African Group

Last updated
Group of African States
AbbreviationGAFS
Formation1964;60 years ago (1964)
Type Regional group
Legal statusActive
A coloured voting box.svg Politicsportal

The Group of African States, or African Group, is one of the five United Nations regional groups and is composed of 54 Member States from the African continent. The African Group is the largest regional group, and compose 28% of all United Nations members.

Contents

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 allocates seats on United Nations bodies by nominating candidates from the region. [1] [2]

Role

The Group, as with all the regional groups, plays a major role in promoting the region's interests. It provides a forum for Member States to exchange opinions on international issues, carry out follow-up on the topics that are being discussed in international organisations, build common positions on complex issues and prepare statements reflecting the joint position of the Group. [3] [4]

However, most importantly, the Group allows for the discussion and coordination of support for candidates for different United Nations organisations from the region. [1]

Member States

The following are the Member States of the African Group: [5] [6]

Representation

Security Council

The African Group currently holds three seats on the Security Council, all non-permanent. The current members of the Security Council from the Group are: [7] [8]

CountryTerm
Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 1 January 2024 — 31 December 2025 [9]
Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique 1 January 2023 — 31 December 2024

Economic and Social Council

The African Group currently holds 14 seats on the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The current members of the Economic and Social Council from the Group are: [10] [11]

CountryTerm
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 1 January 2024 – 31 December 2026
Flag of Mauritania.svg  Mauritania
Flag of Niger.svg  Niger
Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana 1 January 2023 — 31 December 2025
Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cabo Verde
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon
Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Cote d'Ivoire 1 January 2022 — 31 December 2024
Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini
Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania

Human Rights Council

The African Group currently holds 13 seats on the United Nations Human Rights Council. The current members of the Human Rights Council from the Group are: [12] [13]

CountryTerm
Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi 1 January 2024 — 31 December 2026
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Cote d'Ivoire
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi
Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 1 January 2023 — 31 December 2025
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan
Flag of Benin.svg  Benin 1 January 2022 — 31 December 2024
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon
Flag of Eritrea.svg  Eritrea
Flag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia
Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia

Presidency of the General Assembly

Every five years in the years ending in 4 and 9, the African Group is eligible to elect a president to the General Assembly. [14]

The following is a list of presidents from the Group since its official creation in 1963: [15]

Year ElectedSessionName of PresidentCountryNote
196419th Alex Quaison-Sackey Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana
196924th Angie E. Brooks Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia
197429th Abdelaziz Bouteflika Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria
197934th Salim A. Salim Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania Also chaired the 6th and 7th emergency special, and 11th special sessions of the General Assembly
198439th Paul J. F. Lusaka Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia
198944th Joseph Nanven Garba Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria Also chaired 16th, 17th and 18th special sessions of the General Assembly
199449th Amara Essy Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Côte d'Ivoire
199954th Theo-Ben Gurirab Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia Also chaired the 22nd, 23rd and 24th special sessions of the General Assembly
200459th Jean Ping Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon
2009 64th Ali Abdussalam Treki Flag of Libya.svg  Libya Also chaired the 29th special session of the General Assembly
2014 69th Sam Kahamba Kutesa Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda
2019 74th Tijjani Muhammad-Bande Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria
2024 79th Philémon Yang Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon
Future
202984thTBATBA
203489thTBATBA

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations General Assembly</span> One of the six principal organs of the UN

The United Nations General Assembly is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its 78th session, its powers, composition, functions, and procedures are set out in Chapter IV of the United Nations Charter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Economic and Social Council</span> One of six principal organs of the UN

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in regards to the fifteen specialized agencies, the eight functional commissions, and the five regional commissions under its jurisdiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President of the United Nations General Assembly</span> Chair and presiding officer of the General Assembly

The president of the United Nations General Assembly is a position voted by representatives in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on a yearly basis. The president is the chair and presiding officer of the General Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western European and Others Group</span> United Nations regional group

The Group of Western European and Other States, also known as the Western European and Other States Group or WEOG, is one of the five United Nations regional groups and is composed of 28 Member States mainly from Western Europe, but also from North America, the Eastern Mediterranean, Fennoscandia and Oceania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Regional Groups</span> Geopolitical regional groups of the United Nations

The United Nations Regional Groups are the geopolitical regional groups of member states of the United Nations. Originally, the UN member states were unofficially organized into five groups as an informal means of sharing the distribution of posts for General Assembly committees. Now this grouping has taken on a much more expansive and official role. Many UN bodies are allocated on the basis of geographical representation. Top leadership positions, including Secretary-General and President of the General Assembly, are rotated among the regional groups. The groups also coordinate substantive policy and form common fronts for negotiations and bloc voting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues</span> UN coordinating body

