New York, June 7 (IANS/DPA): Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia will be the next non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for two years from 2025.

The General Assembly of the United Nations elected the five new members on Thursday. The five countries will replace Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland.

The UN Security Council is the only UN body that has the power to pass binding resolutions according to international law.

The US, China, Russia, Britain and France are the five permanent council members, all of which have the power to veto any measure.

The ten non-permanent council members, each elected for two years, have far less influence.

The UN General Assembly also elected a new president with the former Prime Minister of Cameroon, Philemon Yang, to hold the mainly ceremonial office for one year.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Yang was a "proud African dedicated to the future of his continent" with a wealth of experience."

"I look forward to working closely with him as he unites the Member States around collaborative solutions that can deliver justice to Africa and the developing world."