Member states of the United Nations

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Map of the United Nations (UN) member states, with their territories (including dependent territories) recognized by the UN in blue. The following territories are excluded as the UN does not consider them as part of any member state: Vatican City (the Holy See is a UN non-member observer state), the Palestinian territories (Palestine, represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization, is a UN observer), Western Sahara (status in dispute between Morocco and the Polisario Front), and Antarctica (regulated by the Antarctic Treaty System). Territories of states not recognized by the UN are not excluded due to the UN's position that they are part of some UN member state, including Taiwan, as the UN members voted to consider the People's Republic of China as the only lawful representative of China at the UN and therefore the UN does not question its claim that Taiwan is part of China.

There are currently 192 United Nations (UN) member states, and each of them is a member of the United Nations General Assembly.

According to the United Nations Charter, Chapter II, Article 4:

1. Membership in the United Nations is open to all other peace-loving states which accept the obligations contained in the present Charter and, in the judgment of the Organization, are able and willing to carry out these obligations.
2. The admission of any such state to membership in the United Nations will be effected by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.

In principle, only sovereign states can become UN members, and all current members are fully sovereign states (although a few members were not fully sovereign when they joined the UN). Vatican City is currently the only sovereign state with general international recognition that is not a UN member (the Holy See, which holds sovereignty over the state of Vatican City and maintains diplomatic relations with other states, is a UN permanent observer). Because a state can only be admitted to the UN by the approval of the Security Council and the General Assembly, a number of states which may be considered sovereign states according to the Montevideo Convention criteria are not members because the UN does not consider them to possess sovereignty, mainly due to the lack of international recognition or opposition from certain members.

In addition to the member states, the UN also invites non-member states, intergovernmental organizations, and other international organizations and entities whose statehood or sovereignty are not precisely defined, to become observers at the General Assembly, allowing them to participate and speak, but not vote, in General Assembly meetings.

Original members

Map of the current UN member states by their dates of admission.

  1945 (original members)

  1946–1959

  1960–1989

  1990–present

  non-member observer states

Further information: History of the United Nations

The UN was founded in 1945, with 51 original members which joined that year. Of those, 49 are either still UN members or had their memberships in the UN continued by a successor state. For example, the membership of the USSR was continued by the Russian Federation after its dissolution (see the section Former members: USSR). The other two original members, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia (i.e., the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), had been dissolved, and since all independent states established were admitted to the UN as new members, their memberships were not continued (see the sections Former members: Czechoslovakia and Former members: Yugoslavia).

At the time of UN's founding, the seat of China in the UN was held by the Republic of China, but as a result of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, it is now held by the People's Republic of China (see the section Former members: Republic of China).

Four of the original members were not fully sovereign when they joined the UN, and only gained full independence later:

• Belarus (then the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic) and Ukraine (then the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic) were both constituent republics of the USSR, until gaining full independence in 1991.
• India (whose territory at that time also included the present-day territories of Pakistan and Bangladesh) was under British colonial rule, until gaining full independence in 1947.
• The Philippines (then the Philippine Commonwealth) was a commonwealth with the United States, until gaining full independence in 1946.

Current members

Further information: List of sovereign states

The current members are listed below with their official designations currently used by the UN and their dates of admission (original members listed with blue background):

The members can be sorted by their dates of admission by clicking on the button in the header of the column Date of admission. See related sections on former members by clicking on the links in the column See also.

Member state	Date of admission	See also
Afghanistan	19 November 1946
Albania	14 December 1955
Algeria	8 October 1962
Andorra	28 July 1993
Angola	1 December 1976
Antigua and Barbuda	11 November 1981
Argentina	24 October 1945
Armenia	2 March 1992	Former members: USSR
Australia	1 November 1945
Austria	14 December 1955
Azerbaijan	2 March 1992	Former members: USSR
Bahamas	18 September 1973
Bahrain	21 September 1971
Bangladesh	17 September 1974
Barbados	9 December 1966
Belarus	24 October 1945	Former members: USSR
Belgium	27 December 1945
Belize	25 September 1981
Benin	20 September 1960
Bhutan	21 September 1971
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)	14 November 1945
Bosnia and Herzegovina	22 May 1992	Former members: Yugoslavia
Botswana	17 October 1966
Brazil	24 October 1945
Brunei Darussalam	21 September 1984
Bulgaria	14 December 1955
Burkina Faso	20 September 1960
Burundi	18 September 1962
Cambodia	14 December 1955
Cameroon	20 September 1960
Canada	9 November 1945
Cape Verde	16 September 1975
Central African Republic	20 September 1960
Chad	20 September 1960
Chile	24 October 1945
China	24 October 1945	Former members: Republic of China
Colombia	5 November 1945
Comoros	12 November 1975
Congo	20 September 1960
Costa Rica	2 November 1945
Côte d'Ivoire	20 September 1960
Croatia	22 May 1992	Former members: Yugoslavia
Cuba	24 October 1945
Cyprus	20 September 1960
Czech Republic	19 January 1993	Former members: Czechoslovakia
North Korea	17 September 1991
Democratic Republic of the Congo	20 September 1960
Denmark	24 October 1945
Djibouti	20 September 1977
Dominica	18 December 1978
Dominican Republic	24 October 1945
Ecuador	21 December 1945
Egypt	24 October 1945	Former members: United Arab Republic
El Salvador	24 October 1945
Equatorial Guinea	12 November 1968
Eritrea	28 May 1993
Estonia	17 September 1991	Former members: USSR
Ethiopia	13 November 1945
Fiji	13 October 1970
Finland	14 December 1955
France	24 October 1945
Gabon	20 September 1960
Gambia	21 September 1965
Georgia	31 July 1992	Former members: USSR
Germany	18 September 1973	Former members: Federal Republic of Germany and German Democratic Republic
Ghana	8 March 1957
Greece	25 October 1945
Grenada	17 September 1974
Guatemala	21 November 1945
Guinea	12 December 1958
Guinea-Bissau	17 September 1974
Guyana	20 September 1966
Haiti	24 October 1945
Honduras	17 December 1945
Hungary	14 December 1955
Iceland	19 November 1946
India	30 October 1945
Indonesia	28 September 1950	Withdrawal of Indonesia (1965–1966)
Iran (Islamic Republic of)	24 October 1945
Iraq	21 December 1945
Ireland	14 December 1955
Israel	11 May 1949
Italy	14 December 1955
Jamaica	18 September 1962
Japan	18 December 1956
Jordan	14 December 1955
Kazakhstan	2 March 1992	Former members: USSR
Kenya	16 December 1963
Kiribati	14 September 1999
Kuwait	14 May 1963
Kyrgyzstan	2 March 1992	Former members: USSR
Lao People's Democratic Republic	14 December 1955
Latvia	17 September 1991	Former members: USSR
Lebanon	24 October 1945
Lesotho	17 October 1966
Liberia	2 November 1945
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya	14 December 1955
Liechtenstein	18 September 1990
Lithuania	17 September 1991	Former members: USSR
Luxembourg	24 October 1945
Madagascar	20 September 1960
Malawi	1 December 1964
Malaysia	17 September 1957
Maldives	21 September 1965
Mali	28 September 1960
Malta	1 December 1964
Marshall Islands	17 September 1991
Mauritania	27 October 1961
Mauritius	24 April 1968
Mexico	7 November 1945
Micronesia (Federated States of)	17 September 1991
Monaco	28 May 1993
Mongolia	27 October 1961
Montenegro	28 June 2006	Former members: Yugoslavia and Former members: Serbia and Montenegro
Morocco	12 November 1956
Mozambique	16 September 1975
Myanmar	19 April 1948
Namibia	23 April 1990
Nauru	14 September 1999
Nepal	14 December 1955
Netherlands	10 December 1945
New Zealand	24 October 1945
Nicaragua	24 October 1945
Niger	20 September 1960
Nigeria	7 October 1960
Norway	27 November 1945
Oman	7 October 1971
Pakistan	30 September 1947
Palau	15 December 1994
Panama	13 November 1945
Papua New Guinea	10 October 1975
Paraguay	24 October 1945
Peru	31 October 1945
Philippines	24 October 1945
Poland	24 October 1945
Portugal	14 December 1955
Qatar	21 September 1971
South Korea	17 September 1991
Republic of Moldova	2 March 1992	Former members: USSR
Romania	14 December 1955
Russian Federation	24 October 1945	Former members: USSR
Rwanda	18 September 1962
Saint Kitts and Nevis	23 September 1983
Saint Lucia	18 September 1979
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	16 September 1980
Samoa	15 December 1976
San Marino	2 March 1992
Sao Tome and Principe	16 September 1975
Saudi Arabia	24 October 1945
Senegal	28 September 1960
Serbia	1 November 2000	Former members: Yugoslavia and Former members: Serbia and Montenegro
Seychelles	21 September 1976
Sierra Leone	27 September 1961
Singapore	21 September 1965
Slovakia	19 January 1993	Former members: Czechoslovakia
Slovenia	22 May 1992	Former members: Yugoslavia
Solomon Islands	19 September 1978
Somalia	20 September 1960
South Africa	7 November 1945
Spain	14 December 1955
Sri Lanka	14 December 1955
Sudan	12 November 1956
Suriname	4 December 1975
Swaziland	24 September 1968
Sweden	19 November 1946
Switzerland	10 September 2002
Syrian Arab Republic	24 October 1945	Former members: United Arab Republic
Tajikistan	2 March 1992	Former members: USSR
Thailand	16 December 1946
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia	8 April 1993	Former members: Yugoslavia
Timor-Leste	27 September 2002
Togo	20 September 1960
Tonga	14 September 1999
Trinidad and Tobago	18 September 1962
Tunisia	12 November 1956
Turkey	24 October 1945
Turkmenistan	2 March 1992	Former members: USSR
Tuvalu	5 September 2000
Uganda	25 October 1962
Ukraine	24 October 1945	Former members: USSR
United Arab Emirates	9 December 1971
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	24 October 1945
United Republic of Tanzania	14 December 1961	Former members: Tanganyika and Zanzibar
United States of America	24 October 1945
Uruguay	18 December 1945
Uzbekistan	2 March 1992	Former members: USSR
Vanuatu	15 September 1981
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	15 November 1945
Viet Nam	20 September 1977
Yemen	30 September 1947	Former members: Yemen and Democratic Yemen
Zambia	1 December 1964
Zimbabwe	25 August 1980

Notes on name changes and variations

Former members

Five former members, either after their dissolution or merging with other members, did not have their memberships in the UN continued by any state:

• Czechoslovakia: dissolved
• Democratic Yemen: merged with Yemen
• German Democratic Republic: merged with Federal Republic of Germany
• Yugoslavia (i.e., the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia): dissolved
• Zanzibar: merged with Tanganyika

On the other hand, the USSR and Serbia and Montenegro (previously the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) had their memberships continued by a successor state after their dissolution, while the two states which formed the short-lived United Arab Republic resumed their separate memberships after its dissolution.

The Republic of China, currently a de facto sovereign state with limited international recognition, was previously recognized as the legitimate representative of China in the UN.

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia joined the UN as an original member on 24 October 1945, with its name changed to the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic on 20 April 1990. Upon the imminent dissolution of Czechoslovakia, in a letter dated 10 December 1992, its Permanent Representative informed the United Nations Secretary-General that the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic would cease to exist on 31 December 1992 and that the Czech Republic and Slovakia, as successor states, would apply for membership in the UN. Both states were admitted to the UN on 19 January 1993.

Federal Republic of Germany and German Democratic Republic

Both the Federal Republic of Germany (i.e., West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (i.e., East Germany) were admitted to the UN on 18 September 1973. Through the accession of the German Democratic Republic to the Federal Republic of Germany, effective from 3 October 1990, the two states united to form one sovereign state, which continued as a single member under the name Germany.

Republic of China

Further information: China and the United Nations

China, under the jurisdiction of the Republic of China (ROC) at that time, joined the UN as an original member on 24 October 1945, and as set out by the United Nations Charter, Chapter V, Article 23, became one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. In 1949, as a result of the Chinese Civil War, the Kuomintang-led ROC government lost effective control of mainland China and relocated to Taiwan, and the Communist Party-led government of the People's Republic of China (PRC), declared on 1 October 1949, took control of mainland China. The UN was notified on 18 November 1949 of the formation of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China; however, the Government of the Republic of China continued to represent China at the UN, despite the small size of the ROC's jurisdiction of Taiwan and a number of smaller islands compared to the PRC's jurisdiction of mainland China. As both governments claimed to be the sole legitimate representative of China, proposals to effect a change in the representation of China in the UN were not approved for the next two decades, as the ROC was still recognized as the sole legitimate representative of China by a majority of UN members.

