There are five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (the United States, China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom) while a further 10 non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms. Yesterday, Mexico, India, Ireland and Norway became the latest countries to be elected while the 193 UN member states will meet again today to decide who will fill the final vacant seat.

Countries pump a lot of money into their bids to get elected to the Security Council and it is estimated that Ireland spent over €840,000 on its efforts over the past three years while Norway and Canada each spent approximately €2 million. Such campaigns are interesting affairs and major charm offensives. For example, Ireland invited diplomats to a New York U2 concert in 2018 while Canada arranged a similar Celine Dion concert this year. This is the second time in a row that Canada has lost its bid for a seat at the UN’s top table.

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This infographic shows the non-permanent UN Security Council members with the most terms since 1946 based on UN data. Japan has had the most terms on the Security Council over the years, elected 11 times, while Brazil and Argentina follow with 10 and 9 terms respectively. Canada, which has failed to get a seat on this occasion, has been elected 6 times.

source statista

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