The Baháí International Community: Supporting the UN




Bahá'í Representatives Ugo Giachery and Mildred Mottahedeh at the UN Human Rights Conference in Geneva, May 1948.



Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at the UN bring the concerns and energies of the peoples of the world to the United Nations. In a sense, they are the "hearts and hands" of the UN - working closely with UN agencies to promote and implement programs vital to the progress of all people.

In 1945 Bahá'í representatives were present at the historic San Francisco conference which gave birth to the United Nations. The Bahá'í International Community was first registered as an international non-governmental organization by the United Nations Department of Public Information in March 1948. With significant communities in over 230 countries and territories, the Bahá'í International Community represents more than 2,100 ethnic, racial, and tribal groups, and almost every nationality, economic class, trade and profession. Bahá'ís around the world, as a matter of faith and principle, have been involved with a wide range of issues of concern to the United Nations, including the advancement of women, social and economic development, the environment, human rights and peace.





UN Day Bahá'í Observance, Myanmar




For the last 50 years, the Bahá'í International Community has sought, through its working relations with the United Nations and its specialized agencies, to share the experiences of Bahá'í communities in support of the aims and objectives of the UN Charter. During the years 1989-1993, the Bahá'í International Community participated in approximately 90 United Nations meetings, offering over 70 statements, according to its 1994 Quadrennial Report to the United Nations Economic and Social Council.


Bahá'í presentation, Rio de Janeiro






There are now 185 Member States of the United Nations

	Afghanistan		  Gambia                    Palau                     
	Albania			  Georgia                   Panama                    
	Algeria			  Germany                   Papua New Guinea          
	Andorra			  Ghana                     Paraguay                  
	Angola			  Greece                    Peru                      
	Antigua & Barbuda	  Grenada                   Philippines               
	Argentina		  Guatemala                 Poland                    
	Armenia			  Guinea                    Portugal                  
	Australia		  Guinea-Bissau             Qatar                     
	Austria			  Guyana                    Republic of Korea         
	Azerbaijan		  Haiti                     Republic of Moldova       
	Bahamas			  Honduras                  Romania                   
	Bahrain			  Hungary                   Russian Federation        
	Bangladesh		  Iceland                   Rwanda                    
	Barbados		  India                     Saint Kitts & Nevis   
	Belarus			  Indonesia                 Saint Lucia               
	Belgium			  Iran                      Saint Vincent &       
	Belize			  Iraq                         the Grenadines
	Benin			  Ireland                   Samoa                     
	Bhutan			  Israel                    San Marino                
	Bolivia			  Italy                     Sao Tome & Principe   
	Bosnia & Herzegovina	  Jamaica                   Saudi Arabia              
	Botswana		  Japan                     Senegal                   
	Brazil			  Jordan                    Seychelles                
	Brunei Darussalam	  Kazakhstan                Sierra Leone              
	Bulgaria		  Kenya                     Singapore                 
	Burkina Faso		  Kuwait                    Slovak Republic           
	Burundi			  Kyrgyz Republic           Slovenia                  
	Cambodia		  Lao People's              Solomon Republic          
	Cameroon		     Democratic             Somalia                   
	Canada			     Republic               South Africa              
	Cape Verde		  Latvia                    Spain                     
	Central African 	  Lebanon                   Sri Lanka                 
	   Republic		  Lesotho                   Sudan                     
	Chad			  Liberia                   Suriname                  
	Chile			  Libya                     Swaziland                 
	China			  Liechtenstein             Sweden                    
	Columbia		  Lithuania                 Syria                     
	Comoros			  Luxembourg                Tajikistan                
	Congo			  Madagascar                Thailand                  
	Costa Rica		  Malawi                    The former Yugoslav       
	Cote d'Ivoire		  Malaysia                     Republic of Macedonia 
	Croatia			  Maldives                  Togo                      
	Cuba 			  Mali                      Trinidad & Tobago     
	Cyprus			  Malta                     Tunisia                   
	Czech Republic		  Marshall Islands          Turkey                    
	Democratic People's  	  Mauritania                Turkmenistan              
	   Republic of Korea	  Mauritius                 Uganda                    
	Denmark			  Mexico                    Ukraine                   
	Djibouti		  Monaco                    United Arab Emirates      
	Dominica		  Mongolia                  United Kingdom            
	Dominican Republic	  Morocco                   United Republic of        
	Ecuador			  Mozambique                   Tanzania                  
	Egypt			  Myanmar                   United States             
	El Salvador		  Namibia                   Uruguay                   
	Equatorial Guinea	  Nepal                     Uzbekistan                
	Eritrea			  Netherlands               Vanuatu                   
	Estonia			  New Zealand               Venezuela                 
	Ethiopia		  Nicaragua                 Viet Nam                  
	Federated States of 	  Niger                     Yemen                     
	   Micronesia		  Nigeria                   Yugoslavia                
	Fiji			  Norway                    Zaire                     
	Finland			  Oman                      Zambia                    
	France			  Pakistan                  Zimbabwe                  
	Gabon			  



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