Six World Countries That Are Not UN Members

Six World Countries That Are Not UN Members

You might assume that all countries in the world are part of the United Nations, but that is not actually true. There are indeed several independent countries still not full members of the UN, either by choice or by ineligibility. Before we explore this list, let us first understand what a nation needs to be eligible for full UN membership.

  1. Must be a self-governing sovereign state with a defined geographical area and a controlled border.
  2. Must have the capacity to control its land in accordance with international law.
  3. Must be approved by nine of the fifteen Security Council members, including all five permanent members.
  4. Needs the acceptance of at least two-thirds of the General Assembly members.
  5. The land of the country, or the majority of it, must not be in contention with other states. Territorial disputes or conflicts can affect a nation's chances of being approved. There are no hard-coded rules here. Basically, it just goes by consensus.

Now that we know what it takes for full UN state membership, let's dive into the list of countries that are not part of the UN and for what reason.

  • 1. Vatican City

    Vatican City prefer to play the peacemaker role

    The Vatican has a permanent observer state status but not full membership. In contrast to other nations on this list, the Vatican refrained from being a fully voting member by choice. They simply don't want to. This mainly has to do with their neutral stance, religious position, and spiritual status in the world. They don't want to vote or be involved in political disputes and prefer to play the peacemaker role.

  • 2. Palestine

    Palestine is recognized by most countries of the world as a state and a nation but not as a sovereign entity

    Palestine is recognized by most countries of the world as a state and a nation but not as a sovereign entity. This is mainly due to the conflict with Israel over land. Israel and its allies have always resisted their membership approval, mainly through the U.S. exercising its veto right in the UN Security Council. Still, Palestine has been accepted as a non-member observer since 2012 and has the backing of 138 UN members for full membership — more than 75% of UN members.

  • 3. Taiwan (Republic of China, ROC)

    The PRC claims Taiwan to be part of greater China and insists that the island be united with the mainland

    Taiwan was one of the founding members of the United Nations, so it is hard to imagine how a founding member could be expelled. Well, it did happen in 1971 when the UN decided to award the UN seat to the larger People's Republic of China (PRC). The UN could not accommodate two Chinas, so it opted for the more representative of the two. This is referred to as the "One-China" policy, which also extends to any two countries with the same name. Taiwan attempted many times to have a UN member's seat but was unable to do so due to PRC's strong opposition. The PRC claims Taiwan to be part of greater China and insists that the island be united with the mainland. Still, Taiwan is recognized as a sovereign state by more than 55 other UN nations and enjoys strong trade relationships with most countries.

  • 4. Kosovo

    Kosovo UN membership is constantly blocked by Russia and China

    Declared independence from Serbia back in 2008 and is recognized by more than 100 countries around the world, but their UN membership is constantly blocked by Russia and China — two permanent members of the Security Council — who take Serbia's side in not accepting Kosovo's application.

  • 5. Northern Cyprus

    Northern Cyprus is recognized by only one country in the world: Turkey

    Recognized by only one country in the world: Turkey. The conflict on the Cyprus island is deeply rooted in the Greek-Turkish historical conflict. They declared independence from Cyprus in 1983 amid violent events. Cyprus continues to claim the whole of the island and insists that Northern Cyprus is just part of Cyprus. The fact that only Turkey acknowledges its existence means that any hope of becoming a member is very slim any time in the near future.

  • 6. Western Sahara

    International recognition is divided, but it really doesn't matter as long as the United States continues to support Morocco sovereignty claims

    This large desert area south of Morocco is contested between the Moroccan government and the Polisario Front. Morocco insists that it is part of their land, while the Sahrawi indigenous continue to claim independence. International recognition is divided, but it really doesn't matter as long as the United States continues to support Morocco's sovereignty claims, which means a UN pass is unlikely.