United Nations Fast Facts

Here’s a look at the United Nations, an organization of 193 member states from around the world.

United Nations Charter

October 24, 1945 – The official United Nations Charter is ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and a majority of other countries. There are 51 member states when the charter is ratified.

The UN Charter states that the purposes of the UN are to:

“Maintain international peace and security…”

“To develop friendly relations among nations…”

“To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems…”

“To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends.”

The main bodies of the UN are: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice and the Secretariat.

Secretary-General

The secretary-general is the head of the Secretariat, which carries out the work of the UN as directed by the General Assembly, the Security Council and other UN bodies.

The secretary-general is “appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council.”

The secretary-general serves a five-year term, which is renewable.

Antonio Guterres is the secretary-general of the United Nations. He is from Portugal. His term began on January 1, 2017.

General Assembly

“Main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ” of the UN.

The decisions of the General Assembly have no legal binding force.

Made up of representatives from each member state. Each member state has one vote in the General Assembly.

Decisions on major issues such as peace or security issues, new member admissions or budget issues require a two-thirds majority. Other decisions require only a majority vote.

The presidency of the General Assembly rotates among five groups of member states: African, Asian, Eastern European, Latin American/Caribbean, and Western European.

A president, 21 vice-presidents, and the chairmen of the six main committees of the General Assembly are elected at the start of each regular session.

The General Assembly’s regular sessions begin on the third Tuesday in September. They continue until the third week of December, but can also go on year-round.

The General Assembly also may meet in special sessions if so requested by the Security Council or if a majority of the member states request it.

An emergency special session may be called within 24 hours if any of the nine members of the Security Council request it or if a majority of the member states request it, or if one member state requests it and the majority concurs.

