United Nations Regional Groups

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The United Nations Regional Groups are the UN’s main way of organizing its member states by place. They help allocate seats on UN bodies, guide common positions, and rotate top leadership (like the General Assembly president) among the groups.

A brief history
- The groups began as informal ways to share UN committee posts. Over time, they became formal structures that shape where seats and leadership go.
- The idea of geographic distribution came from the UN Charter’s drafters, with early practices based on unofficial “Gentlemen’s Agreements” between major powers.
- After many states joined the UN during decolonization, reforms in the 1950s–1970s set formal regional quotas. In 1971, the current system for the Economic and Social Council was formalized, and in 1978 the General Assembly emphasized geographic balance for presidencies and committee chairs.
- In 2011, the Asia group was renamed the Asia and the Pacific Group to reflect Pacific island nations’ growing role. There have been various reform proposals over the years to adjust group sizes or create new regional blocs.

What they do
- They determine how many seats each region gets on key UN bodies (like the Security Council, ECOSOC, and the Human Rights Council) and help coordinate voting and policy positions.
- The presidency of the General Assembly rotates among the groups on a roughly five-year cycle (with each group typically holding the presidency twice in that cycle).
- Some members participate as observers rather than full members of a regional group (for example, the United States is an observer in WEOG; the Holy See is an observer in WEOG, and the Palestine Liberation Organization has been an observer in the Asia and the Pacific Group since 1986).

The regional groups and their basics
- Africa Group: 54 member states (the largest regional group). It has three non-permanent seats on the Security Council, 14 on ECOSOC, and 13 on the Human Rights Council. It handles the General Assembly presidency for years ending in 4 and 9; Nigeria held the presidency most recently in 2019.
- Asia and the Pacific Group (formerly Asia Group): 55 member states. It has one permanent and two non-permanent seats on the Security Council, 11 on ECOSOC, and 13 on the Human Rights Council. The General Assembly presidency is held by a member from this group in years ending in 1 and 6; the Maldives held it in 2021.
- Eastern European Group: 23 member states (the smallest group). It has two seats on the Security Council (Russia’s permanent seat and one non-permanent), 6 on ECOSOC, and 6 on the Human Rights Council. The presidency of the General Assembly rotates in years ending with 2 and 7; Hungary held it in 2022.
- Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC): 33 member states. It has two non-permanent seats on the Security Council, 10 on ECOSOC, and 8 on the Human Rights Council. The presidency rotates in years ending with 3 and 8; Ecuador held it in 2018.
- Western European and Others Group (WEOG): 28 member states. The United States participates as an observer and is not formally a member of any regional group, but the group has five Security Council seats (three permanent—France, the United Kingdom, and the United States—and two non-permanent), plus 13 on ECOSOC and 7 on the Human Rights Council. The presidency rotates in years ending with 0 and 5; Turkey held it in 2020. The Holy See is an observer in WEOG.

Notes and current realities
- The size of groups varies widely (23 to 54 members), which can make achieving equal representation challenging.
- Some states have shifted alignments over time (e.g., some Eastern European states gravitating toward WEOG due to EU/NATO ties).
- Reform discussions have explored creating more evenly sized groups or new regional blocs, including proposals that would redefine Oceania or the Middle East as separate regions.

In short, UN Regional Groups organize the world’s states into regional blocs to help run the UN more smoothly, share leadership roles, and coordinate voting and policy on global issues.