UN Regional Groups
Encyclopedia
The member states of the United Nations
are unofficially divided into five geopolitical regional groupings. What began as an informal means of sharing the distribution of posts for General Assembly committees has taken on a much more expansive role. Depending on the UN context, regional groups control elections to UN-related positions, dividing up the pie on the basis of geographic representation, as well as coordinate substantive policy, and form common fronts for negotiations and voting.
As of July 2011, the 193 UN member states are divided into five groups:
Kiribati
is not included in the above numbers (see below).
n Group has 54 members (28% of all UN members), and is thus the largest regional group by number of member states. It is the only regional group that has a territory that coincides with the traditional continent
of which its name originates. The African Group has 3 seats on the Security Council
, all non-permanent. The Group also has 14 seats on the United Nations Economic and Social Council
and 13 seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council
. In the rotation of the post of the President
of the United Nations General Assembly
, the group is eligible for having its nationals elected to this post in years ending with 4 and 9; most recently, Ali Treki of Libya
was elected to this position in 2009.
Member states of the African Group, as of July 2011:
and Oceania
. However, Russia
and the Caucasian
states are members of the Eastern European Group
and Australia
, New Zealand
, Israel
, and Turkey
are all members of the Western European and Others Group. The Asia-Pacific Group has three seats on the Security Council: the permanent seat of China
, and two non-permanent seats. The Group also has 11 seats on the United Nations Economic and Social Council and 13 seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council. In the rotation of the post of the President of the United Nations General Assembly, the group is eligible for having its nationals elected to this post in years ending with 1 and 6; most recently, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser
of Qatar
is elected to this position in 2011.
Member states of the Asia-Pacific Group, as of 2011:
In addition to the above states, the Palestine Liberation Organization
, designated the name "Palestine
" within the United Nations, has been a full member of the Asia-Pacific group since 2 April 1986.
an Group has 23 members (12% of all UN members), and as such is the regional group with the least number of member states. The Eastern European Group has 2 seats on the Security Council; the permanent seat of Russia
and one non-permanent seat. The Group also has 6 seats on the United Nations Economic and Social Council and 6 seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council. In the rotation of the post of the President of the United Nations General Assembly, the group is eligible for having its nationals elected to this post in years ending with 2 and 7; most recently, Srgjan Kerim
of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
was elected to this position in 2007.
Members of the Eastern European Group as of 2010:
n and Caribbean
Group (GRULAC for short) has 33 members (17% of all UN members). Its territory is almost exactly that of South
and Central America
and the Caribbean; the differences arise from the presence of dependent territories of European countries. GRULAC has 2 non-permanent seats on the Security Council. The Group also has 10 seats on the United Nations Economic and Social Council and 8 seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council. In the rotation of the post of the President of the United Nations General Assembly, the group is eligible for having its nationals elected to this post in years ending with 3 and 8; most recently, Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann of Nicaragua
was elected to this position in 2008.
Member states of the Latin American and Caribbean Group, as of 2010:
s, but mostly centred in Western Europe
and North America
. In addition, the United States
is an observer (see below). Including the United States, WEOG has 5 seats on the Security Council, three permanent ones (France
, United Kingdom
, United States), and two non-permanent ones. The Group also has 13 seats on the United Nations Economic and Social Council and 7 seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council. In the rotation of the post of the President of the United Nations General Assembly, the group is eligible for having its nationals elected to this post in years ending with 0 and 5; most recently, Joseph Deiss
of Switzerland
was elected to this position in 2010.
Member states of the Western European and Others Group, as of 2011:
voluntarily chooses not to be a member of any group, and attends meetings of the Western European and Others Group as an observer only. However, it's considered to be a member of WEOG for putting forward candidates for electoral purposes in the United Nations General Assembly.
is geographically in Asia but its membership in the Asia-Pacific Group has been withheld due to the large majority of Muslim countries in the Asian block, which have refused to allow Israel's acceptance. In May 2000 it became a WEOG full member, on a temporary basis (subject to renewal), in WEOG's headquarters in the US, thereby enabling it to put forward candidates for election to various UN General Assembly bodies. In 2004, Israel obtained a permanent renewal to its membership (in WEOG's headquarters in US, while remaining an observer at the UN offices in Geneva, Nairobi, Rome and Vienna).
On June 14, 2005, Dan Gillerman
was elected to the position of Vice-President of the 60th UN General Assembly. The last Israeli to hold this position was UN envoy
Abba Eban
in 1952. Israel's candidacy was put forward by WEOG. In this position, Gillerman played a central role during the initial negotiation stages of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
.
(geographically in Oceania) is not a member of any regional group, despite the majority of other Oceanian nations belonging to the Asia-Pacific group. Despite its membership in the United Nations, Kiribati has never delegated a Permanent Representative
to the UN.
participates fully in both WEOG and Asian Group, but for electoral purposes is considered a member of WEOG only.
—at present, a member of the Asia-Pacific Group—called for a new regional group titled Oceania. Aside from Nauru, this proposed bloc may also include Australia
and New Zealand
(both in WEOG), Japan
, South Korea
, the ASEAN countries, and the rest of Oceania..
