he UN 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. Five countries have permanent status and veto power. The remaining 10 members are elected, with five new members joining every year. Alongside Algeria, Somalia now has the opportunity to influence decision-making on the council. For more on Somalia’s election to the Security Council, VOA’s Esther Githui-Ewart spoke to Abdifatah Tahir, Ph.D, a research fellow in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning and the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom.