On 14 December 1955, Portugal officially became a Member State of the United Nations. Since then, the country has played an active and constructive role across the UN system, and is widely recognized as a strong advocate for multilateralism and the peaceful resolution of conflicts, promoting dialogue and international cooperation.
Portugal’s accession marked a significant moment in its reintegration into the international community after the political isolation that followed the Second World War. In the early years of the United Nations, Portugal was not admitted due to its authoritarian regime under the Estado Novo, led by António de Oliveira Salazar. Portuguese foreign policy at the time was marked by strong anti-communism and a defence of its colonial empire, which clashed with UN principles, particularly the right to self-determination.
However, with the onset of the Cold War and the desire to expand the number of allies in the Western bloc, the major powers shifted their stance. In 1955, following diplomatic negotiations and agreement among the permanent members of the Security Council, Portugal was admitted, together with 15 other countries, in a process known as the “mass admission”.
Peace and International Security
Portugal actively participates in UN peacekeeping operations. It currently contributes around 201 personnel, military and police, to four missions:
- MINUSCA (Central African Republic): 188 personnel, Portugal’s largest contingent
- UNMISS (South Sudan)
- MINUSMA (Mali)
- UNVMC (Colombia)
Portuguese troops are widely recognized for their professionalism and humanitarian engagement with local communities.
Human Rights
Portugal has played a consistent and active role in promoting and defending human rights within the UN system, politically, legally and institutionally. It is a party to nearly all major UN human rights treaties, including:
- Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance
- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child
- International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
- Convention against Corruption
- Convention on Cluster Munitions
Portugal also supports international humanitarian law, gender equality, the rights of children, persons with disabilities and minorities, and upholds the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) principle, which aims to prevent genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Participation in UN Bodies
Portugal has served three terms as a non-permanent member of the Security Council (1960–1961, 1997–1998 and 2011–2012), and is a candidate for a seat for the 2027–2028 term. The candidacy was formalized in November 2024, with elections scheduled to take place during the 81st session of the General Assembly in 2026.
The country has also served on the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Human Rights Council, and was previously elected to the former Commission on Human Rights for the periods 1979–1981, 1988–1993 and 2000–2002.
Portugal presided over the General Assembly during its fiftieth session (1995–1996), with Diogo Freitas do Amaral serving as its President, one of the most prestigious positions within the UN system.
Currently, the Secretary-General of the United Nations is António Guterres, former Prime Minister of Portugal and former UN High Commissioner for Refugees, who has served in the role since 2017.
Contributions
Portugal contributes to the UN’s regular budget based on a fixed scale of assessments determined every three years by the General Assembly. For the 2022–2024 period, Portugal contributes 0.353 per cent of the annual budget or approximately €9.7 million per year, out of a total UN budget of around $3.12 billion (approximately €2.75 billion). This means the United Nations costs less than €1 per year per Portuguese citizen.
In addition, Portugal provides voluntary contributions, both financial and in-kind, to various UN entities, including:
- UNDP – for poverty eradication, sustainable development and institutional capacity-building, particularly in Lusophone countries
- UNICEF – for child protection, education and health
- UNFPA – for sexual and reproductive health, gender equality and youth programmes
- UNEP – for climate and environmental sustainability
- UN-Habitat – for sustainable urban development and housing
- UNCDF – for microfinance and local development in least developed countries
- UNV – through the deployment of volunteers, especially in crisis or post-conflict settings
Much of Portugal’s support is directed towards CPLP countries (Community of Portuguese Language Countries), including Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Timor-Leste, Cabo Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe.
The Portuguese Language in the UN System
Portuguese has gained increasing visibility within the United Nations system, thanks to the combined efforts of Portugal and other CPLP countries. Spoken by an estimated 258 million people across nine countries on four continents, it is expected to reach 500 million speakers by the end of the twenty-first century. It is already the most spoken language in the Southern Hemisphere.
Although not one of the UN’s six official languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish), Portuguese is used in events, documents and communications involving Lusophone countries. It also functions as a working language in some UN agencies and programmes such as FAO and UNDP in Lusophone regions.
The UN Department of Global Communications provides content in Portuguese through its UN News service, social media platforms, and information centres in Brussels, Rio de Janeiro and Luanda. Portugal continues to advocate for the elevation of Portuguese to official language status within the UN, a strategic priority shared across the CPLP.
UN System in Portugal
Several UN entities maintain offices in Portugal and work closely with national authorities, civil society and the private sector. These include:
- UNU-EGOV – United Nations University Operating Unit on e-Governance (Guimarães)
- ILO – International Labour Organization
- IOM – International Organization for Migration
- UNESCO – Portuguese National Commission for UNESCO
- UNICEF – Portuguese National Committee for UNICEF