The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is the UN's central coordinating body for matters relating to the concerns and rights of the world's indigenous peoples. There are more than 370 million indigenous people in some 70 countries worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern European Group</span> Regional group in the United Nations

The Group of Eastern European States (EEG) is one of the five United Nations regional groups and is composed of 23 Member States from Eastern, Central and Southern Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 United Nations Security Council election</span> Election to the United Nations Security Council

The 2001 United Nations Security Council election was held on 8 October 2001 at United Nations Headquarters in New York City during the 56th session of the United Nations General Assembly. The General Assembly elected five non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for two-year terms commencing on 1 January 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1995 United Nations Security Council election</span> Election to the United Nations Security Council

The 1995 United Nations Security Council election was held on 8 November 1995 at United Nations Headquarters in New York City during the 50th session of the United Nations General Assembly. The General Assembly elected five non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for two-year terms commencing on 1 January 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 United Nations Security Council election</span> Election to the United Nations Security Council

The 2002 United Nations Security Council election was held on 27 September 2002 at United Nations Headquarters in New York City during the 57th session of the United Nations General Assembly. The General Assembly elected five non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for two-year terms commencing on 1 January 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly</span>

The Sixty-eighth Session of the United Nations General Assembly opened on 17 September 2013. The President of the United Nations General Assembly was chosen from the GRULAC with Antigua and Barbuda's John William Ashe being the consensus candidate, thus bypassing the need for an election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latin American and Caribbean Group</span>

The Group of Latin America and Caribbean Countries, or GRULAC, is one of the five United Nations Regional Groups composed of 33 Member States from Central and South America, as well as some islands in the West Indies. Its members compose 17% of all United Nations members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seventy-first session of the United Nations General Assembly</span>

The Seventy-first Session of the United Nations General Assembly opened on 13 September 2016. The President of the United Nations General Assembly is from the Asia-Pacific Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Group of Asia and the Pacific Small Island Developing States</span>

The Group of Asia and the Pacific Small Island Developing States is one of the five United Nations regional groups and is composed of 53 Member States from Asia and Oceania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sixty-fifth session of the United Nations General Assembly</span> U.N. General assembly session

The Sixty-fifth Session of the United Nations General Assembly was the session of the United Nations General Assembly that ran from 14 September 2010 to 12 September 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sixty-fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly</span>

The Sixty-fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly was the session of the United Nations General Assembly that ran from 15 September 2009 to 14 September 2010. The President of the session, Ali Abdussalam Treki of Libya, was elected from the Group of African States on 10 June 2009 by acclamation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seventy-fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly</span>

The Seventy-fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly was the session of the United Nations General Assembly which was opened on 17 of September 2019 until 16 September 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sixty-third session of the United Nations General Assembly</span>

The Sixty-third session of the United Nations General Assembly was the session of the United Nations General Assembly that ran from 16 September 2008 to 14 September 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seventy-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly</span> Session of UNGA which runs from 2021 to 2022

The Seventy-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly was the session of the United Nations General Assembly which ran from 14 September 2021 to 13 September 2022. The President of the UN General Assembly is from Asia-Pacific Group.

References

  1. 1 2 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 4 March 2019.
  2. Volger, Helmut, ed. (2010). "Archived copy" (PDF). A Concise Encyclopedia of the United Nations (2nd ed.). Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. ISBN   978-90-04-18004-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 February 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  3. "Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia. n.d. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  4. "Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries in the United Nations (GRULAC)". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. n.d. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  5. "Regional groups of Member States". United Nations Department for General Assembly and Conference management. United Nations. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  6. "United Nations Handbook 2018–19" (PDF). United Nations Handbook:: An Annual Guide for Those Working within the United Nations (56 ed.). Wellington: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand: 15–17. 2018. ISSN   0110-1951.
  7. "Current Members". United Nations Security Council. United Nations. n.d. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  8. "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.
  9. "UN elects five new members to serve on the Security Council". UN News. 2021-06-11. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  10. "Members". United Nations Economic and Social Council. United Nations. n.d. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  11. "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.
  12. "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.
  13. "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.
  14. Wanza, Serah N. (27 November 2017). "What Are The Five Regional Groups of the United Nations?". Worldatlas. Worldatlas. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  15. "Past Presidents". United Nations General Assembly. United Nations. Retrieved 26 August 2024.