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5. the member countries

Present Membership

The basic components of FAO are, of course, its Member Countries, since it is an intergovernmental organization in which they are represented by then respective governments. The number of Member Countries has almost quadrupled since the close of the First Session of the FAO Conference, rising from 39 to 147.

The 147 countries that were Members at the close of the Twentieth Session of the FAO Conference in November 1979, together with the dates when their membership became effective, are —

Afghanistan (1 December 1949)
Albania (12 November 1973)
Algeria (19 November 1963)
Angola (14 November 1977)
Argentina (27 November 1951)
Australia (16 October 1945)
Austria (27 August 1947)
Bahamas (10 November 1975)
Bahrain (8 November 1971)
Bangladesh (12 November 1973)
Barbados (6 November 1967)
Belgium (16 October 1945)
Benin (9 November 1961)
Bolivia (16 October 1945)
Botswana (1 November 1966)
Brazil (16 October 1945)
Bulgaria (6 November 1967)
Burma (11 September 1947)
Burundi (19 November 1963)
Cameroon (22 March 1960)
Canada (16 October 1945)
Cape Verde (10 November 1975)
Central African Republic (9 November 1961)
Chad (9 November 1961)
Chile (17 May 1946)
China, People's Republic of (16 October 1945)
Colombia (17 October 1945)
Comoros (14 November 1977)
Congo, Democratic Republic of (9 November 1961)
Costa Rica (7 April 1948)
Cuba (19 October 1945)
Cyprus (14 September 1960)
Czechoslovakia (10 November 1969)
Democratic Kampuchea (11 November 1950)
Denmark (16 October 1945)
Djibouti (14 November 1977)
Dominica (12 November 1979)
Dominican Republic (16 October 1945)
Ecuador (16 October 1945)
Egypt (16 October 1945)
El Salvador (19 August 1947)
Ethiopia (1 January 1948)
Fiji (8 November 1971)
Finland (27 August 1947)
France (16 October 1945)
Gabon (9 November 1961)
Gambia (22 November 1965)
Germany, Federal Republic of (27 November 1950)
Ghana (9 November 1957)
Greece (16 October 1945)
Grenada (10 November 1975)
Guatemala (16 October 1945)
Guinea (5 November 1959)
Guinea-Bissau (26 November 1973)
Guyana (22 August 1966)
Haiti (16 October 1945)
Honduras (16 October 1945)
Hungary (6 November 1967)
Iceland (16 October 1945)
India (16 October 1945)
Indonesia (28 November 1949)
Iran (1 December 1953)
Iraq (16 October 1945)
Ireland (3 September 1946)
Israel (23 November 1949)
Italy (12 September 1946)
Ivory Coast (9 November 1961)
Jamaica (13 March 1963)
Japan (21 November 1951)
Jordan (23 January 1951)
Kenya (27 January 1964)
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of (14 November 1977)
Korea, Republic of (25 November 1949)
Kuwait (9 November 1961)
Lao (21 November 1951)
Lebanon (27 October 1945)
Lesotho (7 November 1966)
Liberia (16 October 1945)
Libya (24 November 1953)
Luxembourg (16 October 1945)
Malagasy Republic (9 November 1961)
Malawi (22 November 1965)
Malaysia (9 November 1957)
Maldives (8 November 1971)
Mali (9 November 1961)
Malta (5 October 1964)
Mauritania (9 November 1961)
Mauritius (12 March 1968)
Mexico (16 October 1945)
Mongolia (12 November 1973)
Morocco (13 September 1956)
Mozambique (14 November 1977)
Namibia (14 November 1977)
Nepal (27 November 1951)
Netherlands (16 October 1945)
New Zealand (16 October 1945)
Nicaragua (16 October 1945)
Niger (9 November 1961)
Nigeria (11 October 1960)
Norway (16 October 1945)
Oman (8 November 1971)
Pakistan (7 September 1947)
Panama (16 October 1945)
Papua New Guinea (10 November 1975)
Paraguay (30 October 1945)
Peru (17 June 1952)
Philippines (16 October 1945)
Poland (9 November 1957)
Portugal (11 September 1946)
Qatar (8 November 1971)
Romania (9 November 1961)
Rwanda (19 November 1963)
Saint Lucia (26 November 1979)
Samoa (12 November 1979)
São Tomé and Principe (14 November 1977)
Saudi Arabia (23 November 1948)
Senegal (9 November 1961)
Seychelles (14 November 1977)
Sierra Leone (9 November 1961)
Somalia (17 November 1960)
Spain (5 April 1951)
Sri Lanka (21 May 1948)
Sudan (13 September 1956)
Suriname (26 November 1975)
Swaziland (8 November 1971)
Sweden (13 February 1950)
Switzerland (11 September 1946)
Syria (27 October 1945)
Tanzania (8 February 1962)
Thailand (27 August 1947)
Togo (23 May 1960)
Trinidad and Tobago (19 November 1963)
Tunisia (25 November 1955)
Turkey (6 April 1948)
Uganda (19 November 1963)
United Arab Emirates (12 November 1973)
United Kingdom (16 October 1945)
United States of America (16 October 1945)
Upper Volta (9 November 1961)
Uruguay (30 November 1945)
Venezuela (16 October 1945)
Viet-Nam, Republic of (11 November 1950)
Yemen Arab Republic (9 December 1953)
Yemen, People's Democratic Republic of (10 November 1969)
Yugoslavia (16 October 1945)
Zaire (9 November 1961)
Zambia (22 November 1965)

