UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday elected Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia to the 15-member U.N. Security Council for two-year terms starting on Jan. 1, 2025.

The Security Council is the only U.N. body that can make legally binding decisions such as imposing sanctions and authorizing use of force. It has five permanent veto-wielding members: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

The remaining 10 members are elected, with five new members joining every year. Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia — who were all elected in uncontested slates — will replace Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Switzerland and Mozambique.

To ensure geographical representation, seats are allocated to regional groups. But even if candidates are running unopposed in their group, they still need to win the support of more than two-thirds of the General Assembly.

Denmark received 184 votes, Greece 182, Pakistan 182, Panama 183 and Somalia 179 votes.