Presidency of the United Nations Security Council
The presidency of the United Nations Security Council is responsible for leading the United Nations Security Council. It rotates among the 15 member-states of the council monthly. The head of the country's delegation is known as the President of the United Nations Security Council. The presidency has rotated every month since its establishment in 1946, and the president serves to coordinate actions of the council, decide policy disputes, and sometimes functions as a diplomat or intermediary between conflicting groups.
Role
The presidency derives responsibility from the Provisional Rules of Procedure of the Security Council as well as the council's practice. The role of the president involves calling the meetings of the Security Council, approving the provisional agenda, presiding at its meetings, deciding questions relating to policy and overseeing any crisis. The president is authorized to issue both Presidential Statements and notes, which are used to make declarations of intent that the full Security Council can then pursue. The president is also responsible for reading statements of the Security Council to the press. The holder of the presidency is considered to be the 'face' and spokesperson of the UNSC. The holder of the presidency may appeal to parties in a conflict to "exercise restraint".The president represents the Security Council before other United Nations organs and member states. They also call upon members to speak, send applicants for United Nations membership to a committee of the UNSC and decide voting order. Particularly after the end of the Cold War, the president has worked to coordinate the UNSC with other organs. The president has authority to rule upon points of order, which can be put to a vote if a member of the council challenges it. They also name members of various subsidiary organs, and are generally responsible for maintaining order. Since November 2000, the president has generally prepared background papers for on the topic being discussed.
The president also continues to represent their state. If their nation is involved in a conflict the UNSC is discussing, they are expected to temporarily step down. Conversely, because the presidency rotates monthly, all nations on the UNSC can evenly emphasize issues important to them. Most non-permanent states hold the presidency once or twice during their two year terms; Burkina Faso changed its name from Upper Volta in August 1984 during its term, and held it three times. The president often makes a distinction between when they are speaking as the president and as the representative of their state.
Davidson Nicol, an academic, writes that:
Identity
The Permanent Representative of the state to the security council is usually the president of the council, but the presidency is technically given to a state and not a person. For example, in January 2000, a month in which the United States held the presidency of the Security Council, U.S. vice president Al Gore headed the United States delegation to the United Nations for a few days. As a result, Gore was the president of the Security Council during this time. Heads of state have met six times at the UNSC. All members of the council, including the president, must present credentials issued by either the head of state, the head of government, or the minister of foreign affairs of their respective states to the secretary-general, except if the representative is also the head of government or minister of foreign affairs.Origins
The United Nations Charter mentions the presidency once, stating that the Security Council is empowered to establish rules of procedure, "including the method of selecting its president" in Article 30. At its first meeting on 17 January 1946, the UNSC adopted provisional rule 18 and established the following method of selecting the president: the presidency rotates monthly among the fifteen members of the Security Council. The rotation takes place in alphabetical order of the member states' official names in English. As such, Australia was the first nation to hold the presidency. Such rotation makes the presidency unique among all United Nations organs. Terms began and ended on the 17 of every month until a suggestion by Australia in December 1946 to change led to the term being extended so the presidency would rotate on the first of every month. The president is the only non-elected head of a United Nations organ.Function
In 1981, Sydney D. Bailey, an observer of the United Nations, divided the history of the UNSC into three eras; from 1946–1955, 1956–1965, and 1966 to 1981. In the first, presidents often acted on their own initiative without consulting the security council. During the second era, the security council was less involved in affairs relating to the Cold War, adopting the slogan "Leave it to Dag Hammarskjöld|Dag ". From 1966 to 1981, the president began informally discussing matters before holding formal sessions and generally becoming more efficient.Early function
In 1947 and 1948, the UNSC was involved in the independence of Israel and the ensuing 1947–1949 Palestine war. In July 1948, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic held the presidency. The council met on 7 July upon the request of a United Nations mediator, to consider whether it should promote peace. The UNSC had previously invited representatives of the Arab Higher Committee and the Jewish Agency of Palestine to discuss the issue.Dmitry Manuilsky, the president in July, addressed the Jewish Agency as 'the representative of the State of Israel'. However, the UNSC had not formally recognized the state. Various member-states criticized his action, and only the United States supported it. In response, the Arab Higher Committee representatives left discussions, and did not return, hindering the UNSC's ability to negotiate the matter. Historian Istvan Pogany considers that "the President deliberately abused his office in order to further the objectives of his government."
In 1948, the president informally engaged in diplomacy several times, the first in January 1948, when the Belgian president requested that India and Pakistan "refrain from any step incompatible with the Charter and liable to result in an aggravation of the situation’'. In April, the Colombian president met with representatives of the Jewish Agency and Arab Higher Committee to discuss possible terms for peace. Later that year, the Argentinian president established a 'Technical Committee on Berlin Currency and Trade'. In August 1950, Bailey writes that the holder of the presidency, the Soviet Union, manipulated "the procedure of the Council for partisan purposes during debates on Korea".
The president has also formally negotiated on behalf of the UNSC several times. In February 1957, upon the request of the UNSC, then-president Gunnar Jarring of Sweden prepared a report on India–Pakistan relations. He consulted with both nations and discussed many potential solutions to their disagreements, none of which were agreed upon. Such actions have generally not been requested since the 1970s. The president will also manage less formal negotiations upon request of the council.