By the 1970s, a shift had occurred in international diplomatic circles and the PRC had gained the upper hand in international diplomatic relations and recognition count. On 25 October 1971, the 21st time the United Nations General Assembly debated on the PRC's admission into the UN, United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 was adopted, by which it recognized that "the representatives of the Government of the People's Republic of China are the only lawful representatives of China to the United Nations and that the People's Republic of China is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council," and decided "to restore all its rights to the People's Republic of China and to recognize the representatives of its Government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations, and to expel forthwith the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations and in all the organizations related to it." This effectively transferred the seat of China in the UN, including its permanent seat on the Security Council, from the ROC to the PRC, and expelled the ROC from the UN.

Bids for readmission as the representative of Taiwan

Further information: Political status of Taiwan and Four-Stage Theory of the Republic of China

Between 1993 and 2007, the ROC repeatedly petitioned to rejoin the UN as the representative of Taiwan, instead of as the representative of China, using the designation "Republic of China on Taiwan" (used by the Kuomintang-led administration under Lee Teng-hui), "Republic of China (Taiwan)" (used by the Democratic Progressive Party-led administration under Chen Shui-bian), or "Taiwan" (used by the administration under Chen Shui-bian for the first time in 2007). In its application, the ROC government has called on the international community to "recognize the right of the 23 million people of Taiwan to representation in the United Nations system". However, all fifteen attempts were denied, either because the petition failed to get sufficient votes to get on the formal agenda, or because the application was rejected by the UN, due primarily to the opposition of the PRC.

Responding to the ROC's application in 2007, which was rejected by the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs citing General Assembly Resolution 2758, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon stated that:

With the understanding of the Governor and the Chairman, I will briefly mention that membership into the UN ultimately needs to be decided by the Member States of the United Nations. Membership is given to a sovereign country. The position of the United Nations is that the People's Republic of China is representing the whole of China as the sole and legitimate representative Government of China. The decision until now about the wish of the people in Taiwan to join the United Nations has been decided on that basis. The resolution (General Assembly Resolution 2758) that you just mentioned is clearly mentioning that the Government of China is the sole and legitimate Government and the position of the United Nations is that Taiwan is part of China.

Responding to the UN's rejection of its application, the ROC government has stated that Taiwan is not now nor has it ever been under the jurisdiction of the PRC, and that since General Assembly Resolution 2758 did not clarify the issue of Taiwan's representation in the UN, it does not prevent Taiwan's participation in the UN as an independent sovereign nation. The ROC government also criticized Ban for asserting that Taiwan is part of China and returning the application without passing it to the Security Council or the General Assembly, contrary to UN's standard procedure (Provisional Rules of Procedure of the Security Council, Chapter X, Rule 59). On the other hand, the PRC government, which has stated that Taiwan is part of China and firmly opposes the application of any Taiwan authorities to join the UN either as a member or an observer, praised that UN's decision "was made in accordance with the UN Charter and Resolution 2758 of the UN General Assembly, and showed the UN and its member states' universal adherence to the one-China principle".

In May 2009, the Department of Health of the Republic of China was invited by the World Health Organization to attend the 62nd World Health Assembly as an observer under the name "Chinese Taipei". This was the ROC's first participation in an event organized by a UN-affiliated agency since 1971, as a result of the improved cross-strait relations since Ma Ying-jeou became the President of the Republic of China a year before.

The ROC is currently .

Serbia and Montenegro (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)

By 1992, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had been effectively dissolved after the declaration of independence by the former Yugoslav republics of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, and Slovenia. A new state, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, was established on 28 April 1992 by the remaining Yugoslav republics of Montenegro and Serbia. The government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia claimed itself as the legal successor state of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; however, on 30 May 1992, United Nations Security Council Resolution 757 was adopted, by which it imposed international sanctions on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia due to its role in the Yugoslav Wars, and noted that "the claim by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) to continue automatically the membership of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the United Nations has not been generally accepted," and on 22 September 1992, United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/47/1 was adopted, by which it considered that "the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) cannot continue automatically the membership of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the United Nations," and therefore decided that "the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) should apply for membership in the United Nations and that it shall not participate in the work of the General Assembly". The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia refused to comply with the resolution for many years, but following the ousting of President Slobodan Milošević from office, it applied for membership, and was admitted to the UN on 1 November 2000. (For more information on the membership of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, see the section Former members: Yugoslavia)

On 4 February 2003, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had its official name changed to Serbia and Montenegro, following the adoption and promulgation of the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro by the Assembly of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. On the basis of a referendum held on 21 May 2006, Montenegro declared itself independent from Serbia on 3 June 2006. In a letter dated on the same day, the President of Serbia informed the United Nations Secretary-General that the membership of Serbia and Montenegro in the UN was being continued by Serbia, following Montenegro's declaration of independence, in accordance with the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro. Montenegro was admitted to the UN on 28 June 2006.