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
are unofficially divided into five geopolitical regional groupings. What began as an informal means of sharing the distribution of posts for General Assembly committees has taken on a much more expansive role. Depending on the UN context, regional groups control elections to UN-related positions, dividing up the pie on the basis of geographic representation, as well as coordinate substantive policy, and form common fronts for negotiations and voting.
- the African Group, with 54 member states.
- the Asia-Pacific Group, with 53 member states;
- the Eastern European GroupEastern European GroupThe Eastern European Group is one of the five unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...
, with 23 member states; - the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC), with 33 member states;
- the Western European and Others GroupWestern European and Others GroupThe Western European and Others Group is one of several unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...
(WEOG), with 28 member states, plus 1 member state as observer.
Kiribati
Kiribati
Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The permanent population exceeds just over 100,000 , and is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres, straddling the...
is not included in the above numbers (see below).
Overview table
| Regional Group | Number of members | % of members | UNSC United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of... permanent members | UNSC elected members | ECOSOC United Nations Economic and Social Council The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations constitutes one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and it is responsible for the coordination of the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, its functional commissions and five regional commissions... members | HRC United Nations Human Rights Council The United Nations Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations System. The UNHRC is the successor to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights , and is a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly... members | UNGA President President of the United Nations General Assembly The President of the United Nations General Assembly is a position voted for by representatives in the United Nations General Assembly on a yearly basis.- Election :... years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| African | 54 | 28 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 13 | 4 and 9 |
| Asia-Pacific | 53 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 1 and 6 |
| EEG | 23 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 2 and 7 |
| GRULAC | 33 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 3 and 8 |
| WEOG | 28 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 7 | 0 and 5 |
| None | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total UN members | 193 | 100 | 5 | 10 | 54 | 47 | All years |
African Group
The AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n Group has 54 members (28% of all UN members), and is thus the largest regional group by number of member states. It is the only regional group that has a territory that coincides with the traditional continent
Continent
A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
of which its name originates. The African Group has 3 seats on the Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
, all non-permanent. The Group also has 14 seats on the United Nations Economic and Social Council
United Nations Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations constitutes one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and it is responsible for the coordination of the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, its functional commissions and five regional commissions...
and 13 seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council
United Nations Human Rights Council
The United Nations Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations System. The UNHRC is the successor to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights , and is a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly...
. In the rotation of the post of the President
President of the United Nations General Assembly
The President of the United Nations General Assembly is a position voted for by representatives in the United Nations General Assembly on a yearly basis.- Election :...
of the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
, the group is eligible for having its nationals elected to this post in years ending with 4 and 9; most recently, Ali Treki of Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
was elected to this position in 2009.
Member states of the African Group, as of July 2011:
Asia-Pacific Group
The Asia-Pacific Group (formerly the Asian Group) has 53 members (27% of all UN members) and is the second largest regional group by number of member states (one fewer than the African Group). Its territory is composed of much of the continents of AsiaAsia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
. However, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and the Caucasian
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
states are members of the Eastern European Group
Eastern European Group
The Eastern European Group is one of the five unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
are all members of the Western European and Others Group. The Asia-Pacific Group has three seats on the Security Council: the permanent seat of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and two non-permanent seats. The Group also has 11 seats on the United Nations Economic and Social Council and 13 seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council. In the rotation of the post of the President of the United Nations General Assembly, the group is eligible for having its nationals elected to this post in years ending with 1 and 6; most recently, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser
Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser
Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser is a Qatari diplomat and the current permanent representative of Qatar to the United Nations, appointed on 11 September 1998. Prior to his current office at the United Nations, Al-Nasser had served as the ambassador to Jordan since 1993. He has worked for his country's...
of Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
is elected to this position in 2011.
Member states of the Asia-Pacific Group, as of 2011:
In addition to the above states, the Palestine Liberation Organization
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
, designated the name "Palestine
Timeline of the name Palestine
This article presents a list of notable historical references to the name Palestine, and cognates such as Filastin and Palaestina, through the various time periods of the region....
" within the United Nations, has been a full member of the Asia-Pacific group since 2 April 1986.
2011 name change
Until 2011, the Asia-Pacific Group was called the "Asian Group". The name change was adopted as a result of pressure from the non-Asian island countries that compose approximately one-fifth of the group's membership. On China's insistence, the group's official name is the "Group of Asia and the Pacific Small Island Developing States", but the use of the shortened name "Asia-Pacific Group" is permitted in official UN documents.Eastern European Group
The Eastern EuropeEastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an Group has 23 members (12% of all UN members), and as such is the regional group with the least number of member states. The Eastern European Group has 2 seats on the Security Council; the permanent seat of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and one non-permanent seat. The Group also has 6 seats on the United Nations Economic and Social Council and 6 seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council. In the rotation of the post of the President of the United Nations General Assembly, the group is eligible for having its nationals elected to this post in years ending with 2 and 7; most recently, Srgjan Kerim
Srgjan Kerim
Srgjan Asan Kerim is Macedonian diplomat and former President of the United Nations General Assembly. His term of office began on September 18, 2007 and ended on September 16, 2008. He is half Macedonian half Turkish. -Education:...
of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
was elected to this position in 2007.
