The Green Papers Worldwide
Past PRESIDENCIES of the
United Nations SECURITY COUNCIL

The five Permanent Members of the Security Council appear in boldface and are marked with an *.

^{(Note 1946)} 1946: The first-ever meeting of the United Nations Security Council took place on 17 January 1946 (exactly a week after the UN General Assembly itself had first convened, the ensuing week being when the General Assembly had elected the first 6 non-Permanent Members of the Council). As there were 11 Member-States on the UN Security Council, it was determined that the first ten members- in alphabetical order- should hold the Presidency of the Council from the 17th of one month till the 16th of the following month; the 11th Member of the Council in alphabetical order- this being the United States of America- would hold the President's chair from 17 November until the end of the year (31 December 1946) so as to allow all future Security Council Presidencies (beginning with that for January 1947) to be for an entire calendar month. This last was the only time that a member of the UN Security Council presided over the Council for longer than a month under ordinary circumstances (not counting situations in which a temporary President might be chosen, say, when a country serving as President for a given month is a party to an issue being discussed by the Security Council: such circumstances are not specifically noted in the above table).

^{(Note 1947)} 1947: From this year through 1965 (the last year the UN Security Council would consist of but 11 members, before expanding to 15 members for 1966)- with each Member-State on the Council, in alphabetical order in English, taking its turn in the Security Council Presidency- each Council Member (whether Permanent or non-Permanent) was, under ordinary circumstances, assured of holding the President's chair for at least one month during a given calendar year and one Member (the one which took its alphabetical turn in January) would get to hold the Presidency twice in a calendar year (again being in the President's chair in December).

^{(Note 1961/1962)} 1961/1962: The United Arab Republic (UAR)- consisting of Egypt and Syria since 1958- was elected a non-Permanent Member of the UN Security Council for a two-year term beginning 1 January 1961 and took the Presidency of the Security Council. as a result of ordinary alphabetical order, the very first month it was on the Council (January 1961). While the UAR was still serving on the Council, on 29 September 1961, Syria seceded from the UAR (it would reclaim its own seat in the United Nations General Assembly two weeks later), leaving the UAR as consisting of Egypt only (which was the status of the United Arab Republic during its two later stints in the President's chair during its term on the Security Council: December 1961 and November 1962).

^{(Note 1966)} 1966: As of 1 January 1966, the UN Security Council was expanded from 11 to 15 members (10 non-Permanent members elected to two-year terms [5 to be chosen annually] now joining the 5 Permanent Members of the Council): therefore, under ordinary circumstances from 1966 on, no member of the Security Council (whether Permanent or non-Permanent) would serve in the President's chair more than once in a single calendar year and, whereas up till this point each member of the Security Council was assured of presiding over the Security Council at least once during each calendar year, now three members of the Security Council would usually not get to preside during a calendar year at all (though each non-Permanent member would still be assured of presiding at least once during its two-year term on the Council and some non-Permanent members [those who got to hold the Presidency of the Security Council early in their first year on that body] might even get to preside twice during a two-year term).

^{(Note 1971)} 1971: June 1971 was, as things turned out, to be the final time the Republic of China (aka "Nationalist" China, or Taiwan) would preside over the Security Council as the holder of Permanent Member China's seat in the United Nations (see below).

^{(Note 1972)} 1972: On 25 October 1971, the UN General Assembly voted to replace the Republic of China (=Taiwan) with the People's Republic of China (="Communist", or Mainland, China) in the seat held by Permanent Member China: the People's Republic immediately replaced Taiwan on the UN Security Council. Thus, in September 1972, the People's Republic of China held the Presidency of the UN Security Council for the very first time.

^{(Note 1976/1977)} 1976/1977: When Libya was first elected to a two-year term on the Security Council beginning 1 January 1976, it was officially known as the Libyan Arab Republic (which was also its official name for UN purposes) and served in the President's chair of the Council under that name in September 1976. On 2 March 1977, Libya officially changed its name to the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (this last translating into "state of the masses") and, with that as Libya's official UN name, presided over the Council again in November 1977.

^{(Note 1984)} 1984: Upper Volta took the Presidency of the UN Security Council when its name came up, among the 'U's, in ordinary alphabetical rotation come August 1984: while so presiding, on 4 August 1984, the name of the country was changed to Burkina Faso; Zimbabwe succeeded Upper Volta-become Burkina Faso in the Presidency of the Council for the month of September 1984. When Burkina Faso's name came up in alphabetical rotation immediately following Zimbabwe come October 1984, it was permitted to again hold the Presidency of the Security Council. This was the first time since the UN Security Council had expanded to 15 members in 1966 that the same Member-State held the Presidency of the Security Council for two months out of the same calendar year.

^{(Note 1990)} 1990: The People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (known colloquially as "South Yemen" but its official United Nations name in English was "Democratic Yemen") was elected by the UN General Assembly to serve as one of the non-Permanent Members of the UN Security Council for the 2-year term from 1 January 1990 through 31 December 1991: as a result, Democratic Yemen served as President of the Security Council when the letter 'D' came up in ordinary alphabetical rotation come March 1990. On 22 May 1990, after it had already served in the President's chair that year, Democratic (aka PDR of) Yemen united with the Yemen Arab Republic (known colloquially as "North Yemen") to form a new, expanded Republic of Yemen: thus, when Yemen's name came up in alphabetical rotation come December 1990, Yemen was again in the President's chair. This was only the second time since the UN Security Council had expanded to 15 members in 1966 that the same Member-State held the Presidency of the Security Council for two months out of the same calendar year.

^{(Note 1991)} 1991: On 24 December 1991, the Russian Federation officially informed the United Nations that it would be taking over the UN seat held by Security Council Permanent Member the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics: it just so happened that, at the same time the Soviet Union ceased to exist, it happened to be occupying the President's chair in the UN Security Council. Accordingly, the Russian Federation also took over as President of the UN Security Council at that same time: by an interesting coincidence (since, at the time the non-Permanent Members of the Security Council for 1991 had first been elected to the Security Council beginning either 1 January 1990 or 1 January 1991, no one could have possibly known that the Russian Federation would succeed the USSR in the United Nations), the Russian Federation happened to be in the proper sequence as regards the alphabetical rotation of UN Security Council Presidents (just like the USSR it replaced, Russia followed Romania and preceded fellow Permanent Member the United Kingdom in ordinary alphabetical order)!

^{(Note 1994)} 1994: Because of the overthrow of the incumbent Rwandan government in July 1994 and the time taken as regarded institution of a new government for the country, Rwanda was without a United Nations Representative through August 1994 and, during that month, it was determined that the alphabetical rotation of UN Security Council Presidencies should, as a result, simply skip Rwanda when its ordinary turn to so preside came up in September 1994 (other countries on the Security Council following Spain- next after Rwanda in alphabetical order- would also move up a month in rotation as might prove necessary). Although a new Rwandan UN Ambassador was in place by the time the UN Security Council's first meeting in September 1994 actually took place, the aforementioned plan was adhered to nonetheless and Spain, therefore, became the UN Security Council President for that month instead of Rwanda; after Permanent Members the United Kingdom and the United States had followed Spain in the President's chair, Rwanda was permitted to belatedly take its turn as President of the UN Security Council for the month of December 1994 and, therefore, the normal alphabetical rotation of Security Council Presidencies was restored once Argentina took the President's chair for January 1995.