On 17 February 2008, Kosovo, an autonomous province of Serbia which had been under the interim administration of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo since 1999, declared its independence, but this has not been recognized by Serbia. Kosovo is not expected to be admitted to the UN in the near future due to the resistance of Russia and China to recognizing Kosovo, as admission to the UN requires approval from the United Nations Security Council, and the two countries, as its permanent members, have veto power. Kosovo is currently , and is a member of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group, both specialized agencies in the United Nations System.

Tanganyika and Zanzibar

Tanganyika was admitted to the UN on 14 December 1961, and Zanzibar was admitted to the UN on 16 December 1963. Following the ratification on 26 April 1964 of the Articles of Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar, the two states merged to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which continued as a single member, with its name changed to the United Republic of Tanzania on 1 November 1964.

United Arab Republic

Both Egypt and Syria joined the UN as original members on 24 October 1945. Following a plebiscite on 21 February 1958, the United Arab Republic was established by a union of Egypt and Syria and continued as a single member. On 13 October 1961, Syria, having resumed its status as an independent state, resumed its separate membership in the UN. Egypt continued as a UN member under the name of the United Arab Republic, until it reverted to its original name on 2 September 1971. Syria changed its name to the Syrian Arab Republic on 14 September 1971.

USSR

Further information: Soviet Union and the United Nations

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) joined the UN as an original member on 24 October 1945, and as set out by the United Nations Charter, Chapter V, Article 23, became one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Upon the imminent dissolution of the USSR, in a letter dated 24 December 1991, Boris Yeltsin, the President of the Russian Federation, informed the United Nations Secretary-General that the membership of the USSR in the Security Council and all other UN organs was being continued by the Russian Federation with the support of the 11 member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The other fourteen independent states which were established from the former Soviet Republics were all admitted to the UN:

• The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic joined the UN as original members on 24 October 1945, together with the USSR. After declaring independence, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic changed its name to Ukraine on 24 August 1991, and on 19 September 1991, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic informed the UN that it had changed its name to Belarus.
• Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were admitted to the UN on 17 September 1991, after regaining independence before the dissolution of the USSR.
• Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan were admitted to the UN on 2 March 1992.
• Georgia was admitted to the UN on 31 July 1992.

Yemen and Democratic Yemen

Yemen (i.e., North Yemen) was admitted to the UN on 30 September 1947; Southern Yemen (i.e., South Yemen) was admitted to the UN on 14 December 1967, with its name changed to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen on 30 November 1970, and was later referred to as Democratic Yemen. On 22 May 1990, the two states merged to form the Republic of Yemen, which continued as a single member under the name Yemen.

Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia (i.e., the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) joined the UN as an original member on 24 October 1945. By 1992, it had been effectively dissolved into five independent states, which were all subsequently admitted to the UN:

• Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Slovenia were admitted to the UN on 22 May 1992.
• Macedonia was admitted to the UN on 8 April 1993, being provisionally referred to for all purposes within the UN as "The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" pending settlement of the difference that had arisen over its name.
• The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (name later changed to Serbia and Montenegro) was admitted to the UN on 1 November 2000 (see the section Former members: Serbia and Montenegro).

Due to the dispute over its legal successor states, the member state "Yugoslavia" (referring to the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) remained on the official roster of UN members for many years after its effective dissolution. Following the admission of all five states as new UN members, "Yugoslavia" was removed from the official roster of UN members.

Suspension, expulsion, and withdrawal of members

See also: Withdrawal from the United Nations

A member state may be suspended or expelled from the UN, according to the United Nations Charter. From Chapter II, Article 5:

A Member of the United Nations against which preventive or enforcement action has been taken by the Security Council may be suspended from the exercise of the rights and privileges of membership by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. The exercise of these rights and privileges may be restored by the Security Council.

From Article 6:

A Member of the United Nations which has persistently violated the Principles contained in the present Charter may be expelled from the Organization by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.