Member states — (Date of Admission) – 193 members

Afghanistan — (19 Nov. 1946)
Albania — (14 Dec. 1955)
Algeria — (8 Oct. 1962)
Andorra — (28 July 1993)
Angola — (1 Dec. 1976)
Antigua and Barbuda — (11 Nov. 1981)
Argentina — (24 Oct. 1945)
Armenia — (2 Mar. 1992)
Australia — (1 Nov. 1945)
Austria– (14 Dec. 1955)
Azerbaijan — (2 Mar. 1992)
Bahamas — (18 Sep. 1973)
Bahrain — (21 Sep. 1971)
Bangladesh — (17 Sep. 1974)
Barbados — (9 Dec. 1966)
Belarus — (24 Oct. 1945)
Belgium — (27 Dec. 1945)
Belize — (25 Sep. 1981)
Benin — (20 Sep. 1960)
Bhutan — (21 Sep. 1971)
Bolivia — (14 Nov. 1945)
Bosnia and Herzegovina — (22 May 1992)
Botswana — (17 Oct. 1966)
Brazil — (24 Oct. 1945)
Brunei Darussalam — (21 Sep. 1984)
Bulgaria — (14 Dec. 1955)
Burkina Faso — (20 Sep. 1960)
Burundi — (18 Sep. 1962)
Cambodia — (14 Dec. 1955)
Cameroon — (20 Sep. 1960)
Canada — (9 Nov. 1945)
Cape Verde — (16 Sep. 1975)
Central African Republic — (20 Sep. 1960)
Chad — (20 Sep. 1960)
Chile — (24 Oct. 1945)
China — (24 Oct. 1945)
Colombia — (5 Nov. 1945)
Comoros — (12 Nov. 1975)
Congo — (20 Sep. 1960)
Costa Rica — (2 Nov. 1945)
Côte d’Ivoire — (20 Sep. 1960)
Croatia — (22 May 1992)
Cuba — (24 Oct. 1945)
Cyprus — (20 Sep. 1960)
Czech Republic — (19 Jan. 1993)
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — (17 Sep. 1991)
Democratic Republic of the Congo — (20 Sep. 1960)
Denmark — (24 Oct. 1945)
Djibouti — (20 Sep. 1977)
Dominica — (18 Dec. 1978)
Dominican Republic — (24 Oct. 1945)
Ecuador — (21 Dec. 1945)
Egypt — (24 Oct. 1945)
El Salvador — (24 Oct. 1945)
Equatorial Guinea — (12 Nov. 1968)
Eritrea — (28 May 1993)
Estonia — (17 Sep. 1991)
Ethiopia — (13 Nov. 1945)
Fiji — (13 Oct. 1970)
Finland — (14 Dec. 1955)
France– (24 Oct. 1945)
Gabon — (20 Sep. 1960)
Gambia — (21 Sep. 1965)
Georgia — (31 July 1992)
Germany — (18 Sep. 1973)
Ghana — (8 Mar. 1957)
Greece — (25 Oct. 1945)
Grenada — (17 Sep. 1974)
Guatemala — (21 Nov. 1945)
Guinea — (12 Dec. 1958)
Guinea-Bissau — (17 Sep. 1974)
Guyana — (20 Sep. 1966)
Haiti — (24 Oct. 1945)
Honduras — (17 Dec. 1945)
Hungary — (14 Dec. 1955)
Iceland — (19 Nov. 1946)
India — (30 Oct. 1945)
Indonesia — (28 Sep. 1950)
Iran (Islamic Republic of) — (24 Oct. 1945)
Iraq — (21 Dec. 1945)
Ireland — (14 Dec. 1955)
Israel — (11 May 1949)
Italy — (14 Dec. 1955)
Jamaica — (18 Sep. 1962)
Japan — (18 Dec. 1956)
Jordan — (14 Dec. 1955)
Kazakhstan — (2 Mar. 1992)
Kenya — (16 Dec. 1963)
Kiribati — (14 Sept. 1999)
Kuwait — (14 May 1963)
Kyrgyzstan — (2 Mar. 1992)
Lao People’s Democratic Republic — (14 Dec. 1955)
Latvia — (17 Sep. 1991)
Lebanon — (24 Oct. 1945)
Lesotho — (17 Oct. 1966)
Liberia — (2 Nov. 1945)
Libya — (14 December 1955)
Liechtenstein — (18 Sep. 1990)
Lithuania — (17 Sep. 1991)
Luxembourg– (24 Oct. 1945)
Madagascar — (20 Sep. 1960)
Malawi — (1 Dec. 1964)
Malaysia — (17 Sep. 1957)
Maldives — (21 Sep. 1965)
Mali — (28 Sep. 1960)
Malta — (1 Dec. 1964)
Marshall Islands — (17 Sep. 1991)
Mauritania — (27 Oct. 1961)
Mauritius — (24 Apr. 1968)
Mexico — (7 Nov. 1945)
Micronesia (Federated States of) — (17 Sep. 1991)
Monaco — (28 May 1993)
Mongolia — (27 Oct. 1961)
Montenegro — (28 June 2006)
Morocco — (12 Nov. 1956)
Mozambique — (16 Sep. 1975)
Myanmar — (19 Apr. 1948)
Namibia — (23 Apr. 1990)
Nauru — (14 Sept. 1999)
Nepal — (14 Dec. 1955)
Netherlands — (10 Dec. 1945)
New Zealand — (24 Oct. 1945)
Nicaragua — (24 Oct. 1945)
Niger — (20 Sep. 1960)
Nigeria — (7 Oct. 1960)
North Macedonia — (8 April 1993)
Norway — (27 Nov. 1945)
Oman — (7 Oct. 1971)
Pakistan — (30 Sep. 1947)
Palau — (15 Dec. 1994)
Panama — (13 Nov. 1945)
Papua New Guinea — (10 Oct. 1975)
Paraguay — (24 Oct. 1945)
Peru — (31 Oct. 1945)
Philippines — (24 Oct. 1945)
Poland — (24 Oct. 1945)
Portugal — (14 Dec. 1955)
Qatar — (21 Sep. 1971)
Republic of Korea — (17 Sep. 1991)
Republic of Moldova — (2 Mar. 1992)
Romania — (14 Dec. 1955)
Russian Federation — (24 Oct. 1945)
Rwanda — (18 Sep. 1962)
Saint Kitts and Nevis — (23 Sep. 1983)
Saint Lucia — (18 Sep. 1979)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines — (16 Sep. 1980)
Samoa — (15 Dec. 1976)
San Marino — (2 Mar. 1992)
Sao Tome and Principe — (16 Sep. 1975)
Saudi Arabia — (24 Oct. 1945)
Senegal — (28 Sep. 1960)
Serbia — (1 Nov. 2000)
Seychelles — (21 Sep. 1976)
Sierra Leone — (27 Sep. 1961)
Singapore — (21 Sep. 1965)
Slovakia — (19 Jan. 1993)
Slovenia — (22 May 1992)
Solomon Islands — (19 Sep. 1978)
Somalia — (20 Sep. 1960)
South Africa — (7 Nov. 1945)
South Sudan – (14 Jul. 2011)
Spain — (14 Dec. 1955)
Sri Lanka — (14 Dec. 1955)
Sudan — (12 Nov. 1956)
Suriname — (4 Dec. 1975)
Swaziland — (24 Sep. 1968)
Sweden — (19 Nov. 1946)
Switzerland — (10 Sep. 2002)
Syrian Arab Republic — (24 Oct. 1945)
Tajikistan — (2 Mar. 1992)
Thailand — (16 Dec. 1946)
Timor-Leste — (27 Sep. 2002)
Togo — (20 Sep. 1960)
Tonga — (14 Sep. 1999)
Trinidad and Tobago — (18 Sep. 1962)
Tunisia — (12 Nov. 1956)
Turkey — (24 Oct. 1945)
Turkmenistan — (2 Mar. 1992)
Tuvalu — (5 Sept. 2000)
Uganda — (25 Oct. 1962)
Ukraine — (24 Oct. 1945)
United Arab Emirates — (9 Dec. 1971)
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland– (24 Oct. 1945)
United Republic of Tanzania — (14 Dec. 1961)
United States of America — (24 Oct. 1945)
Uruguay — (18 Dec. 1945)
Uzbekistan — (2 Mar. 1992)
Vanuatu — (15 Sep. 1981)
Venezuela — (15 Nov. 1945)
Viet Nam — (20 Sep. 1977)
Yemen — (30 Sep. 1947)
Zambia — (1 Dec. 1964)
Zimbabwe — (25 Aug. 1980)