Later function
In a 31 March 1976 meeting discussing South African aggression against Angola, the meeting continued past midnight and it was technically 1 April. Thomas S. Boya, the representative of Benin and president for March, offered to pass the presidency on to China. Though the meeting was adjourned before a decision was reached, it became established procedure for the president to step down exactly when the month elapsed. A similar case on 31 May 2010 resulted in Nawaf Salam of Lebanon giving the presidency to Claude Heller of Mexico.In September 1994, during the Rwandan genocide, Rwanda was supposed to hold the presidency, but had not been present at Security Council meetings from 14 July. On 25 August, the Council decided to allow Spain to hold the position for September. A Rwandan delegation was again present on 16 September, and it was decided that the nation would hold the presidency in December. The presidency has been ceded several times. The first was from 10 to 12 January 1950, when the representative of Taiwan ceded to Cuba. The United States ceded in 1948, China in 1950, India in 1951, Lebanon in 1956, the United Kingdom in 1968 On 10 November 1993 the representative of Cape Verde, José Luís Jesus, ceded to China as he was a candidate for election to the International Court of Justice; and on 15 December 1994 the Rwandan representative ceded to Argentina. Both the United States and Soviet Union refused requests to cede the presidency, the US during the Cold War and USSR during the Congo Crisis.
Taieb Slim, the Tunisian holder of the presidency in September 1980, asked Iran and Iraq to "desist from all armed activity and all acts that might worsen the dangerous situation and to settle their dispute by peaceful means. The presidency was reformed in a 2010 note revised its function, largely focusing on increasing transparency. Efforts at such reform had begun in the 1990s. There have been various other efforts to reform the position, such as allowing terms to be extended during times of war.
Numerous people have served multiple times as president. The most times anyone has held the position is sixteen, by T. F. Tsiang, a representative of the Republic of China; the second-most was held by Yakov Malik, a representative of the USSR, ten.
List of presidents
1946–1949
Presidents from 1946–1949:| Dates | State | Name |
| 17 January – 16 February 1946 | Norman Makin | |
| 17 February – 16 March 1946 | Cyro de Freitas Valle | |
| 17 March – 16 April 1946 | Republic of China | Quo Tai-chi |
| 17 April – 16 May 1946 | Kingdom of Egypt | Hafez Afifi Pasha |
| 17 May – 16 June 1946 | Alexandre Parodi | |
| 17 June – 16 July 1946 | Francisco Castillo Nájera | |
| 17 July – 16 August 1946 | Eelco van Kleffens | |
| 17 August – 16 September 1946 | Oskar R. Lange | |
| 17 September – 16 October 1946 | Andrei Gromyko | |
| 17 October – 16 November 1946 | Alexander Cadogan | |
| 17 November – 31 December 1946 | Herschel V. Johnson II | |
| January 1947 | Norman Makin | |
| February 1947 | Fernand van Langenhove | |
| March 1947 | Oswaldo Aranha | |
| April 1947 | Republic of China | Quo Tai-chi |
| May 1947 | Alfonso López Pumarejo | |
| June 1947 | Alexandre Parodi | |
| July 1947 | Oskar R. Lange | |
| August 1947 | Faris al-Khoury | |
| September 1947 | Andrei Gromyko | |
| October 1947 | Alexander Cadogan | |
| November 1947 | Warren Austin | |
| December 1947 | John Hood | |
| January 1948 | Fernand van Langenhove | |
| February 1948 | A. G. L. McNaughton | |
| March 1948 | Republic of China | Tsiang Tingfu |
| April 1948 | Alfonso López Pumarejo | |
| May 1948 | Alexandre Parodi | |
| June 1948 | Faris al-Khoury | |
| July 1948 | Dmitry Manuilsky | |
| August 1948 | Yakov Malik | |
| September 1948 | Alexander Cadogan | |
| October 1948 | Warren Austin Juan Atilio Bramuglia | |
| November 1948 | José Arce | |
| December 1948 | Fernand van Langenhove | |
| January 1949 | A. G. L. McNaughton | |
| February 1949 | Republic of China | Tsiang Tingfu |
| March 1949 | Alberto Inocente Álvarez | |
| April 1949 | Kingdom of Egypt | Mahmoud Fawzi Bey |
| May 1949 | Jean Chauvel | |
| June 1949 | Arne Sunde | |
| July 1949 | Dmitry Manuilsky | |
| August 1949 | Semyon K. Tsarapkin | |
| September 1949 | Alexander Cadogan | |
| October 1949 | Warren Austin | |
| November 1949 | José Arce | |
| December 1949 | A. G. L. McNaughton |
1950–1954
Presidents from 1950–1954:| Dates | State | Name |
| January 1950 | Tsiang Tingfu | |
| February 1950 | Carlos Blanco Sanchez | |
| March 1950 | Homero Viteri Lafronte | |
| April 1950 | Kingdom of Egypt | Mahmoud Fawzi Bey |
| May 1950 | Jean Chauvel | |