Since its inception, no member state has been suspended or expelled from the UN under Articles 5 and 6. In the viewpoint of the UN, United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, which recognized the People's Republic of China instead of the Republic of China as the legitimate representative of China in the UN and effectively expelled the Republic of China from the UN in 1971, did not constitute as the expulsion of a member state under Article 6 (this would have required Security Council approval and been subjected to vetoes by its permanent members, which included the Republic of China itself and the United States, which at that time still recognized the Republic of China).

In October 1974, the Security Council considered a draft resolution which would have recommended to the General Assembly the immediate expulsion of South Africa from the UN in compliance with Article 6 of the United Nations Charter due to its apartheid policies. However, the resolution was not adopted because of the vetoes of three permanent members of the Security Council: France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In response, the General Assembly decided to suspend South Africa from participation in the work of the Assembly's 29th session on 12 November 1974; however, South Africa was not formally suspended under Article 5. The suspension lasted until the General Assembly welcomed South Africa back to full participation in the UN on 23 June 1994, following its successful democratic elections earlier that year.

Withdrawal of Indonesia (1965–1966)

Since its inception, only one member state (excluding those which were dissolved or merged with other member states) has unilaterally withdrawn from the UN. During the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation, and in response to the election of Malaysia as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, in a letter dated 20 January 1965, Indonesia informed the United Nations Secretary-General that it had decided "at this stage and under the present circumstances" to withdraw from the UN. However, following the overthrow of the Indonesian regime led by President Sukarno, in a telegram dated 19 September 1966, Indonesia notified the Secretary-General of its decision "to resume full cooperation with the United Nations and to resume participation in its activities starting with the twenty-first session of the General Assembly". On 28 September 1966, the United Nations General Assembly took note of the decision of the Government of Indonesia and the President invited the representatives of that country to take their seats in the Assembly.

Unlike suspension and expulsion, no express provision is made in the United Nations Charter of whether or how a member can legally withdraw from the UN (largely to prevent the threat of withdrawal from being used as a form of political blackmail, or to evade obligations under the Charter, similar to withdrawals that weakened the UN's predecessor, the League of Nations), or on whether a request for readmission by a withdrawn member should be treated the same as an application for membership, i.e., requiring Security Council as well as General Assembly approval. Indonesia's return to the UN would suggest that this is not required; however, scholars have argued that the course of action taken by the General Assembly was not in accordance with the Charter from a legal point of view.

Observers and non-members

In addition to the member states, there is currently one non-member permanent observer state: the Holy See (which holds sovereignty over the state of Vatican City and maintains diplomatic relations with other states). It has been an observer state since 6 April 1964, and gained all the rights of full membership except voting on 1 July 2004. Several current or former members were also granted observer status before being admitted to the UN, such as:

• Democratic People's Republic of Korea: 1973–1991
• Federal Republic of Germany: 1955–1973
• German Democratic Republic: 1972–1973
• Republic of Korea: 1953–1991
• Switzerland: 1948–2002

The Palestine Liberation Organization was granted observer status on 22 November 1974. Acknowledging the proclamation of the State of Palestine by the Palestine National Council on 15 November 1988, the United Nations General Assembly decided that, effective as of 15 December 1988, the designation "Palestine" should be used in place of the designation "Palestine Liberation Organization" in the United Nations System. The current status of Palestine in the UN is a "non-member entity". The Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, occupied by Israel with parts of them governed by the Palestinian National Authority, are referred to by the UN as "Occupied Palestinian Territory".

The sovereignty status of Western Sahara is in dispute between Morocco and the Polisario Front. Most of the territory is controlled by Morocco, the remainder (the Free Zone) by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, proclaimed by the Polisario Front. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is neither a member nor an observer of the UN, and Western Sahara is listed by the UN as a "non-self-governing territory".

The Cook Islands and Niue, which are both associated states of New Zealand, are neither members nor observers of the UN, but are members of specialized agencies of the UN such as WHO and UNESCO, and signatories of international treaties such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. While self-governing in their domestic affairs, most of their foreign affairs are represented by New Zealand on their behalf. They are recognized by the UN as "non-member states".

See also

• Enlargement of the United Nations
• League of Nations members
• List of Permanent Representatives to the United Nations
• United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories

External links

• List of Member States, United Nations
• Growth in United Nations membership, 1945–present, United Nations