The Group of Asia and the Pacific Small Island Developing States (often shortened as Asia and the Pacific or Asia-Pacific Group) is one of the five United Nations regional groups and is composed of 53 Member States from Asia and Oceania.[1]
 | |
| Formation | 1964 |
|---|---|
| Type | Regional group |
| Legal status | Active |
 Politics portal | |
The Group, as with all the regional groups, is a non-binding dialogue group where subjects concerning regional and international matters are discussed. Additionally, the Group works to help allocate seats on United Nations bodies by nominating candidates from the region.[2][3]
Member States
editThe following are the Member States of the Asia and the Pacific Group:[4][5]
Afghanistan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei Darussalam
Cambodia
China[a]
Cyprus
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Fiji
India
Indonesia
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Iraq
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Lebanon
Malaysia
Maldives
Marshall Islands
Micronesia (Federated States of)
Mongolia
Myanmar[b]
Nauru
Nepal
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
State of Palestine[c]
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Qatar
Republic of Korea
Samoa
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Solomon Islands
Sri Lanka
Syrian Arab Republic
Tajikistan
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Tonga
Turkey[d]
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Viet Nam
Yemen
History
editInitially, the Group was known as the Asian Group.[7] However, by the 1970s, Pacific island nations were gaining independence and joining the group. By the mid-2000s the number of Pacific island nations in the group had reached over one fifth of the membership, so they began to advocate for a change of name of the Group.[8]
These efforts were met with success in 2011 when the United Nations agreed to include "Pacific" in the name of the Group, changing it to the Group of Asia and the Pacific Small Island Developing States at China's insistence. This change in name recognises the growing role Pacific island nations play in the United Nations System.[9]
Representation
editSecurity Council
editThe Asia and the Pacific Group holds 3 seats on the Security Council, 2 non-permanent and 1 permanent. The current members of the Security Council from the Group are:[10][11]
| Country | Term |
|---|---|
 China | Permanent |
 Republic of Korea | 1 January 2024 – 31 December 2025 |
 Japan | 1 January 2023 – 31 December 2024 |
Economic and Social Council
editThe Asia and the Pacific Group holds 11 seats on the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The current members of the Economic and Social Council from the Group are:[12][13]
| Country | Term |
|---|---|
 Indonesia | 1 January 2021 – 31 December 2023 |
| Japan | |
 Solomon Islands | |
 Afghanistan | 1 January 2022 – 31 December 2024 |
 India | |
 Oman | |
 Kazakhstan | |
 Bangladesh | 1 January 2020 – 31 December 2022 |
| China | |
| Republic of Korea | |
 Thailand |
Human Rights Council
editThe Asia-Pacific Group holds 13 seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council. The current members of the Economic and Social Council from the Group are:[14][15]
| Country | Term |
|---|---|
| China | 1 January 2021 – 31 December 2023 |
 Nepal | |
 Pakistan | |
 Uzbekistan | |
 Bahrain | 1 January 2019 – 31 December 2021 |
| Bangladesh | |
 Fiji | |
| India | |
 Philippines | |
| Indonesia | 1 January 2020 – 31 December 2022 |
| Republic of Korea | |
| Japan | |
 Marshall Islands |
Presidency of the General Assembly
editEvery five years in the years ending in 1 and 6, the Asia-Pacific Group is eligible to elect a president to the General Assembly.[1]
The following is a list of presidents from the region since its official creation in 1963:[16]
| Year Elected | Session | Name of President | Country | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 21st | Abdul Rahman Pazhwak |  Afghanistan | Also chaired the 5th and 6th emergency special sessions of the General Assembly |
| 1971 | 26th | Adam Malik | Indonesia | |
| 1976 | 31st | H. S. Amerasinghe |  Sri Lanka | |
| 1981 | 36th | Ismat T. Kittani |  Iraq | Also chaired the 7th and 9th emergency special sessions and the 12th special session of the General Assembly |
| 1986 | 41st | Humayun Rasheed Choudhury | Bangladesh | Also chaired the 14th special session of the General Assembly |
| 1991 | 46th | Samir S. Shihabi |  Saudi Arabia | |
| 1996 | 51st | Razali Ismail |  Malaysia | Also chaired the 10th emergency special and 19th special sessions of the General Assembly |
| 2001 | 56th | Han Seung-soo | Republic of Korea | Also chaired the 10th emergency special session of the General Assembly |
| 2006 | 61st | Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa | Bahrain | Also chaired the 10th emergency special session of the General Assembly |
| 2011 | 66th | Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser |  Qatar | |
| 2016 | 71st | Peter Thomson | Fiji | |
| 2021 | 76th | Abdulla Shahid |  Maldives | |
| Future | ||||
| 2026 | 81st | TBD | TBD | |
| 2031 | 86th | TBD | TBD | |
| 2036 | 91st | TBD | TBD | |
Timeline of membership
editAs the Group of Asia and The Pacific Small Island Developing States changed significantly over time, the number of its members had also changed.
