The member states of the United Nations comprise 193 sovereign states. The United Nations (UN) is the world's largest intergovernmental organization. All members have equal representation in the UN General Assembly.
China is one of the members of the United Nations and is one of five permanent members of its Security Council. One of the victorious Allies of World War II, the Republic of China (ROC) joined the UN as one of its founding member countries in 1945. The subsequent resumption of the Chinese Civil War between the government of Republic of China and the rebel forces of the Chinese Communist Party, led to the latter's victory on the mainland and the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. Nearly all of mainland China was soon under its control and the ROC government retreated to the island of Taiwan.
The Group of Western European and Other States, also known as the Western European and Other States Group or WEOG, is one of the five United Nations regional groups and is composed of 28 Member States mainly from Western Europe, but also from North America, the Eastern Mediterranean, Fennoscandia and Oceania.
The United Nations General Assembly has granted observer status to international organizations, entities, and non-member states, to enable them to participate in the work of the United Nations General Assembly, though with limitations. The General Assembly determines the privileges it will grant to each observer, beyond those laid down in a 1986 Conference on treaties between states and international organizations. Exceptionally, the European Union (EU) was in 2011 granted the right to speak in debates, to submit proposals and amendments, the right of reply, to raise points of order and to circulate documents, etc. As of May 2011, the EU is the only international organization to hold these enhanced rights, which has been likened to the rights of full membership, short of the right to vote.
The United Nations Security Council veto power is the power of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to veto any decision other than a "procedural" decision.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 69 was adopted on 4 March 1949. Having received and considered Israel's application for membership in the United Nations, the Security Council decided that in its judgement Israel was a peace-loving state and was able and willing to carry out the obligations contained in the Charter and it therefore recommended to the General Assembly that it grant membership to Israel.
Chapter II of the United Nations Charter deals with membership to the United Nations (UN) organization. Membership is open to the original signatories and "all other peace-loving states" that accept the terms and obligations set forth in the UN Charter and, "in the judgment of the Organization, are able and willing to carry out these obligations". According to Chapter II of the UN Charter, in order to be admitted to the UN, a country must first be recommended by the UN Security Council and then approved by a vote of the UN General Assembly. In addition, the admission must not be opposed by any of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, sometimes referred to as the Permanent Five or P5.
United Nations Security Council resolution 663, adopted unanimously on 14 August 1990, after examining the application of the Principality of Liechtenstein for membership in the United Nations, the Council recommended to the General Assembly that Liechtenstein be admitted.
United Nations Security Council resolution 702, adopted without a vote on 8 August 1991, after examining separately the applications of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea for membership in the United Nations, the Council recommended to the General Assembly that North Korea and South Korea be admitted.
United Nations Security Council resolution 704, adopted without a vote on 9 August 1991, after examining the application of the Marshall Islands for membership in the United Nations, the Council recommended to the General Assembly that the Marshall Islands be admitted.
United Nations Security Council resolution 711, adopted without a vote on 12 September 1991, after examining the application of the Republic of Lithuania for membership in the United Nations, the Council recommended to the General Assembly that Lithuania be admitted.
United Nations Security Council resolution 735, was adopted without a vote on 29 January 1992, after examining the application of Armenia for membership in the United Nations. The Council recommended to the General Assembly that Armenia be admitted.
United Nations Security Council resolution 963, adopted unanimously on 29 November 1994, after examining the application of the Republic of Palau for membership in the United Nations, the Council recommended to the General Assembly that Palau be admitted.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1426, adopted without a vote on 24 July 2002, after examining the application of the Swiss Confederation for membership in the United Nations, the Council recommended to the General Assembly that Switzerland be admitted.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1248, adopted without a vote on 25 June 1999, after examining the application of the Republic of Kiribati for membership in the United Nations, the Council recommended to the General Assembly that Kiribati be admitted, bringing total membership of the United Nations to 186.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1253, adopted without a vote on 28 July 1999, after examining the application of the Kingdom of Tonga for membership in the United Nations, the Council recommended to the General Assembly that Tonga be admitted, bringing total membership of the United Nations to 188.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1290 was adopted on 17 February 2000. Resolution 1290 examined Tuvalu's application to become the 189th member of the United Nations (UN). Tuvalu achieved independence in 1978 after over eighty years of British colonial rule. The country had struggled economically, and it took the 2000 sale of Tuvalu's Internet country code top-level domain .tv for the nation to be able to afford UN membership. Resolution 1290 was adopted unopposed, although China abstained due to concerns over Tuvalu's relationship with Taiwan.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1999 was adopted without a vote on 13 July 2011 after examining the application of the Republic of South Sudan for membership into the United Nations. The Council recommended to the General Assembly that South Sudan be admitted.
The Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea were simultaneously admitted to the United Nations (UN) in 1991. On 8 August 1991, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 702, recommending both states to the General Assembly for membership. On 17 September 1991, the General Assembly admitted both countries under Resolution 46/1.
Democratic Federal Yugoslavia was a charter member of the United Nations from its establishment in 1945 as the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia until 1992 during the Yugoslav Wars. During its existence the country played a prominent role in the promotion of multilateralism and narrowing of the Cold War divisions in which various UN bodies were perceived as important vehicles. Yugoslavia was elected a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council on multiple occasions in periods between 1950 and 1951, 1956, 1972–1973, and 1988–1989, which was in total 7 years of Yugoslav membership in the organization. The country was also one of 17 original members of the Special Committee on Decolonization.
