In which year membership of the UN security council was raised from 11 to 15?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 2:
The correct year in which the membership of the United Nations Security Council was officially raised from 11 to 15 is 1965. This significant change was enacted through an amendment to the UN Charter, specifically Article 23, and marked a crucial moment in the history of the United Nations. The original composition of the Security Council, established in 1945, included five permanent members (China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and six non-permanent members, totaling 11 members. However, as the UN membership grew rapidly, largely due to decolonization in Asia and Africa, this structure became deeply unrepresentative of the global community. To address the demands from newly independent nations for greater representation, the UN General Assembly adopted an amendment to the Charter on December 17, 1963. This amendment increased the number of non-permanent members from six to ten. The amendment came into force in 1965 after being ratified by the required two-thirds of the UN member states, including all five permanent members of the Security Council. Consequently, the first expanded Security Council, with 15 members, began operating in 1965.

The incorrect option is 1 (1964):
While the decision and the formal General Assembly resolution proposing the expansion of the Security Council membership took place on December 17, 1963, the year 1964 refers to the period during which the constitutional amendment was undergoing ratification by member states. An amendment to the foundational UN Charter requires ratification by two-thirds of the member states, including all permanent members of the Security Council, to become legally binding and operational. Although the process was underway in 1964, the new structure had not yet formally entered into force, meaning the council was still technically operating with 11 members throughout that year. Therefore, 1964 represents the period of ratification, not the actual year the expansion took effect.

The incorrect option is 3 (1966):
Although the first elections for the newly created non-permanent seats may have taken place near the end of 1965 to prepare for the subsequent year's rotation, and the operational impact of the change was fully felt in 1966, the legal date of the official increase in membership (when the Charter amendment came into force) was 1965. In the context of international law and institutional history, the effective date of the Charter amendment governs the year the change officially occurred, making 1965 the correct historical landmark for the expansion.

The incorrect option is 4 (1967):
The year 1967 is too late to mark the beginning of the expanded Security Council. By 1967, the 15-member council had already been operating for two full years, having commenced its expanded function in 1965. The need for this expansion was urgent due to the increased membership of the UN during the 1950s and early 1960s, and the process to amend the Charter was completed relatively quickly after the 1963 General Assembly vote to ensure the Council better reflected the wider membership.