United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1991 (XVIII)

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1991 was a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on 17 December 1963. The resolution made provisions for amending the United Nations Charter in order to increase membership of the Security Council to fifteen member states and membership of the Economic and Social Council to twenty-seven member states. As per Article 108 of the UN Charter, the agreed amendments to the Charter took effect after the resolution was ratified by two-thirds of the UN member states' legislatures, including those of all five permanent members of the Security Council.

UN General Assembly
Resolution 1991
Date17 December 1963
Meeting no.1,285
CodeA/RES/1991 (XVIII) (Document)
SubjectQuestion of equitable representation on the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council
ResultApproved

Text

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A

The General Assembly,

Considering that the present composition of the Security Council is inequitable and unbalanced,

Recognizing that the increase in the membership of the United Nations makes it necessary to enlarge the membership of the Security Council, this providing for a more adequate geographical representation of non-permanent members and making it a more effective organ for carrying out its functions under the Charter of the United Nations,

Bearing in mind the conclusions and recommendations of the Committee on arrangements for a conference for the purpose of reviewing the Charter,

1. Decides to adopt, in accordance with Article 108 of the Charter of the United Nations, the following amendments to the Charter and to submit them for ratification by the States Members of the United Nations:

(a) In Article 23, paragraph 1, the word “eleven” in the first sentence shall be replaced by the word “fifteen”, and the word “six” in the third sentence by the word “ten”;
(b) In Article 23, paragraph 2, the second sentence shall then be reworded as follows:
“In the first election of the non-permanent members after the increase of the membership of the Security Council from eleven to fifteen, two of the members shall be chosen for a term of one year”;
(c) In Article 27, paragraph 2, the word “seven” shall be replaced by the word “nine”;
(d) In Article 27, paragraph 3, the word “seven” shall be replaced by the word “nine”;

2. Calls upon all Member States to ratify the above amendments, in accordance with their respective constitutional processes, by 1 September 1965;

3. Further decides that the ten non-permanent members of the Security Council shall be elected according to the following pattern:

(a) Five from African and Asian States;
(b) One from Eastern European States;
(c) Two from Latin American States;
(d) Two from Western European and other States.

B

The General Assembly,

Recognizing that the increase in the membership of the United Nations makes it necessary to enlarge the membership of the Economic and Social Council, with a view to providing for a more adequate geographical representation therein and making it a more effective organ for carrying out its functions under Chapters IX and X of the Charter of the United Nations,

Recalling Economic and Social Council resolutions 974 B and C (XXXVI) of 22 July 1963,

Bearing in mind the conclusions and recommendations of the Committee on arrangements for a conference for the purpose of reviewing the Charter,

1. Decides to adopt, in accordance with Article 108 of the Charter of the United Nations, the following amendment to the Charter and to submit it for ratification by the States Members of the United Nations:

“Article 61
“1. The Economic and Social Council shall consist of twenty-seven Members of the United Nations elected by the General Assembly.
“2. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 3, nine members of the Economic and Social Council shall be elected each year for a term of three years. A retiring member shall be eligible for immediate re-election.
“3. At the first election after the increase in the membership of the Economic and Social Council from eighteen to twenty-seven members, in addition to the members elected in place of the six members whose term of office expires at the end of that year, nine additional members shall be elected. Of these nine additional members, the term of office of three members so elected shall expire at the end of one year, and of three other members at the end of two years, in accordance with arrangements made by the General Assembly.
“4. Each member of the Economic and Social Council shall have one representative.”;

2. Calls upon all Member States to ratify the above amendment, in accordance with their respective constitutional processes, by 1 September 1965;

3. Further decides that, without prejudice to the present distribution of seats in the Economic and Social Council, the nine additional members shall be elected according to the following pattern:

(a) Seven from African and Asian States;
(b) One from Latin American States;
(c) One from Western European and other States.

Voting

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The result of the voting was the following:

For Against Abstentions
  Afghanistan   Bulgaria   Portugal
  Albania   Byelorussian SSR   South Africa
  Algeria   Cuba   United Kingdom
  Argentina   Czechoslovakia   United States
  Australia   France
  Austria   Hungary
  Belgium   Mongolia
  Bolivia   Poland
  Brazil   Romania
  Burma   Ukrainian SSR
  Burundi   Soviet Union
  Cambodia
  Cameroon
  Canada
  Central African Republic
  Ceylon
  Chad
  China
  Colombia
  Congo-Brazzaville
  Congo-Léopoldville
  Costa Rica
  Cyprus
  Dahomey
  Denmark
  Dominican Republic
  Ecuador
  El Salvador
  Ethiopia
  Finland
  Gabon
  Ghana
  Greece
  Guatemala
  Guinea
  Haiti
  Honduras
  Iceland
  India
  Indonesia
  Iran
  Iraq
  Ireland
  Israel
  Italy
  Ivory Coast
  Jamaica
  Japan
  Jordan
  Kenya
  Kuwait
  Laos
  Lebanon
  Liberia
  Libya
  Luxembourg
  Madagascar
  Malaysia
  Mali
  Mauritania
  Mexico
  Morocco
    Nepal
  Netherlands
  New Zealand
  Nicaragua
  Niger
  Nigeria
  Norway
  Pakistan
  Panama
  Paraguay
  Peru
  Philippines
  Rwanda
  Saudi Arabia
  Senegal
  Sierra Leone
  Somalia
  Spain
  Sudan
  Sweden
  Syria
  Tanzania
  Thailand
  Togo
  Trinidad and Tobago
  Tunisia
  Turkey
  Uganda
  United Arab Republic
  Upper Volta
  Uruguay
  Venezuela
  Yemen
  Yugoslavia
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