United Nations, Jan 3 (NationPress) Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia have commenced their duties as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

Their two-year term began officially on January 1. Thursday marks the first working day of the council for 2025 after the holiday break, as reported by Xinhua news agency.

The five nations have succeeded Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, and Switzerland.

A flag installation ceremony took place at the United Nations headquarters in New York, commemorating the start of their duties.

The Kazakh UN ambassador, Kairat Umarov, who led the ceremony, extended his congratulations to the five new council members and wished them success in their two-year tenure.

The tradition of the flag installation ceremony for new Security Council members was initiated by Kazakhstan in 2018.

Amar Bendjama, the Algerian UN ambassador and president of the Security Council for January, expressed gratitude to the departing members while welcoming the newcomers.

He remarked that serving in the Security Council is an "immense privilege" and "a huge responsibility", urging all council members to work diligently and effectively in tackling global challenges and upholding the principles of multilateralism.

The permanent representatives of the five newly elected members delivered brief speeches before raising their respective national flags outside the Security Council Chamber.

The 15-member Security Council comprises five permanent members—Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States—along with 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the UN General Assembly. Five non-permanent members are rotated every year.