Microstates And The United Nations
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The
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
(UN) has many
microstate A microstate or ministate is a sovereign state having a very small population or very small land area, usually both. However, the meanings of "state" and "very small" are not well-defined in international law.Warrington, E. (1994). "Lilliputs ...
members. As of 1980, microstates made up one-quarter of the
United Nations membership The United Nations member states are the sovereign states that are members of the United Nations (UN) and have equal representation in the UN General Assembly. The UN is the world's largest intergovernmental organization. The criteria ...
. The European microstates of
Andorra , image_flag = Flag of Andorra.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Andorra.svg , symbol_type = Coat of arms , national_motto = la, Virtus Unita Fortior, label=none (Latin)"United virtue is stro ...
,
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
,
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy ...
, and
San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...
were accepted into the U.N. by acclamation from 1990–1993.


Controversy

Microstates' U.N. membership has been controversial, on the grounds that their ability to participate in U.N. discussions and decisions and contribute meaningfully to the goals of the organization is limited. For example, the
Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
, when admitted to the U.N., had a population of only about 100,000 and did not have a delegation present at the U.N. when
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 The United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 (also known as the Resolution on Admitting Peking) was passed in response to the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1668 that required any change in China's representation in the UN be ...
was voted on, which replaced the
Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...
with the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. One concern with regard to admitting microstates to membership is "debasement of the coinage of membership" and loss of prestige of the organization. Another concern is that a warship, or an airplane-load of mercenaries, could easily establish effective control over an island microstate, with the vote in the U.N. General Assembly, which serves as a sounding board for "world public opinion", being an enticement to gain dominance over such a country. In addition to the burdens of state for recognized microstates is the temptation to confuse border controls between legitimate entities by those presenting with illegitimate passports. The European Union reports three such types of passports - fantasy, camouflage, and not recognized. In the first instance, many self-proclaimed microstates and self-identified groups issue passport-type documents for the purposes of fostering international legitimacy, such as the diplomatic passport of Comité International pour la Protection des Droits de l'Homme (CIPDH) a group presenting itself as a UN agency, and numerous North American First Nations. In the second circumstance, a state which no longer exists in international eyes may persist as a landless rump which continues to issue travel documents for its personnel or adherents. These may also be forgeries to conceal identities. The third example is unrecognized territories, such as
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus ( tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs), officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC; tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti, ''KKTC''), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. Recog ...
.


References

{{reflist United Nations Microstates