What It Means in Practice
The E10 are the ten elected, non-permanent members of the . They serve two-year terms, with five seats up for election each year by the . Seats are distributed by region: 3 for Africa, 2 for Asia-Pacific, 2 for Western Europe and Others Group (WEOG), 2 for Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC), and 1 for Eastern Europe.
Election requires a two-thirds majority of voting GA members. Campaigns can run for years — small states sometimes begin a decade before their election year. Once elected, an E10 member moves into a working rhythm of three weekly Council meetings, dozens of subsidiary bodies (sanctions committees, working groups, country-specific configurations), and one month-long presidency during their term.
Why It Matters
E10 members lack the but are not powerless. They can shape agendas, draft resolutions as 'penholders,' chair subsidiary committees, and form majorities that pressure the P5. An E10 'swing' coalition of seven can block any resolution by denying the nine-vote majority required for adoption — a real source of leverage. E10 votes also confer political legitimacy: a resolution that passes with full E10 support carries more weight than one passed by a narrow majority over E10 dissent.
For smaller states, an E10 term is also a profile-building opportunity — it puts the country at the center of global diplomacy for two years, builds professional networks for its diplomatic service, and demonstrates the country's commitment to .
Penholding
A significant power the E10 hold is penholding — being the member who drafts and circulates resolutions on a particular file. The P5 hold most penholderships by convention, but E10 members increasingly take penholdings on country-specific files, particularly African ones (where African E10 members often penhold) and on cross-cutting thematic issues. Norway penheld the Syria humanitarian file during its 2021–22 term; Switzerland penheld Cyprus and Syria during 2023–24.
E10 Presidencies
Each Council member — P5 and E10 alike — holds the presidency for one month, in English alphabetical order. The presidency carries real power: setting the agenda, deciding when to put items to a vote, and chairing the meetings. E10 presidencies give middle powers but real agenda-setting authority. Recent E10 presidencies have used the month to convene high-level open debates on signature themes — Sierra Leone on children and , South Korea on AI, Mozambique on climate-security.
Common Misconceptions
E10 members are sometimes described as 'observers' or 'spectators' to P5 power. This understates their role: a unified E10 can deny the nine-vote majority that any resolution needs, and penholding non-P5 files is a substantive influence. A skilled E10 delegation, especially with a strong UN ambassador, can shape outcomes well above its formal weight.
Another misconception is that E10 elections are formalities. They are intensely competitive — the WEOG and Eastern European groups in particular often see contested races where candidates lose on the second or third ballot. The Australian campaign for the 2013–14 seat reportedly cost over USD 25 million.
Real-World Examples
The 2014 vote on UN action in Crimea saw the E10 deliver the swing vote that forced a Russian into the spotlight — 13-1-1, with China abstaining. The 2024 elections returned Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia to the Council for 2025–26 terms. The five outgoing members — Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Switzerland — each had distinctive priorities and demonstrated how varied E10 contributions can be.
Example
In 2023, the E10 included Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, Gabon, Ghana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Switzerland, and the UAE.