| June 1950 | Benegal Narsing Rau | |
| July 1950 | Arne Sunde | |
| August 1950 | Yakov Malik | |
| September 1950 | Gladwyn Jebb | |
| October 1950 | Warren Austin | |
| November 1950 | Aleš Bebler | |
| December 1950 | Tsiang Tingfu | |
| January 1951 | Antonio Quevedo | |
| February 1951 | François Lacoste | |
| March 1951 | Benegal Narsing Rau D. J. von Balluseck | |
| April 1951 | D. J. von Balluseck | |
| May 1951 | Selim Sarper and Ilhan Savut | |
| June 1951 | Yakov Malik | |
| July 1951 | Gladwyn Jebb | |
| August 1951 | Warren Austin | |
| September 1951 | Aleš Bebler | |
| October 1951 | João Carlos Muniz | |
| November 1951 | Tsiang Tingfu | |
| December 1951 | Antonio Quevedo | |
| January 1952 | Jean Chauvel | |
| February 1952 | Alexis Kyrou | |
| March 1952 | D. J. von Balluseck | |
| April 1952 | Ahmed S. Bokhari | |
| May 1952 | Selim Sarper | |
| June 1952 | Yakov Malik | |
| July 1952 | Gladwyn Jebb | |
| August 1952 | Warren Austin | |
| September 1952 | João Carlos Muniz | |
| October 1952 | Hernán Santa Cruz | |
| November 1952 | Tsiang Tingfu | |
| December 1952 | Henri Hoppenot | |
| January 1953 | Alexis Kyrou | |
| February 1953 | Charles Malik | |
| March 1953 | Ahmed S. Bokhari | |
| April 1953 | Andrey Vyshinsky | |
| May 1953 | Gladwyn Jebb | |
| June 1953 | Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. | |
| July 1953 | Rudecindo Ortega Masson | |
| August 1953 | Tsiang Tingfu | |
| September 1953 | Francisco José Urrutia Holguín | |
| October 1953 | William Borberg | |
| November 1953 | Henri Hoppenot | |
| December 1953 | Alexis Kyrou | |
| January 1954 | Charles Malik | |
| February 1954 | Leslie Munro | |
| March 1954 | Selim Sarper | |
| April 1954 | Andrey Vyshinsky | |
| May 1954 | Pierson Dixon | |
| June 1954 | Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. | |
| July 1954 | Ernesto Leme | |
| August 1954 | Tsiang Tingfu | |
| September 1954 | Francisco José Urrutia Holguín | |
| October 1954 | William Borberg | |
| November 1954 | Henri Hoppenot | |
| December 1954 | Charles Malik |
1955–1959
Presidents from 1955–1959:| Dates | State | Name |
| January 1955 | Leslie Munro | |
| February 1955 | Victor Belaunde | |
| March 1955 | Selim Sarper | |
| April 1955 | Arkady Sobolev | |
| May 1955 | Pierson Dixon | |
| June 1955 | Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. | |
| July 1955 | Fernand van Langenhove | |
| August 1955 | Cyro de Freitas Valle | |
| September 1955 | Tsiang Tingfu | |
| October 1955 | Henri Hoppenot | |
| November 1955 |  Iran | Nasrollah Entezam |
| December 1955 | Leslie Munro | |
| January 1956 | Victor Belaunde | |
| February 1956 | Arkady Sobolev | |
| March 1956 | Pierson Dixon | |
| April 1956 | Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. | |
| May 1956 | Jože Brilej | |
| June 1956 | Edward Ronald Walker | |
| July 1956 | Josef Nisot | |
| August 1956 | Tsiang Tingfu | |
| September 1956 | Emilio Núñez Portuondo | |
| October 1956 | Christian Pineau, Bernard Cornut-Gentille, and Louis de Guiringaud | |
| November 1956 | Iran | Nasrollah Entezam |
| December 1956 | Victor Belaunde | |
| January 1957 | Carlos P. Romulo | |
| February 1957 | Gunnar Jarring | |
| March 1957 | Arkady Sobolev | |
| April 1957 | Pierson Dixon | |
| May 1957 | Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. | |
| June 1957 | Edward Ronald Walker | |
| July 1957 | Tsiang Tingfu | |
| August and September 1957 | Francisco José Urrutia Holguín Emilio Núñez Portuondo | |
| October 1957 | Guillaume Georges-Picot | |
| November 1957 | Kingdom of Iraq | Hashim Jawad |
| December 1957 | Carlos P. Romulo | |
| January 1958 | Gunnar Jarring | |
| February 1958 | Arkady Sobolev | |
| March 1958 | Pierson Dixon | |
| April 1958 | Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. | |
| May 1958 | Charles Ritchie | |
| June 1958 | Tsiang Tingfu | |
| July 1958 | Alfonso Araújo Gaviria | |
| August 1958 | Guillaume Georges-Picot | |
| September 1958 | Kingdom of Iraq | Hashim Jawad |
| October 1958 | Koto Matsudaira | |
| November 1958 | Jorge Illueca | |
| December 1958 | Gunnar Jarring | |
| January 1959 | Mongi Slim | |
| February 1959 | Arkady Sobolev | |
| March 1959 | Pierson Dixon | |
| April 1959 | Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. | |
| May 1959 | Mario Amadeo | |
| June 1959 | Charles Ritchie | |
| July 1959 | Tsiang Tingfu | |
| August 1959 | Armand Bérard | |
| September 1959 | Egidio Ortona | |
| October 1959 | Koto Matsudaira | |
| November 1959 | Jorge Illueca | |
| December 1959 | Mongi Slim |
1960–1964
Presidents from 1960–1964:| Dates | State | Name |
