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Appendix 2: Principal Organs of the United Nations

General Assembly

The General Assembly is composed of all 185 members of the United Nations. As of December 31, 1996, they are:

Member

Date of Admission

Afghanistan Nov. 19, 1946
Albania Dec. 14, 1955
AlgeriaOct. 8, 1962
Andorra July 28, 1993
Angola Dec. 1, 1976
Antigua and Barbuda Nov. 11, 1981
ArgentinaOct. 24, 1945
Armenia Mar. 2, 1992
Australia Nov. 1, 1945
Austria Dec. 14, 1955
Azerbaijan Mar. 2, 1992
Bahamas Sept. 18, 1973
Bahrain Sept. 21, 1971
Bangladesh Sept. 17, 1974
Barbados Dec. 9, 1966
BelarusOct. 24, 1945
Belgium Dec. 27, 1945
Belize Sept. 25, 1981
Benin Sept. 20, 1960
Bhutan Sept. 21, 1971
Bolivia Nov. 14, 1945
Bosnia and Herzegovina May 22, 1992
BotswanaOct. 17, 1966
BrazilOct. 24, 1945
Brunei Darussalam Sept. 21, 1984
Bulgaria Dec. 14, 1955
Burkina Faso Sept. 20, 1960
Burundi Sept. 18, 1962
Cambodia Dec. 14, 1955
Cameroon Sept. 20, 1960
Canada Nov. 9, 1945
Cape Verde Sept. 16, 1975
Central African Republic Sept. 20, 1960
Chad Sept. 20, 1960
ChileOct. 24, 1945
ChinaOct. 24, 1945
Colombia Nov. 5, 1945
Comoros Nov. 12, 1975
Congo Sept. 20, 1960
Costa Rica Nov. 2, 1945
Cote d'Ivoire Sept. 20, 1960
Croatia May 22, 1992
CubaOct. 24, 1945
Cyprus Sept. 20, 1960
Czech Republic Jan. 19, 1993
DenmarkOct. 24, 1945
Djibouti Sept. 20, 1977
Dominica Dec. 18, 1978
Dominican RepublicOct. 24, 1945
Ecuador Dec. 21, 1945
EgyptOct. 24, 1945
El SalvadorOct. 24, 1945
Equatorial Guinea Nov. 12, 1968
Eritrea May 28, 1993
Estonia Sept. 17, 1991
Ethiopia Nov. 13, 1945
FijiOct. 13, 1970
Finland Dec. 14, 1955
FranceOct. 24, 1945
Gabon Sept. 20, 1960
Gambia Sept. 21, 1965
Georgia July 31, 1992
Germany Sept. 18, 1973
Ghana Mar. 8, 1957
GreeceOct. 25, 1945
Grenada Sept. 17, 1974
Guatemala Nov. 21, 1945
Guinea Dec. 12, 1958
Guinea-Bissau Sept. 17, 1974
Guyana Sept. 20, 1966
HaitiOct. 24, 1945
Honduras Dec. 17, 1945
Hungary Dec. 14, 1955
Iceland Nov. 19, 1946
IndiaOct. 30, 1945
Indonesia Sept. 28, 1950
IranOct. 24, 1945
Iraq Dec. 21, 1945
Ireland Dec. 14, 1955
Israel May 11, 1949
Italy Dec. 14, 1955
Jamaica Sept. 18, 1962
Japan Dec. 18, 1956
Jordan Dec. 14, 1955
Kazakstan Mar. 2, 1992
Kenya Dec. 16, 1963
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Sept. 17, 1991
Korea, Republic of Sept. 17, 1991
Kuwait May 14, 1963
Kyrgyzstan Mar. 2, 1992
Laos Dec. 14, 1955
Latvia Sept. 17, 1991
LebanonOct. 24, 1945
LesothoOct. 17, 1966
Liberia Nov. 2, 1945
Libya Dec. 14, 1955
Liechtenstein Sept. 18, 1990
Lithuania Sept. 17, 1991
LuxembourgOct. 24, 1945
Madagascar Sept. 20, 1960
Malawi Dec. 1, 1964
Malaysia Sept. 17, 1957
Maldives Sept. 21, 1965
Mali Sept. 28, 1960
Malta Dec. 1, 1964
Marshall Islands Sept. 17, 1991
MauritaniaOct. 27, 1961
Mauritius Apr. 24, 1968
Mexico Nov. 7, 1945
Micronesia Sept. 17, 1991
Moldova Mar. 2, 1992
Monaco May 28, 1993
MongoliaOct. 27, 1961
Morocco Nov. 12, 1956
Mozambique Sept. 16, 1975
Myanmar Apr. 19, 1948
Namibia Apr. 23, 1990
Nepal Dec. 14, 1955
Netherlands Dec. 10, 1945
New ZealandOct. 24, 1945
NicaraguaOct. 24, 1945
Niger Sept. 20, 1960
NigeriaOct. 7, 1960
Norway Nov. 27, 1945
OmanOct. 7, 1971
Pakistan Sept. 30, 1947
Palau Dec. 15, 1994
Panama Nov. 13, 1945
Papua New GuineaOct. 10, 1975
ParaguayOct. 24, 1945
PeruOct. 31, 1945
PhilippinesOct. 24, 1945
PolandOct. 24, 1945
Portugal Dec. 14, 1955
Qatar Sept. 21, 1971
Romania Dec. 14, 1955
Russian FederationOct. 24, 1945
Rwanda Sept. 18, 1962
Saint Kitts and Nevis Sept. 23, 1983
Saint Lucia Sept. 18, 1979
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Sept. 16, 1980
Samoa Dec. 15, 1976
San Marino Mar. 2, 1992
Sao Tome and Principe Sept. 16, 1975
Saudi ArabiaOct. 24, 1945
Senegal Sept. 28, 1960
Seychelles Sept. 21, 1976
Sierra Leone Sept. 27, 1961
Singapore Sept. 21, 1965
Slovak Republic Jan. 19, 1993
Slovenia May 22, 1992
Solomon Islands Sept. 19, 1978
Somalia Sept. 20, 1960
South Africa Nov. 7, 1945
Spain Dec. 14, 1955
Sri Lanka Dec. 14, 1955
Sudan Nov. 12, 1956
Suriname Dec. 4, 1975
Swaziland Sept. 24, 1968
Sweden Nov. 19, 1946
SyriaOct. 24, 1945
Tajikistan Mar. 2, 1992
Tanzania Dec. 14, 1961
Thailand Dec. 16, 1946
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Apr. 8, 1993
Togo Sept. 20, 1960
Trinidad and Tobago Sept. 18, 1962
Tunisia Nov. 12, 1956
TurkeyOct. 24, 1945
Turkmenistan Mar. 2, 1992
UgandaOct. 25, 1962
UkraineOct. 24, 1945
United Arab Emirates Dec. 9, 1971
United KingdomOct. 24, 1945
United StatesOct. 24, 1945
Uruguay Dec. 18, 1945
Uzbekistan Mar. 2, 1992
Vanuatu Sept. 15, 1981
Venezuela Nov. 15, 1945
Vietnam Sept. 20, 1977
Yemen Sept. 30, 1947
YugoslaviaOct. 24, 1945
Zaire Sept. 20, 1960
Zambia Dec. 1, 1964
Zimbabwe Aug. 25, 1980

