UN basic facts

Not so well known . . .

What the UN Does for Peace

What the UN does for humanitarian assistance

Image and Reality (UNDPI website, New York)

Membership of principal United Nations Organs

General Assembly

The General Assembly is made up of 192 Member States.

Security Council

The Security Council has 15 members. The United Nations Charter designates five States as permanent members and the General Assembly elects 10 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.

The five permanent members of the Security Council are China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States.

The 10 non-permanent members of the Council in 2004 are Algeria (2005), Angola (2004), Benin (2005), Brazil (2005), Chile (2004), Germany (2004), Romania (2005), Pakistan (2004), Philippines (2005) and Spain (2004).

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 2003, the Council is composed of the following:

Armenia (2006), Australia (2004), Azerbaijan (2005), Bangladesh (2006), Belgium (2006), Belize (2006), Benin (2005), Bhutan (2004), Burundi (2004), Canada (2006), Chile (2004), China (2004), Colombia (2006), Congo (2005), Cuba (2005), Ecuador (2005), El Salvador (2004), Finland (2004), France (2005), Germany (2005), Ghana (2004), Greece (2005), Guatemala (2004), Indonesia (2006), Italy (2006), Hungary (2004), India (2004), Ireland (2005), Jamaica (2005), Japan (2005), Kenya (2005), Libya (2004), Malaysia (2005), Mauritius (2006), Mozambique (2005), Namibia (2006), Nicaragua (2005), Nigeria (2006), Panama (2006), Poland (2006), Qatar (2004), Republic of Korea (2006), Russian Federation (2004), Saudi Arabia (2005), Senegal (2005), Sweden (2004), Tunisia (2006), Turkey (2005), Ukraine (2004), United Arab Emirates (2006), United Kingdom (2004), United Republic of Tanzania (2006), United States (2006) and Zimbabwe (2004).

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. The current composition of the Court, with terms expiring on 5 February of the year in parentheses, is as follows:

Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh (Jordan) (2009); Nabil Elaraby (Egypt) (2006); Thomas Buergenthal (United States) (2006); Gilbert Guillaume (France) (2009); Rosalyn Higgins (United Kingdom) (2009); Shi Jiuyong (China)(2012); Pieter H. Kooijmans (Netherlands)(2006); Abdul G. Koroma (Sierra Leone) (2012); Hisashi Owada (Japan (2012); Gonzalo Parra-Aranguren (Venezuela) (2009); Raymond Ranjeva (Madagascar) (2009); Josй Francisco Rezek (Brazil) (2006); Bruno Simma (Germany) (2012); Peter Tomka (Slovakia) (2012); and Vladlen S. Vereshchetin (Russian Federation)(2006).

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