TRUSTEESHIP COUNCIL ELECTS OFFICERS

The Trusteeship Council this morning elected Yves Doutriaux (France) as its President and Stewart Eldon (United Kingdom) as Vice-President.

The Trusteeship Council was mandated by the United Nations Charter to promote the political, economic and social advancement of the 11 original United Nations Trust Territories and their development towards self-government or independence.

Trust Territories were those Non-Self-Governing Territories held under mandates established by the League of Nations after the First World War; Territories detached from enemy States as a result of the Second World War; and Territories voluntarily placed under the System by States responsible for their administration. The Council was not mandated to supervise the administration of other Non-Self-Governing Territories, some of which fall under the purview of committees of the General Assembly.

In November 1994, the Security Council terminated the United Nations Trusteeship Agreement for Palau -- the last of the original 11 Trustee Territories on its agenda -- and the objectives of the Trusteeship System were fulfilled. The Trusteeship Council then amended its rules of procedure, and determined to meet as and where the occasion might require.

The Council is made up of the five permanent members of the Security Council, the States administering Trust Territories, and enough other members elected by the Assembly for a three-year term to make an equal division between administering and non-administering countries. Given that there are no more Trust Territories, only the five permanent Security Council members are members of the Trusteeship Council.

Formal changes to the mandate of the Trusteeship Council would require changes to the United Nations Charter. Any changes must be adopted by a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, followed by ratification by two thirds of the Members according to their domestic constitutional processes.