| January 1960 | Arkady Sobolev | |
| February 1960 | Pierson Dixon | |
| March 1960 | Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. | |
| April 1960 | Mario Amadeo | |
| May 1960 | Claude Corea | |
| June 1960 | Tsiang Tingfu | |
| July 1960 | José A. Correa | |
| August 1960 | Armand Bérard | |
| September 1960 | Egidio Ortona | |
| October 1960 | Bohdan Lewandowski | |
| November 1960 | Mongi Slim | |
| December 1960 | Valerian Zorin | |
| January 1961 | Omar Loutfi | |
| February 1961 | Patrick Dean | |
| March 1961 | Adlai E. Stevenson | |
| April 1961 | T. B. Subasinghe | |
| May 1961 | Daniel Schweitzer | |
| June 1961 | Tsiang Tingfu and Y. C. Hsueh | |
| July 1961 | Leopoldo Benites | |
| August 1961 | Armand Bérard | |
| September 1961 | Nathan Barnes | |
| October 1961 | Turgut Menemencioglu | |
| November 1961 | Valerian Zorin | |
| December 1961 | Omar Loutfi | |
| January 1962 | Patrick Dean | |
| February 1962 | Adlai E. Stevenson and Francis T. P. Plimpton | |
| March 1962 | Carlos Sosa-Rodriguez | |
| April 1962 | Daniel Schweitzer | |
| May 1962 | Tsiang Tingfu | |
| June 1962 | Armand Bérard | |
| July 1962 | Alex Quaison-Sackey | |
| August 1962 | Frederick Boland | |
| September 1962 | Mihail Haseganu | |
| October 1962 | Platon Morozov and Valerian Zorin | |
| November 1962 | Mahmoud Riad | |
| December 1962 | Patrick Dean | |
| January 1963 | Adlai E. Stevenson | |
| February 1963 | Carlos Sosa-Rodriguez | |
| March 1963 | Geraldo de Carvalho Silos | |
| April 1963 | Liu Chieh | |
| May 1963 | Roger Seydoux | |
| June 1963 | Alex Quaison-Sackey | |
| July 1963 | Ahmed Taibi Benhima | |
| August 1963 | Sievert A. Nielsen | |
| September 1963 | Jacinto Castel Borja | |
| October 1963 | Nikolai Fedorenko | |
| November 1963 | Patrick Dean | |
| December 1963 | Adlai E. Stevenson, Charles Yost, and Francis T. P. Plimpton | |
| January 1964 | Renan Castrillo Justiniano | |
| February 1964 | Carlos A. Bernardes | |
| March 1964 | Liu Chieh | |
| April 1964 | Jiří Hájek | |
| May 1964 | Roger Seydoux | |
| June 1964 | Arsene A. Usher | |
| July 1964 | Ahmed Taibi Benhima | |
| August 1964 | Sievert A. Nielsen | |
| September 1964 | Platon D. Morozov | |
| October 1964 | Patrick Dean | |
| November 1964 | Adlai E. Stevenson | |
| December 1964 | Fernando Ortiz Sanz |
1965–1969
Presidents from 1965–1969:| Dates | State | Name |
| January 1965 | Liu Chieh | |
| February 1965 | Roger Seydoux | |
| March 1965 | Arsene Usher | |
| April 1965 | Abdul Monem Rifa'i | |
| May 1965 | Radhakrishna Ramani | |
| June 1965 | J. G. de Beus | |
| July 1965 | Platon Morozov | |
| August 1965 | Roger Jackling | |
| September 1965 | Arthur Goldberg | |
| October 1965 | Hector Payssé Reyes | |
| November 1965 | Fernando Ortiz Sanz | |
| December 1965 | Liu Chieh | |
| January 1966 | Roger Seydoux | |
| February 1966 | Akira Matsui | |
| March 1966 | Muhammed El-Farra | |
| April 1966 | Moussa Leo Keita | |
| May 1966 | J. G. de Beus | |
| June 1966 | Frank Corner | |
| July 1966 | Simeon Adebo | |
| August 1966 | Apollo Kironde | |
| September 1966 | Nikolai Fedorenko | |
| October 1966 | Hugh Foot, Baron Caradon and Roger Jackling | |
| November 1966 | Arthur Goldberg | |
| December 1966 | Pedro P. Berro | |
| January 1967 | Raúl Alberto Quijano | |
| February 1967 | José Sette Câmara | |
| March 1967 | Milko Tarabanov | |
| April 1967 | George Ignatieff | |
| May 1967 | Liu Chieh | |
| June 1967 | Hans Tabor | |
| July 1967 | Endelkachew Makonnen | |
| August 1967 | Roger Seydoux | |
| September 1967 | Gopalaswami Parthasarathi | |
| October 1967 | Senjin Tsuruoka | |
| November 1967 | Mamadou Boubacar Kante | |
| December 1967 | Simeon Adebo | |
| January 1968 | Agha Shahi | |
| February 1968 | Miguel Solano Lopez | |
| March 1968 | Ousmane Socé | |
| April 1968 | Yakov Malik | |
| May 1968 | Hugh Foot, Baron Caradon | |
| June 1968 | Arthur Goldberg | |
| July 1968 | Tewfik Bouattoura | |
| August 1968 | João Augusto de Araújo Castro | |
| September 1968 | George Ignatieff | |
| October 1968 | Liu Chieh | |
| November 1968 | Otto L. Borch | |
| December 1968 | Endelkachew Makonnen | |
| January 1969 | Max Jakobson | |
| February 1969 | Armand Bérard | |
| March 1969 | Károly Csatorday | |
| April 1969 | Padma Bahadur Khatri | |
| May 1969 | Agha Shahi | |
| June 1969 | Miguel Solano Lopez | |
| July 1969 | Ibrahima Boye | |
| August 1969 | Jaime de Piniés | |
| September 1969 | Yakov Malik | |
| October 1969 | Hugh Foot, Baron Caradon | |
| November 1969 | Charles Yost | |
| December 1969 | Vernon Mwaanga |
1970–1974
Presidents from 1970–1974:| Dates | State | Name |