Members of the Eastern European Group as of 2010:
Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
The Latin AmericaLatin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n and Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
Group (GRULAC for short) has 33 members (17% of all UN members). Its territory is almost exactly that of South
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and the Caribbean; the differences arise from the presence of dependent territories of European countries. GRULAC has 2 non-permanent seats on the Security Council. The Group also has 10 seats on the United Nations Economic and Social Council and 8 seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council. In the rotation of the post of the President of the United Nations General Assembly, the group is eligible for having its nationals elected to this post in years ending with 3 and 8; most recently, Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann of Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
was elected to this position in 2008.
Member states of the Latin American and Caribbean Group, as of 2010:
Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
The Western European and Others Group (WEOG for short) has 28 members (15% of all UN members). It has a territory divided practically dispersed on all of the continentContinent
A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
s, but mostly centred in Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. In addition, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is an observer (see below). Including the United States, WEOG has 5 seats on the Security Council, three permanent ones (France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, United States), and two non-permanent ones. The Group also has 13 seats on the United Nations Economic and Social Council and 7 seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council. In the rotation of the post of the President of the United Nations General Assembly, the group is eligible for having its nationals elected to this post in years ending with 0 and 5; most recently, Joseph Deiss
Joseph Deiss
Joseph Deiss is an economist, Swiss politician and a member of the Christian Democratic People's Party . From 1999 to 2006, he was a member of the Swiss Federal Council, heading first the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and then the Federal Department of Economic Affairs...
of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
was elected to this position in 2010.
Member states of the Western European and Others Group, as of 2011:
United States
The United States of AmericaUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
voluntarily chooses not to be a member of any group, and attends meetings of the Western European and Others Group as an observer only. However, it's considered to be a member of WEOG for putting forward candidates for electoral purposes in the United Nations General Assembly.
Israel
IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
is geographically in Asia but its membership in the Asia-Pacific Group has been withheld due to the large majority of Muslim countries in the Asian block, which have refused to allow Israel's acceptance. In May 2000 it became a WEOG full member, on a temporary basis (subject to renewal), in WEOG's headquarters in the US, thereby enabling it to put forward candidates for election to various UN General Assembly bodies. In 2004, Israel obtained a permanent renewal to its membership (in WEOG's headquarters in US, while remaining an observer at the UN offices in Geneva, Nairobi, Rome and Vienna).
On June 14, 2005, Dan Gillerman
Dan Gillerman
Dan Gillerman was Israel's 13th Permanent Representative to the United Nations. He was appointed in July 2002 and assumed his post on January 1, 2003, serving through 2008.- Education :...
was elected to the position of Vice-President of the 60th UN General Assembly. The last Israeli to hold this position was UN envoy
Envoy (title)
In diplomacy, an Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary is, under the terms of the Congress of Vienna of 1815, a diplomat of the second class, ranking between an Ambassador and a Minister Resident....
Abba Eban
Abba Eban
Abba Eban was an Israeli diplomat and politician.In his career he was Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister, Education Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and ambassador to the United States and to the United Nations...
in 1952. Israel's candidacy was put forward by WEOG. In this position, Gillerman played a central role during the initial negotiation stages of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War #Other uses|Tammūz]]) and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War , was a 34-day military conflict in Lebanon, northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. The principal parties were Hezbollah...
.
Kiribati
As of 2010, KiribatiKiribati
Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The permanent population exceeds just over 100,000 , and is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres, straddling the...
(geographically in Oceania) is not a member of any regional group, despite the majority of other Oceanian nations belonging to the Asia-Pacific group. Despite its membership in the United Nations, Kiribati has never delegated a Permanent Representative
Permanent Representative
A Permanent Representative is the head of a diplomatic mission to one of various international organisations. The best known of the organisations to which states send Permanent Representatives is the United Nations; of these, the most high-profile ones are those assigned to headquarters in New...
to the UN.
Turkey
TurkeyTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
participates fully in both WEOG and Asian Group, but for electoral purposes is considered a member of WEOG only.
Pacific
In 2000, the government of NauruNauru
Nauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, to the east. Nauru is the world's smallest republic, covering just...
—at present, a member of the Asia-Pacific Group—called for a new regional group titled Oceania. Aside from Nauru, this proposed bloc may also include Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
(both in WEOG), Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, the ASEAN countries, and the rest of Oceania..
Criticisms
A criticism of the regional grouping system is the pressure brought to bear on members to vote consistent with the majority of their regional group. For countries which may have political differences, this can weaken their negotiating positions on a number of issues and an inability to be elected to key leadership positions in the UN.See also
- IAEA AreasIAEA AreasThe Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency defines eight areas from which candidate governments for election to the IAEA Board of Governors are chosen...
- List of continental intergovernmental organizations
- List of members of the United Nations Security Council
- List of members of the United Nations Economic and Social Council
- List of members of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
Official External links
- UNAIDS, The Governance Handbook, January 2010 (pp. 28,29); PDF document at UN-AIDS website.
- Official list of regional groups; PDF document at UN website.