The following additional countries had applied for membership by 7 August 1981. Their applications will be acted upon by the Twenty-First Session of the FAO-Conference:

Bhutan
Equatorial Guinea
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Tonga
Zimbabwe

The Constitution provides for the admission of Associate Members, i.e. territories that do not have responsibility for their foreign affairs, but there are at present none in this category.

Changes in Membership

The membership of FAO has undergone quite a few changes over the years. . Two of the countries that were eligible for original membership withdrew and rejoined later; a third country also withdrew and rejoined. The dates shown above for their membership are those on which they re-entered.

Czechoslovakia was a Member from 16 October 1945 to 27 December 1950, when its
withdrawal became effective, and was readmitted on 10 November 1969.

Poland was a Member from 16 October 1945 to 25 April 1951, when its withdrawal became effective, and was readmitted on 9 November 1957.

Hungary was a Member from 13 September 1946 to 26 January 1952, when its withdrawal became effective, and was readmitted on 6 November 1967.

China, also eligible for original membership, was an active Member from 16 October 1945 to 21 July 1952 and resumed its place in FAO from 1 April 1973. The UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA, also eligible for original membership, was a Member from 16 October 1945 to 18 December 1964, when its withdrawal became effective.

Syria merged with the United Arab Republic (now Egypt) for the period 21 February 1958 to 28 September 1961, during which it ceased to hold separate membership. Its separate membership was resumed on 4 November 1961. Since its membership was continuous, the original date of membership is given in the list above.

Prior to becoming Members, the following had been Associate Members from the dates shown in brackets:

Bahrain (6 November 1967)
Botswana, as Bechuanaland (22 November 1965)
Chad (5 November 1959)
Cyprus (5 November 1959)
Gabon (5 November 1959)
Guyana, as British Guiana (9 November 1961)
Jamaica (9 November 1961)
Kenya (19 November 1963)
Lesotho, as Basutoland (22 November 1965)
Malagasy Republic, as Madagascar (5 November 1959)
Mali (5 November 1959)
Malta (19 November 1963)
Mauritius (9 November 1961)
Nigeria (5 November 1959)
Qatar (6 November 1967)
Senegal (5 November 1959)
Somalia (5 November 1959)
Tanzania, as Tanganyika (9 November 1961)

Zanzibar was an Associate Member from 19 November 1963 until 26 April 1964, when it became a part of the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, whose name was later changed to Tanzania. Rhodesia and Nyasaland was an Associate Member from 5 November 1959 to 31 December 1963, when the Federation was dissolved. Portions then became Members as Malawi (formerly Nyasaland) and Zambia (formerly Northern Rhodesia)on the dates reported above.

It is interesting to note at this point that over half of FAO's Member Countries achieved independence after the Organization was formed. The precise proportion is somewhat difficult to indicate, since 2 of the 81 Member Countries that achieved full independence after the Quebec Conference were in fact included among the 34 countries that founded FAO on 16 October 1945: India and the Philippines, whose formal dates of independence were 15 August 1947 and 4 July 1946, respectively. Apart from these, just under 54% of the present membership achieved independence after FAO was formed; if India and the Philippines are included, the figure is just over 55%. Looking ahead, and assuming that the 5 applicants mentioned above are admitted by the FAO Conference in November 1981, the figure will become 56.5% at that time. These figures reflect the mass trend of colonies and other dependent territories toward independence during the last 35 years. Among FAO's 147 Member Countries, 12 became independent during the 1940s, 6 during the 1950s, 43 during the 1960s and 20 during the 1970s.


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