9 June that Japan along with Ecuador, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland had been elected to serve as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for the period of two years from January 2023 to December 2024 by votes cast by the members of the General Assembly. Japan received 184 votes while Mozambique received 192 votes, marking its first time serving on the Council, and Ecuador, the sole candidate from Latin America and the Caribbean, obtained 190 votes. The other two countries, namely Switzerland and Malta received 187 and185 votes respectively. The five newly-elected countries will join Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, and the United Arab Emirates around the Security Council’s signature horseshoe table. They will replace India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, and Norway, which will vacate their seats at the end of this year.
The Security Council consists of 15 countries. Five of them – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States – are permanent members with the right to veto.
The General Assembly, which comprises all 193 UN member states, elects the 10 non-permanent members who serve for two-year terms. To secure a place on the Council, countries must receive a two-thirds majority, or 128 votes, even if they run uncontested. Candidates this year vied for five seats under three regional groups: two for African and Asia-Pacific countries, one for Latin America and the Caribbean, and two for Western Europe and other States. The UN News reported that this time a total of 192 UN member states participated in the election. Ballot papers listed the names of all countries submitted at least 48 hours before the vote. Additional blank lines corresponding to the number of vacant seats were also provided for including any other names.
