Welcome to the United Nations. It's your world.

United Nations Member States

Membership of Principal UN Organs

General Assembly

The General Assembly is made up of 193 Member States, after the admission of South Sudan on 14 July 2011 as the 193rd Member of the United Nations. The dates of admission for all other Members are listed in Press Release ORG/1469, issued
3 July 2006.

Security Council

The Security Council has 15 members. The United Nations Charter designates five Member States as permanent members and the General Assembly elects ten other members for two-year terms. The term of office for each non-permanent member of the Council ends on 31 December of the year indicated in parentheses next to its name.

Economic and Social Council

The Economic and Social Council has 54 members, elected for three-year terms by the General Assembly. The term of office for each member expires on 31 December of the year indicated in parentheses next to its name. In 2009, the Council is composed of the following:

Trusteeship Council

The Trusteeship Council is made up of the five permanent members of the Security Council -– China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States. With the independence of Palau, the last remaining United Nations Trust Territory, the Council formally suspended operations on 1 November 1994. The Council amended its rules of procedure to drop the obligation to meet annually and agreed to meet as the occasion required, by its decision or the decision of its President or at the request of a majority of its members or the General Assembly or the Security Council.

International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice has 15 Judges, elected by both the General Assembly and the Security Council for nine-year terms.

Membership of Principal UN Organs in previous years

Please note that links to press releases below open in new windows.

 

Sources: Press Release ORG/1490 issued on 31 January 2008