| January 1970 | Terence Nsanze | |
| February 1970 | Liu Chieh | |
| March 1970 | Joaquín Vallejo Arbeláez | |
| April 1970 | Max Jakobson | |
| May 1970 | Jacques Kosciusco-Morizet | |
| June 1970 | Padma Bahadur Khatri | |
| July 1970 | Guillermo Sevilla Sacasa | |
| August 1970 | Eugeniusz Kulaga | |
| September 1970 | Davidson Nicol | |
| October 1970 | Jaime de Piniés | |
| November 1970 |  Syria | George Tomeh |
| December 1970 | Yakov Malik | |
| January 1971 | Colin Crowe | |
| February 1971 | Charles Woodruff Yost | |
| March 1971 | Carlos Ortiz de Rozas | |
| April 1971 | Edouard Longerstaey | |
| May 1971 | Terence Nsanze | |
| June 1971 | Liu Chieh | |
| July 1971 | Jacques Kosciusco-Morizet | |
| August 1971 | Piero Vinci | |
| September 1971 | Toru Nakagawa | |
| October 1971 | Guillermo Sevilla Sacasa | |
| November 1971 | Eugeniusz Kulaga | |
| December 1971 | Ismail Byne Taylor-Kamara | |
| January 1972 | Abdulrahim Abby Farah and Umar Arteh Ghalib | |
| February 1972 | Mansour Khalid, Rahmatalla Abdalla, and Mohammed Fakhreddine | |
| March 1972 | Yakov Malik | |
| April 1972 | Colin Crowe | |
| May 1972 | George H. W. Bush | |
| June 1972 | Lazar Mojsov | |
| July 1972 | Carlos Ortiz de Rozas | |
| August 1972 | Edouard Longerstaey | |
| September 1972 | Huang Hua | |
| October 1972 | Louis de Guiringaud | |
| November 1972 | Jeanne-Martin Cissé | |
| December 1972 | Samar Sen | |
| January 1973 | Chaidir Anwar Sani | |
| February 1973 | Joseph Odero-Jowi | |
| March 1973 | Aquilino Boyd, Omar Torrijos, and Juan Antonio Tack | |
| April 1973 | Javier Pérez de Cuéllar | |
| May 1973 | Ramatalla Abdulla | |
| June 1973 | Yakov Malik | |
| July 1973 | Kenneth Jamieson and Colin Crowe | |
| August 1973 | John A. Scali | |
| September 1973 | Lazar Mojsov | |
| October 1973 | Laurence McIntyre | |
| November 1973 | Peter Jankowitsch | |
| December 1973 | Huang Hua | |
| January 1974 | Gonzalo J. Facio | |
| February 1974 | Louis de Guiringaud | |
| March 1974 | Chaidir Anwar Sani | |
| April 1974 | Talib Shabib | |
| May 1974 | Charles Gatere Maina | |
| June 1974 | Moulaye El Hassen | |
| July 1974 | Javier Pérez de Cuéllar | |
| August 1974 | Yakov Malik | |
| September 1974 | Ivor Richard | |
| October 1974 | Michel Njine | |
| November 1974 | John A. Scali | |
| December 1974 | Laurence McIntyre |
1975–1979
Presidents from 1975–1979:| Dates | State | Name |
| January 1975 |  Byelorussian SSR | Guerodot G. Tchernouchtchenko |
| February 1975 | Huang Hua | |
| March 1975 | Gonzalo J. Facio and Fernando Salazar | |
| April 1975 | Louis de Guiringaud | |
| May 1975 | Shridath Ramphal | |
| June 1975 | Abdul Karim Al-Shaikhly | |
| July 1975 | Eugenio Plaja | |
| August 1975 | Shizuo Saito | |
| September 1975 | Moulaye El Hassen | |
| October 1975 | Olof Rydbeck | |
| November 1975 | Yakov Malik | |
| 1–15, 17–31 December 1975 | Ivor Richard | |
| 16 December 1975 | Ferdinand Oyono | |
| January 1976 | Salim Ahmed Salim | |
| February 1976 | Daniel Patrick Moynihan | |
| March 1976 | Thomas S. Boya | |
| April 1976 | Huang Hua | |
| May 1976 | Louis de Guiringaud | |
| June 1976 | Rashleigh E. Jackson and Frederick R. Wills | |
| July 1976 | Piero Vinci | |
| August 1976 | Isao Abe | |
| September 1976 |  Libya | Mansour Rashid El-Kikhia |
| October 1976 | Iqbal A. Akhund | |
| November 1976 | Jorge Illueca | |
| December 1976 | Ion Datcu | |
| January 1977 | Oleg Troyanovsky | |
| February 1977 | James Murray | |
| March 1977 | Andrew Young | |
| April 1977 | Simón Alberto Consalvi | |
| May 1977 | Thomas S. Boya | |
| June 1977 | William Hickson Barton | |
| July 1977 | Chen Chu | |
| August 1977 | Jacques Leprette | |
| September 1977 | Rüdiger von Wechmar | |
| October 1977 | Rikhi Jaipal | |
| November 1977 | Mansour Rashid El-Kikhia | |
| December 1977 | Radha Krishna Ramphul and Harold E. Walter | |
| January 1978 | Joseph Nanven Garba and Leslie O. Harriman | |
| February 1978 | Oleg Troyanovsky | |
| March 1978 | Ivor Richard | |
| April 1978 | Andrew Young | |
| May 1978 | Ruben Carpio Castillo | |
| June 1978 | Mario Rolon Anaya | |
| July 1978 | William Hickson Barton | |
| August 1978 | Chen Chu | |
| September 1978 | Ilya Hulinsky | |
| October 1978 | Jacques Leprette | |
| November 1978 | Léon N'Dong | |
| December 1978 | Rüdiger von Wechmar | |
| January 1979 | Donald O. Mills | |
| February 1979 | Abdalla Y. Bishara | |
| March 1979 | Leslie O. Harriman | |
| April 1979 | Ole Ålgård | |
| May 1979 | Vasco Futscher Pereira | |
| June 1979 | Oleg Troyanovsky | |
| July 1979 | Ivor Richard | |
| August 1979 | Andrew Young | |
