Membership of Principal United Nations Organs in 2006

General Assembly

The General Assembly is made up of 191 Member States.

Security Council         

The Security Council has 15 members. The United Nations Charter designates five States as permanent members and the General Assembly elects 10 other members for two-year terms. The term of office for each non-permanent member of the Council ends on 31 December of the year indicated in parentheses next to its name.

The five permanent members of the Security Council are China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States.

The 10 non-permanent members of the Council in 2006 are: Argentina (2006), Congo (2007), Denmark (2006), Ghana (2007), Greece (2006), Japan (2006), Peru (2007), Qatar (2007), Slovakia (2007), and United Republic of Tanzania (2006).

Economic and Social Council

The Economic and Social Council has 54 members, elected for three-year terms by the General Assembly. The term of office for each member expires on 31 December of the year indicated in parentheses next to its name.

In 2006, the Council is composed of the following: Albania (2007), Angola (2008), Armenia (2006), Austria (2008), Australia (2007), Bangladesh (2006), Belgium (2006), Belize (2006), Benin (2008), Brazil (2007), Canada (2006), Chad (2007), China (2007), Colombia (2006), Costa Rica (2007), Cuba (2008), Czech Republic (2008), Democratic Republic of the Congo (2007), Denmark (2007), France (2008), Germany (2008), Guinea (2007), Guinea-Bissau (2008), Guyana (2008), Haiti (2008), Iceland (2007), India (2007), Indonesia (2006), Italy (2006), Japan (2008), Lithuania (2007), Madagascar (2008), Mauritania (2008), Mauritius (2006), Mexico (2007), Namibia (2006), Nigeria (2006), Pakistan (2007), Panama (2006), Paraguay (2008), Poland (2006), Republic of Korea (2006), Russian Federation (2007), Saudi Arabia (2008), South Africa (2007), Spain (2008), Sri Lanka (2008), Thailand (2007), Tunisia (2006), Turkey (2008), United Arab Emirates (2006), United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (2007), United Republic of Tanzania (2006), and the United States of America (2006).

Trusteeship Council

The Trusteeship Council is made up of the five permanent members of the Security Council -- China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States. With the independence of Palau, the last remaining United Nations Trust Territory, the Council formally suspended operations on 1 November 1994. The Council amended its rules of procedure to drop the obligation to meet annually and agreed to meet as the occasion required, by its decision or the decision of its President or at the request of a majority of its members or the General Assembly or the Security Council.

International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice has 15 Judges, elected by both the General Assembly and the Security Council for nine-year terms.

The current composition of the Court, with terms expiring on 5 February of the year in parentheses, is as follows: Ronny Abraham, France (2009); Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh, Jordan (2009); Thomas Buergenthal, United States (2015); Kenneth Keith, New Zealand (2015); Rosalyn Higgins, United Kingdom (2009); Shi Jiuyong, China (2012); Bernardo Sepúlveda Amor, Mexico (2015); Abdul G. Koroma, Sierra Leone (2012); Hisashi Owada, Japan (2012); Gonzalo Parra-Aranguren, Venezuela (2009); Raymond Ranjeva, Madagascar (2009); Mohammed Bennouna, Morocco (2015); Bruno Simma, Germany (2012); Peter Tomka, Slowakia (2012); and Leonid Skotnikov, Russian Federation (2015).

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