| Years | Number of members | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1966-1967 | 25 | Afghanistan, Burma (now Myanmar), Cambodia, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Cyprus, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Yemen |
| 1967-1970 | 26 | South Yemen |
| 1970-1971 | 27 | Fiji |
| 1971 | 28 | China[e] |
| 1971-1974 | 33 | Bahrain, Bhutan, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates |
| 1974-1975 | 34 | Bangladesh |
| 1975-1976 | 35 | Papua New Guinea |
| 1976-1977 | 36 | Samoa |
| 1977-1978 | 37 | Vietnam |
| 1978-1981 | 38 | Solomon Islands |
| 1981-1984 | 39 | Vanuatu |
| 1984-1990 | 40 | Brunei |
| 1990-1991 | 39 | Yemeni unification |
| 1991-1992 | 43 | Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea |
| 1992-1994 | 48 | Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan |
| 1994-1999 | 49 | Palau |
| 1999-2000 | 51 | Nauru, Tonga |
| 2000-2002 | 52 | Tuvalu |
| 2002–present | 53 | Timor-Leste |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Wanza, Serah N. (27 November 2017). "What Are The Five Regional Groups of the United Nations?". Worldatlas. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ "Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia. n.d. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ Agam, Hasmy; Sam Daws; Terence O'Brien; Ramesh Takur (26 March 1999). What is Equitable Geographic Representation in the Twenty-First Century (PDF) (Report). United Nations University. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- ^ "United Nations Regional Groups of Member States". United Nations Department for General Assembly and Conference management. United Nations. n.d. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ United Nations Handbook 2018–19 (PDF) (56 ed.). Wellington: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand. 2018. pp. 15–17. ISSN 0110-1951. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-01-25. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
- ^ Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations. "Status of Palestine at the United Nations". United Nations. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2010.: "On 2 April 1986, the Asian Group of the U.N. decided to accept the PLO as a full member."
- ^ "A/RES/60/251".
- ^ "Asian group of nations at UN changes its name to Asia-Pacific group". Radio New Zealand. Wellington. 1 September 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ "UN Recognises The Pacific With Name Change". Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. 3 September 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ "Current Members". United Nations Security Council. United Nations. n.d. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ "General Assembly Elects Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Tunisia, Viet Nam as Non-Permanent Members of Security Council for 2020-2021". United Nations Meetings Coverage & Press Releases. United Nations. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
- ^ "Members". United Nations Economic and Social Council. United Nations. n.d. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ "General Assembly Elects 19 Economic and Social Council Members to Terms Beginning 1 January 2020, Adopts Resolution Commemorating Signing of United Nations Charter". United Nations Meetings Coverage & Press Releases. United Nations. 14 June 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
- ^ "Current Membership of the Human Rights Council, 1 January - 31 December 2019 by regional groups". United Nations Human Rights Council. United Nations. n.d. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ "General Assembly Elects 14 Member States to Human Rights Council, Appoints New Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services". United Nations Meetings Coverage & Press Releases. United Nations. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
- ^ "Past Presidents". United Nations General Assembly. United Nations. n.d. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- ^ Agam, Hasmy; Sam Daws; Terence O'Brien; Ramesh Takur (26 March 1999). What is Equitable Geographic Representation in the Twenty-First Century (PDF) (Report). United Nations University. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
- ^ Padelford, Norman J. “Politics and the Future of ECOSOC.” International Organization, vol. 15, no. 4, 1961, pp. 564–80. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2705552. Accessed 24 Mar. 2024.
- ^ Bailey, Sydney D. “China and the United Nations.” The World Today, vol. 27, no. 9, 1971, pp. 365–72. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40394545. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Notes
edit- ^ Permanent member of the United Nations Security Council
- ^ Formerly known as Burma until 1989.
- ^ While the State of Palestine is only a non-member observer state in the General Assembly, it has participated fully in the Asia Group since 2 April 1986 as the Palestine Liberation Organization.[6]
- ^ Turkey participates the Western European And Others Group, as well as the Asian Group, but for electoral purposes it is considered a member of Western European And Others Group.
- ^ The Republic of China never joined the Asian Group.[17][18][19]
External links
edit- Records of the Department of General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM) (2002-present) at the United Nations Archives
- The Regional Groups via the Department of General Assembly and Conference Management