| September 1979 | Paul J. F. Lusaka | |
| October 1979 | Khwaja Mohammed Kaiser | |
| November 1979 | Sergio Palacios de Vizzio | |
| December 1979 | Chen Chu |
1980–1984
Presidents from 1980–1984:| Dates | State | Name |
| January 1980 | Jacques Leprette | |
| February 1980 | Peter Florin | |
| March 1980 | Donald O. Mills | |
| April 1980 | Porfirio Muñoz Ledo | |
| May 1980 | Ide Oumarou | |
| June 1980 | Ole Ålgård | |
| July 1980 | Carlos P. Romulo | |
| August 1980 | Vasco Futscher Pereira | |
| September 1980 | Taieb Slim | |
| October 1980 | Oleg Troyanovsky | |
| November 1980 | Anthony Parsons | |
| December 1980 | Donald McHenry | |
| January 1981 | Ling Qing | |
| February 1981 | Jacques Leprette | |
| March 1981 | Peter Florin | |
| April 1981 | Noel Dorr | |
| May 1981 | Masahiro Nisibori | |
| June 1981 | Porfirio Muñoz Ledo | |
| July 1981 | Ide Oumarou | |
| August 1981 | Jorge Illueca | |
| September 1981 | Carlos P. Romulo | |
| October 1981 | Jaime de Piniés | |
| November 1981 | Taieb Slim | |
| December 1981 | Olara Otunnu | |
| January 1982 | Oleg Troyanovsky | |
| February 1982 | Anthony Parsons | |
| March 1982 | Jeane Kirkpatrick | |
| April 1982 | Gérard Kamanda wa Kamanda | |
| May 1982 | Ling Qing | |
| June 1982 | Luc de la Barre de Nanteuil | |
| July 1982 | Noel G. Sinclair | |
| August 1982 | Noel Dorr | |
| September 1982 | Masahiro Nisibori | |
| October 1982 | Hazem Nuseibeh | |
| November 1982 | Carlos Ozores Typaldos | |
| December 1982 | Wlodzimierz Natorf | |
| January 1983 | Atsu-Koffi Amega | |
| February 1983 | Oleg Troyanovsky | |
| March 1983 | John Adam Thomson | |
| April 1983 | Jeane Kirkpatrick | |
| May 1983 | Umba di Lutete and Gérard Kamanda wa Kamanda | |
| June 1983 | Elleck Mashingaidze | |
| July 1983 | Ling Qing | |
| August 1983 | Luc de la Barre de Nanteuil | |
| September 1983 | Noel G. Sinclair | |
| October 1983 | Abdullah Salah | |
| November 1983 | Victor J. Gauci | |
| December 1983 | Max van der Stoel | |
| January 1984 | Francisco Javier Chamorro Mora | |
| February 1984 | S. Shah Nawaz | |
| March 1984 | Javier Arias Stella | |
| April 1984 |  Ukrainian SSR | Volodymyr O. Kravets |
| May 1984 | Oleg Troyanovsky | |
| June 1984 | John Adam Thomson | |
| July 1984 | Jeane Kirkpatrick | |
| August 1984 | Leandre Bassole | |
| September 1984 | Elleck Mashingaidze | |
| October 1984 | Basile Laerte Guissou and Leandre Bassole | |
| November 1984 | Ling Qing | |
| December 1984 | Ahmed Tawfik Khalil |
1985–1989
Presidents from 1985–1989:| Dates | State | Name |
| January 1985 | Claude de Kemoularia | |
| February 1985 | Natarajan Krishnan | |
| March 1985 | Blaise Rabetafika | |
| April 1985 | Javier Arias Stella | |
| May 1985 | Birabhongse Kasemsri and Siddhi Savetsila | |
| June 1985 | Errol Mahabir and D. H. N. Alleyne | |
| July 1985 | Ukrainian SSR | Hennadiy Udovenko |
| August 1985 | Oleg Troyanovsky | |
| September 1985 | John Adam Thomson and Geoffrey Howe | |
| October 1985 | Herbert S. Okun and Vernon A. Walters | |
| November 1985 | Richard Woolcott | |
| December 1985 | Leandre Bassole | |
| January 1986 | Luye Li | |
| February 1986 |  People's Republic of the Congo | Martin Adouki |
| March 1986 | Ole Bierring | |
| April 1986 | Claude de Kemoularia | |
| May 1986 | James Victor Gbeho | |
| June 1986 | Blaise Rabetafika | |
| July 1986 | Birabhongse Kasemsri | |
| August 1986 | D. H. N. Alleyne | |
| September 1986 | Alexander Belonogov | |
| October 1986 | Mohammed Hussein Al Shaali | |
| November 1986 | John Adam Thomson | |
| December 1986 | Vernon A. Walters | |
| January 1987 | Andres Aguilar | |
| February 1987 | Peter D. Zuze | |
| March 1987 | Marcelo Delpech | |
| April 1987 | Boris Tsvetkov | |
| May 1987 | Jiahua Huang | |
| June 1987 | People's Republic of the Congo | Martin Adouki |
| July 1987 | Jean-Bernard Raimond and Pierre-Louis Blanc | |
| August 1987 | Hans Werner Lautenschlager | |
| September 1987 | James Victor Gbeho | |
| October 1987 | Maurizio Bucci | |
| November 1987 | Kiyoaki Kikuchi | |
| December 1987 | Alexander Belonogov | |
| January 1988 | Crispin Tickell | |
| February 1988 | Herbert S. Okun and Vernon A. Walters | |
| March 1988 | Dragoslav Pejic | |
| April 1988 | Peter D. Zuze | |
| May 1988 | Hocine Djoudi | |
| June 1988 | Marcelo Delpech | |
| July 1988 | Paulo Nogueira Batista | |
| August 1988 | Li Luye | |
| September 1988 | Pierre-Louis Blanc | |
| October 1988 | Alexander Graf York von Wartenburg | |
| November 1988 | Mario Scialoja and Mr. G. Migliuolo | |
| December 1988 | Mr. H. Kagami | |
| January 1989 | Razali Ismail | |
| February 1989 | J. P. Rana | |
