Countries that are not members of the United Nations (UN). The United Nations is the world’s most universal international organization. With 193 member states, virtually all countries in the world are represented. However, there are also a number of countries or entities that do not have membership. Which countries are not members of the UN? And why are these countries not members of the UN?
Membership of the UN
This year in 2011, South Sudan was added to the list of members of the UN as the most recent new member. Before that, Montenegro was the last new member in 2006. With 51 original Member States, the number of Member States has increased explosively over the years to the current level of 193 Member States. This number consists not only of states that decided to become members, but mainly of countries that became independent states as a result of decolonization, on the basis of the principle of self-determination. Even in the event of the collapse of states such as Yugoslavia, a new influx of newly independent states has arisen.
What requirements must a state meet to gain membership? What are the conditions for UN membership?
Although the United Nations is an ‘open’ international organization, this does not mean that anyone can simply become a member. Ultimately it is always a decision of the existing Member States. After a request for membership of the country in question, the Security Council considers the request and if it decides to nominate the country (9 of the 15 votes in favor, including no vote against or veto from the Permanent members), it can be voted on in the general meeting by 2 /3 of the votes of countries present and voting for the country to become a member of the UN. The Charter of the United Nations, also known as the UN Constitution, describes the conditions that countries must meet.
Countries must be peaceful
Countries must be peaceful in accordance with key provisions of the UN Charter. An interesting detail is that the countries that originally signed the UN treaty were not exactly peaceful. For example, before Russia joined forces against the Germans, it was not particularly peaceful when it invaded Finland and Poland. Hence, the peaceful condition does not apply to original members, but only to new members.
To be able to comply with the obligations of the UN.
The state must have a government with effective control over its own territory and must have no powers above it.
This means that a country must be sovereign. So independent. This means that a condition for membership is that an entity must be a state. And that is exactly where the difficulty lies. When states do not recognize a ‘new state’ as a state, no diplomatic relations are initiated at state level. As a result, they do not allow ‘new states’ to become members when applying for UN membership. There are many disagreements about when a state is a state, but the declaratory doctrine is generally adhered to. This doctrine states that an entity is a new state when it meets objective conditions (according to the Montevideo Convention: 1. defined territory, 2. permanent population, 3. stable government with effective control, 4. capacity to maintain diplomatic relations). In that case, the recognition of the state is only a declaration. But because countries only vote in favor in the Security Council and the General Assembly when they recognize a state, recognition still precedes membership.
The following non-UN member countries come closest to meeting the objective criteria, but do not have enough recognition to become member states.
Countries that are not members of the UN
Kosovo
Kosovo declared independence in 2008. Although it has been recognized by many European countries, it does not yet have enough recognition to become a member of the United Nations. Many countries, such as Spain, are afraid that secession movements in their own country will be strengthened. They don’t want a precedent.
Taiwan
Taiwan is an odd one out. It even had a seat on the Security Council for a long time. It kept the seat of China because it claims to have all of China’s territory. However, in 1971 the seat was transferred to the current government of China. Since Taiwan’s government still maintains that it is the rightful government of China, it is not a member of the UN.
Palestine
Palestine has very recently reapplied for membership. It’s still pending a decision, but the chances are next to zero. Since the United States sits on the Security Council, a decision will probably not even be reached in the General Assembly. The United States, as Israel’s patron, will never recognize Palestine as a state. Membership would be a great solution for Palestine, because it could then accuse neighboring Israel of using force against a member state. Although it is not a member state, it is a permanent observer member. It may attend the General Meeting.
Vatican CITY
Although it is not entirely clear whether Vatican City can be considered a full-fledged state, Vatican City has not applied for membership. It also does not claim to be a completely independent state. It is a permanent observer member.