Saint Vincent and the Grenadines joined the United Nations on 16 September 1980, less than a year after our October 27, 1979 independence. The United Nations itself was founded on October 24, 1945 as a successor to the League of Nations.

In 1945, the United Nations had 50 members. Today, it has 192 member states.

The actions of the United Nations are guided by its Charter, which defines the its purposes as follows:

• to maintain international peace and security;
• to develop friendly relations among nations; and
• to achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights.

The actions of the United Nations are based on certain principles:

• all of its members are equal;
• all members must fulfil their Charter obligations;
• international disputes are to be settled by peaceful means;
• members may not use force or the threat of force against other members;
• members must help the United Nations in any action it might take in accordance with the Charter;
• the United Nations may not interfere in the domestic affairs of any state.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an active participant in the daily activities of the United Nations. Because of the relatively small size of our Mission staff, we tend to focus on matters that have direct bearing on the lives of Vincentians and issues affecting the Caribbean region and interests. In this, the 62nd Session of the General Assembly, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' primary areas of focus will be climate change, sustainable development and financing, control of small arms, the Millenium Development Goals, Education, Human Rights and UN Reform. Our Mission also partners with our sister missions from the CARICOM region to formulate common strategies and maximise our impact in various negotiations.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a member of the CARICOM, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the Group of 77 (G77), the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC) and a number of other regional and thematic groupings within the UN System.

Selected Focus Areas