United Nations member states
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| United Nations member states | |
|---|---|
 Newfraferz87 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source | |
| Name | United Nations member states |
| Caption | Emblem of the United Nations |
| Established | 24 October 1945 |
| Membership | 193 member states |
| Headquarters | United Nations Headquarters, New York City |
| Official languages | Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish |
United Nations member states are sovereign states that have been admitted to the United Nations since its founding after World War II and that participate in the work of principal organs such as the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Security Council, and the International Court of Justice. Membership has expanded from the original signatories of the United Nations Charter to include newly independent states emerging from decolonization (e.g., India, Ghana, Kenya), the dissolution of federations (e.g., Soviet Union, Yugoslavia), and international recognition of sovereignty (e.g., Palau, Timor-Leste). Admission intersects with major international instruments and events including the UN Charter, the Declaration on Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, and post‑Cold War diplomacy shaped by actors such as United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and France.
Membership and criteria
Article 4 of the United Nations Charter sets criteria for membership: statehood, peace‑loving character, acceptance of Charter obligations, and ability and willingness to carry out obligations; applicants are recommended by the United Nations Security Council and admitted by the United Nations General Assembly. Historical precedents involve recognition disputes resolved through diplomacy involving actors like Brazil, South Africa, Japan, Germany and adjudication by the International Court of Justice. Cases invoking decolonization referenced processes in Ghana, Algeria, Indonesia, and Cyprus and later matters concerning the successor entities of the Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.
List of member states
The UN currently comprises 193 members, including founding signatories such as China, France, Soviet Union (succeeded by Russian Federation), United Kingdom, and United States; mid‑century entrants like Pakistan and Israel; post‑colonial additions such as Nigeria, Malaysia, and Bangladesh; and late twentieth‑ and twenty‑first‑century accessions like Eritrea, Timor-Leste, and South Sudan. The roster reflects boundary changes and diplomatic recognition issues involving entities like Taiwan, Kosovo, Palestine, and successor states from the breakup of Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Empire in earlier eras. Member lists are maintained by the United Nations Secretariat and inform representation in organs including International Maritime Organization and World Health Organization involvement.
Admission and suspension procedures
Admission requires a Security Council recommendation (including potential vetoes by permanent members: China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States) followed by a two‑thirds General Assembly vote. Suspension and expulsion derive from Article 5 and Article 6 of the UN Charter; precedents include actions related to South Africa during apartheid, debates involving Iraq under Saddam Hussein, and procedural measures applied to members refusing Charter obligations. The process engages legal instruments and political negotiations among regional blocs like the African Union, European Union, and organizations such as the Arab League.
Rights and obligations of members
Members enjoy rights including participation and voting in the United Nations General Assembly, eligibility for election to subsidiary bodies such as the Economic and Social Council, and access to UN technical agencies like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Obligations include adherence to the United Nations Charter, compliance with Security Council resolutions, and financial contributions to the UN assessed budget; disputes over compliance have involved states like Iran, Libya under Muammar Gaddafi, and North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea).
Representation and voting in UN organs
Representation of member states in the General Assembly is one state, one vote; in the Security Council, five permanent members (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States) hold veto power alongside ten elected non‑permanent members. Electoral contests for seats involve campaigns among states such as Mexico, Japan, Brazil, Nigeria, and Italy and regional allocation systems (African Group, Asia‑Pacific Group, Eastern European Group, Latin American and Caribbean Group, Western European and Others Group). Voting rules vary: the General Assembly requires a two‑thirds majority for important questions and simple majority for others; the Security Council requires nine affirmative votes including concurring votes of permanent members.
Changes in membership and state succession
State succession and membership changes have followed dissolution, union, and recognition events: the admission of the Russian Federation as successor to the Soviet Union; the separate admissions of Czech Republic and Slovakia after the peaceful split of Czechoslovakia; and the contested status of entities emerging from the breakup of Yugoslavia. Processes have involved bilateral recognition, Security Council practice, and opinions of the International Court of Justice, with notable cases like South Sudan’s 2011 admission and the legal ramifications of treaties such as the Treaty of Versailles on earlier state formation.
Non-member observer states and entities
The UN grants observer status to entities that are not full members, most prominently the Holy See and Palestine, permitting participation in General Assembly sessions and some UN activities. Other observers have included entities like the European Union and organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross in specific capacities. Observer arrangements reflect diplomatic recognition debates involving Taiwan, Kosovo, and disputed territories addressed in forums including the International Court of Justice and multilateral negotiations under auspices like the Quartet on the Middle East.