On 1st January Pakistan began its two-year tenure as a non-permanent member of the United States Security Council (UNSC). Pakistan will sit in the Security Council for the 2025-26 term as a non-permanent member – the eighth time that the country has had a seat on the 15-member body’s horseshoe table. Pakistan succeeded Japan as the Asian representative in the Security Council, which serves as the principal body for preserving global peace and security.
Pakistan was elected as a non-permanent member of the council with a whopping number in June 2024, getting 182 votes in the 193-member General Assembly. A country requires 124 votes representing a two-thirds majority.
At its sixty-first session, the General Assembly elected five non-permanent members of the Security Council (decision 61/402) . At present, the Council is thus composed of the following 15 Member States.
As stipulated in rule 144 of the rules of procedure, a retiring member is not eligible for immediate re-election. In accordance with rule 92 of the rules of procedure, the election is held by secret ballot and there are no nominations. Under rule 83 of the rules of procedure, the non-permanent members of the Security Council are elected by a two-thirds majority. The names of the States that have served as non-permanent members of the Security Council are listed in annex IV.