United Nations Regional Groups

United Nations regional groups are groupings of Member States that coordinate representation and candidates for UN bodies. In Security Council elections, they help translate equitable geographical distribution into regional seat allocations and candidate nominations, but the General Assembly elects the members.

Constitutional basis of regional representation

The Security Council has five permanent and ten elected members. Regional groups primarily shape elections to the ten elected seats, not the permanent membership.

• Article 23 of the UN Charter requires the General Assembly to give due regard to equitable geographical distribution and to members' contributions to international peace and security and the other purposes of the UN.
• Elected members serve two-year terms and are not eligible for immediate re-election.
• Five elected seats are filled each year, maintaining continuity through staggered terms.

Regional groups and seat allocation

The five regional groups are the African States, Asia-Pacific States, Eastern European States, Latin American and Caribbean States, and Western European and other States.

• General Assembly Resolution 1991 A (XVIII), adopted in 1963, allocated five elected seats jointly to African and Asian States, one to Eastern European States, two to Latin American States, and two to Western European and other States.
• In established practice, the five African and Asian seats are divided into three African seats and two Asia-Pacific seats.
• India belongs to the Asia-Pacific Group, so its candidature concerns a seat allocated to that region.

How regional coordination affects the election

Regional groups discuss candidatures and may endorse candidates. This can reduce competition, but regional endorsement does not itself confer membership.

• A clean slate occurs when the number of candidates matches the number of seats available to the relevant regional group; competing candidatures create a contested election.
• The General Assembly votes by secret ballot; candidates must secure a two-thirds majority of members present and voting, even when standing unopposed.
• Regional allocation limits which seats candidates compete for, while election requires support across the wider UN membership.
• The permanent members have no veto over these elections, because the decision is taken by the General Assembly rather than the Security Council.