Australia used its secret weapon to help win a temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council: chocolate Koala bears.

The resource-rich nation gave each delegate at the U.N. vote in New York on Thursday a candy version of one of its best-known animals.

“We knew everyone was going to be there for a long time and thought a little bit of a sugar high might help things,” said a spokesman for foreign minister Bob Carr.

Ratification of the arms trade treaty designed to regulate the global weapons business, nuclear disarmament, policies around climate change and illegal fishing and the ongoing conflict in Syria are among Australia's key priorities when it begins its two year stint from January 2013, the spokesman said.

Australia won 140 votes and secured one of two temporary seats under the Western Europe and Others category being rotated in defeating Finland, with the other seat taken by Luxembourg. The council comprises five permanent members--Russia, Britain, the U.S., China and France--and 10 elected temporary members. Australia will join South Korea as a temporary member alongside permanent member China at a time when global economic power is shifting eastwards . Rwanda and Argentina took the other rotating seats.