The 50th regular session of the General Assembly, which had been suspended December 23, 1995, held resumed sessions between February 28 and September 17. During the resumed sessions the Assembly adopted 39 resolutions and 41 decisions. The Assembly was formally closed on September 17.

The 51st regular session of the General Assembly convened September 17, 1996, and was suspended December 18, 1996.

The Assembly elected Razali Ismail (Malaysia) as President and the Chairmen of the Delegations of Andorra, Angola, Bahamas, Burundi, China, Cyprus, France, Ghana, Honduras, Latvia, Libya, Niger, Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, Russian Federation, Sudan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States as the 21 Vice Presidents.

The Chairmen of the six Main Committees, on which each member may be represented, were:

First Committee (Disarmament and International Security)--Alyaksandr Sychou (Belarus)

Second Committee (Economic and Financial)--Arjan Hamburger (Netherlands)

Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural)--Patricia Espinosa (Mexico)

Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization)--Alounkeo Kittikhoun (Lao People's Democratic Republic)

Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary)--Ngoni Francis Sengwe (Zimbabwe)

Sixth Committee (Legal)--Ramon Escovar-Salom (Venezuela)

The General Committee (steering committee) is composed of the President, the 21 Vice Presidents and the Chairmen of the 6 Main Committees of the General Assembly.

Security Council

The Security Council is composed of 5 members designated in the Charter as permanent and 10 members elected by the General Assembly for 2-year terms ending December 31 of the year given in the heading:

Permanent Members: China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States

1996: Botswana, Germany, Honduras, Indonesia, Italy

1997: Chile, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Poland, Republic of Korea

On October 21 the Assembly elected Costa Rica, Japan, Kenya, Portugal and Sweden as members of the Security Council for a 2-year term of office beginning January 1, 1997.

Trusteeship Council

The Trusteeship Council is composed of the United States and the other four Permanent Members of the Security Council (China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom).

In 1994 the Trusteeship Council adopted an amendment to its rules of procedure stating that it will meet in the future only on request. The Council did not meet in 1996.

Economic and Social Council

ECOSOC is composed of 54 members elected by the General Assembly for 3-year terms ending December 31 of the year given in the heading:

1996: Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Pakistan, Paraguay, Portugal, Senegal, Tanzania, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

1997: Australia, Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, India, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Sudan, Thailand, Uganda, United States

1998: Argentina, Bangladesh, Canada, Central African Republic, China, Czech Republic, Finland, Gabon, Guyana, Jordan, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Romania, Russian Federation, Sweden, Togo, Tunisia, United Kingdom

On October 31 the General Assembly elected Cape Verde, Chile, Cuba, Djibouti, El Salvador, France, Gambia, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Latvia, Mexico, Mozambique, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Zambia for a 3-year term beginning on January 1, 1997.

International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice consists of 15 members elected by the General Assembly and Security Council for 9-year terms ending February 5 of the year shown in parentheses. The judges, listed in order of precedence, are:

Mohammed Bedjaoui, Algeria (1997), President

Stephen M. Schwebel, United States (1997), Vice President

Shigeru Oda, Japan (2003)

Gilbert Guillaume, France (2000)

Mohamed Shahabuddeen, Guyana (1997)

Christopher G. Weeramantry, Sri Lanka (2000)

Raymond Ranjeva, Madagascar (2000)

Geza Herczegh, Hungary (2003)

Shi Jiuyong, China (2003)

Carl-August Fleischhauer, Germany (2003)

Abdul Koroma, Sierra Leone (2003)

Vladlen S. Vereshchetin, Russian Federation (1997)

Luigi Ferrari Bravo, Italy (1997)

Rosalyn Higgins, United Kingdom (2000)

Gonzalo Parra-Aranguren, Venezuela (2000)

[end of appendix 2]