| March 1989 | A. C. Diallo | |
| April 1989 | Alexander Belonogov | |
| May 1989 | Crispin Tickell | |
| June 1989 | Thomas R. Pickering | |
| July 1989 | Dragoslav Pejic | |
| August 1989 | Hocine Djoudi | |
| September 1989 | Paulo Nogueira Batista | |
| October 1989 | L. Yves Fortier | |
| November 1989 | Li Luye | |
| December 1989 | Enrique Peñalosa |
1990–1994
Presidents from 1990–1994:| Dates | State | Name |
| January 1990 | Amara Essy | |
| February 1990 | Ricardo Alarcón | |
| March 1990 |  People's Democratic Republic of Yemen | Abdullah Saleh al-Ashtal |
| April 1990 | Tesfaye Tadessa | |
| May 1990 | Klaus Törnudd | |
| June 1990 | Pierre-Louis Blanc | |
| July 1990 | Razali Ismail | |
| August 1990 | Aurel-Dragos Munteanu | |
| September 1990 | Yuli Mikhailovich Vorontsov and Eduard Shevardnadze | |
| October 1990 | David Hannay | |
| November 1990 | Thomas R. Pickering and James Baker | |
| December 1990 | Abdullah Saleh al-Ashtal | |
| January 1991 | Bagbeni Adeito Nzengeya | |
| February 1991 | Simbarashe Mumbengegwi | |
| March 1991 | Peter Hohenfellner | |
| April 1991 | Paul Noterdaeme | |
| May 1991 | Li Daoyu | |
| June 1991 | Jean-Jacques Bechio | |
| July 1991 | Ricardo Alarcón | |
| August 1991 | José Ayala Lasso | |
| September 1991 | Jean-Bernard Mérimée and Roland Dumas | |
| October 1991 | Chinmaya Rajaninath Gharekhan | |
| November 1991 | Aurel-Dragos Munteanu | |
| 1–21 December 1991 | Yuli Mikhailovich Vorontsov | |
| 21–31 December 1991 | Yuli Mikhailovich Vorontsov | |
| January 1992 | David Hannay and John Major | |
| February 1992 | Thomas R. Pickering | |
| March 1992 | Diego Arria | |
| April 1992 | Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and Stanislaus Garikai Chigwedere | |
| May 1992 | Peter Hohenfellner | |
| June 1992 | Paul Noterdaeme | |
| July 1992 | José Luís de Jesus | |
| August 1992 | Li Daoyu | |
| September 1992 | José Ayala Lasso | |
| October 1992 | Jean-Bernard Mérimée | |
| November 1992 | Andre Erdos | |
| December 1992 | Chinmaya Rajaninath Gharekhan | |
| January 1993 | Yoshio Hatano | |
| February 1993 | Ahmed Snoussi | |
| March 1993 | Terence Christopher O'Brien and Donald Charles McKinnon | |
| April 1993 | Jamsheed Marker | |
| May 1993 | Yuli Mikhailovich Vorontsov | |
| June 1993 | Juan Antonio Yáñez-Barnuevo | |
| July 1993 | David Hannay and Mr. —— Richardson | |
| August 1993 | Madeleine Albright | |
| September 1993 | Adolfo Taylhardat | |
| October 1993 | Ronaldo Mota Sardenberg | |
| November 1993 | José Luís de Jesus Li Zhaoxing | |
| December 1993 | Li Zhaoxing | |
| January 1994 | Karel Kovanda | |
| February 1994 | Roble Olhaye | |
| March 1994 | Jean-Bernard Mérimée | |
| April 1994 | Colin Keating and Donald Charles McKinnon | |
| May 1994 | Ibrahim Gambari and Baba Gana Kingibe | |
| June 1994 | Salim Bin Mohammed Al-Kussaiby | |
| July 1994 | Jamsheed Marker | |
| August 1994 | Yuli Mikhailovich Vorontsov | |
| September 1994 | Juan Antonio Yáñez-Barnuevo and Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga | |
| October 1994 | David Hannay | |
| November 1994 | Madeleine Albright | |
| December 1994 | Manzi Bakuramutsa |
1995–1999
Presidents from 1995–1999:| Dates | State | Name |
| January 1995 | Emilio Cárdenas | |
| February 1995 | Joseph Legwaila and Mompati Merafhe | |
| March 1995 | Li Zhaoxing and Xuexian Wang | |
| April 1995 | Karel Kovanda and Alexandr Vondra | |
| May 1995 | Jean-Bernard Mérimée | |
| June 1995 | Detlev Graf zu Rantzau | |
| July 1995 | Gerardo Martinez Blanco and Delmer Urbizio Panting | |
| August 1995 | Nugroho Wisnumurti | |
| September 1995 | Francesco Paolo Fulci and Susanna Agnelli | |
| October 1995 | Ibrahim Gambari | |
| November 1995 | Salim bin Mohammed Al-Khussaiby | |
| December 1995 | Sergey Lavrov | |
| January 1996 | John Weston | |
| February 1996 | Madeleine Albright | |
| March 1996 | Joseph Legwaila | |
| April 1996 | Juan Somavía | |
| May 1996 | Huasun Qin | |
| June 1996 | Nabil Elaraby | |
| July 1996 | Alain Dejammet | |
| August 1996 | Antonius Eitel | |
| September 1996 | Alfredo Lopes Cabral | |
| October 1996 | Delmer Urbizio Panting and Gerardo Martinez Blanco | |
| November 1996 | Nugroho Wisnumurti | |
| December 1996 | Francesco Paolo Fulci | |
| January 1997 | Hisashi Owada | |
| February 1997 | Njuguna M. Mahugu | |
| March 1997 | Zbigniew M. Włosowicz | |
| April 1997 | António Monteiro | |
| May 1997 | Park Soo Gil and Chong Ha Yoo | |
| June 1997 | Sergey Lavrov | |
| July 1997 | Peter Osvald and Lena Hjelm-Wallén | |
| August 1997 | John Weston | |
| September 1997 | William B. Richardson and Madeleine Albright | |
