RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil was elected this Friday, June 11, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2022-2023 biennium, equaling Japan as the country that has been selected for this body the most times.
It will be the eleventh time that Brazil sits on the highest decision-making body of the United Nations, where for years it has been demanding a permanent seat.
Brazil’s candidacy was unopposed by Latin American and Caribbean countries and received 181 votes in favor in the UN General Assembly, where the 193 member states of the organization are represented.
Brazil will join the Council on January 1, replacing St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which completes its two-year term this year.
Mexico, which joined last January, will continue to be the other Latin American representative through 2022.
In addition to Brazil, four other countries were elected this Friday as non-permanent members for the next two years: Albania, Gabon, Ghana, and the United Arab Emirates.
All of them had the backing of their regional groups, with no alternative candidates, so the elections were not contested in any of the cases, something that is becoming increasingly common in recent years.
Ghana, with 185 votes in favor, was the contender with the most support, followed by Gabon (183), Brazil (181), United Arab Emirates (179), and Albania (175).
The Security Council has 15 members, 5 permanent, with veto-wielding power (USA, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom), and 10 who are elected for two-year terms.
In addition to the five elected today, India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, and Norway will continue as non-permanent members next year, having been elected to their 2-year term last year.