| October 1997 | Juan Somavía | |
| November 1997 | Huasun Qin | |
| December 1997 | Fernando Berrocal Soto | |
| January 1998 | Alain Dejammet | |
| February 1998 | Casimir Oyé-Mba and Denis Dangue Réwaka | |
| March 1998 | Momodou Lamin Sedat Jobe and Abdoulie Momodou Sallah | |
| April 1998 | Hisashi Owada | |
| May 1998 | Njuguna Mahugu and Bonaya Godana | |
| June 1998 | António Monteiro and Jaime Gama | |
| July 1998 | Sergey Lavrov | |
| August 1998 | Danilo Türk | |
| September 1998 | Lena Hjelm-Wallén and Hans Dalgren | |
| October 1998 | Jeremy Greenstock | |
| November 1998 | Peter Burleigh | |
| December 1998 | Jassim Mohammed Buallay | |
| January 1999 | Celso Amorim | |
| February 1999 | Robert R. Fowler and Lloyd Axworthy | |
| March 1999 | Qin Huasun | |
| April 1999 | Alain Dejammet | |
| May 1999 | Denis Dangue Réwaka | |
| June 1999 | Baboucarr-Blaise Jagne | |
| July 1999 | Syed Hamid Albar and Agam Hasmy | |
| August 1999 | Martin Andjaba and Theo-Ben Gurirab | |
| September 1999 | Peter van Walsum and Jozias van Aartsen | |
| October 1999 | Sergey Lavrov | |
| November 1999 | Danilo Türk and Boris Frlec | |
| December 1999 | Jeremy Greenstock and Peter Hain |
2000–2004
Presidents from 2000–2004:| Dates | State | Name |
| January 2000 | Al Gore, Richard Holbrooke, and Madeleine Albright | |
| February 2000 | Arnoldo Manuel Listre and Adalberto Rodríguez Giavarini | |
| March 2000 | Anwarul Karim Chowdhury and Abdus Samad Azad | |
| April 2000 | Lloyd Axworthy and Robert Fowler | |
| May 2000 | Wang Yingfan | |
| June 2000 | Jean-David Levitte | |
| July 2000 | Patricia Durrant and Paul Robertson | |
| August 2000 | Agam Hasmy | |
| September 2000 | Moctar Ouane and Alpha Oumar Konaré | |
| October 2000 | Martin Andjaba and Theo-Ben Gurirab | |
| November 2000 | Peter van Walsum, Jozias van Aartsen, and Eveline Herfkens | |
| December 2000 | Sergey Lavrov | |
| January 2001 | Kishore Mahbubani and S. Jayakumar | |
| February 2001 | Said Ben Mustapha and Habib Ben Yahia | |
| March 2001 | Valeriy P. Kuchinsky, Volodymyr Yelchenko, and Anatoliy Zlenko | |
| April 2001 | Jeremy Greenstock | |
| May 2001 | James B. Cunningham | |
| June 2001 | Anwarul Karim Chowdhury and Abdus Samad Azad | |
| July 2001 | Wang Yingfan | |
| August 2001 | Guillermo Fernández de Soto and Alfonso Valdivieso Sarmiento | |
| September 2001 | Jean-David Levitte | |
| October 2001 | Richard Ryan and Brian Cowen | |
| November 2001 | Patricia Durrant, P. J. Patterson, and Keith D. Knight | |
| December 2001 | Moctar Ouane | |
| January 2002 | Jagdish Koonjul and Anil Gayan | |
| February 2002 | Adolfo Aguilar Zínser | |
| March 2002 | Ole Peter Kolby and Jan Petersen | |
| April 2002 | Sergey Lavrov | |
| May 2002 | Kishore Mahbubani and S. Jayakumar | |
| June 2002 | Mikhail Wehbe and Farouk al-Sharaa | |
| July 2002 | Jeremy Greenstock and Valerie Amos | |
| August 2002 | John Negroponte and James B. Cunningham | |
| September 2002 | Solomon Passy, Stefan Tafrov, Georgi Parvanov, and Rayko Strahilov Raytchev | |
| October 2002 | Martin Belinga Eboutou | |
| November 2002 | Zhang Yishan and Wang Yingfan | |
| December 2002 | Alfonso Valdivieso Sarmiento and Carolina Barco | |
| January 2003 | Jean-Marc de La Sablière and Dominique de Villepin | |
| February 2003 | Gunter Pleuger and Joschka Fischer | |
| March 2003 | François Lonseny Fall and Mamady Traore | |
| April 2003 | Adolfo Aguilar Zínser and Luis Ernesto Derbez | |
| May 2003 | Munir Akram and Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri | |
| June 2003 | Sergey Lavrov | |
| July 2003 | Inocencio Arias, Ana Menendez, and Ana Palacio | |
| August 2003 | Mikhail Wehbe and Faisal Meqdad | |
| September 2003 | Emyr Jones Parry and Jack Straw | |
| October 2003 | John Negroponte and James B. Cunningham | |
| November 2003 | Gaspar Martins | |
| December 2003 | Stefan Tafrov and Solomon Passy | |
| January 2004 | Heraldo Muñoz and Soledad Alvear | |
| February 2004 | Wang Guangya | |
| March 2004 | Jean-Marc de La Sablière and Pierre-André Wiltzer | |
| April 2004 | Gunter Pleuger and Kerstin Müller | |
| May 2004 | Munir Akram and Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri | |
| June 2004 | Lauro L. Baja, Jr. and Delia Domingo-Albert | |
| July 2004 | Mihnea Motoc, Adrian Năstase, and Mircea Geoană | |
| August 2004 | Andrey Denisov | |
| September 2004 | Juan Antonio Yáñez-Barnuevo and Miguel Ángel Moratinos | |
| October 2004 | Emyr Jones Parry, Bill Rammell, and Adam Thomson | |
| November 2004 | John Danforth and Anne W. Patterson | |
| December 2004 | Abdallah Baali and Abdelaziz Belkhadem |