Monaco · 20 years of membership in the UN

Issue date16 Jun 2013

Total mintage1,249,131

EU maximum1,229,131

Editions4

Edge lettering2 ★ ★ × 6, alternating upright/inverted

InscriptionMONACO / 1993 ADMISSION À L'ONU 2013

DesignerAteliers de Gravure, Monnaie de Paris

mintMonnaie de Paris, Pessac

Issue occasion

The commemorative coin marks the 20th anniversary of Monaco’s accession to the UN. The design shows a dove with an olive branch, as well as the cornucopia and the mintmark of the Paris Mint. The inscriptions read “MONACO” and “1993 ADMISSION À L'ONU 2013”.

The design

The coin depicts a dove with an olive branch, the cornucopia in the middle of the arch on the left and the mintmark on the right as the symbol of the Paris Mint. At the top, in a semicircle, is the name of the issuing state, “MONACO”, and at the bottom, in a semicircle, the inscription “1993 ADMISSION À L'ONU 2013” (admission to the UN).

The outer ring of the coin features the twelve stars of the European flag.

Background on the topic

The United Nations was founded in 1945 to promote international cooperation, the peaceful settlement of conflicts and compliance with international law. Monaco was not among the founding members. Like several European microstates, the Principality initially remained outside the organisation, but was already cooperating in individual international specialised organisations. The full membership of very small states was disputed for a long time, as their small populations and limited state structures were regarded as an obstacle to fulfilling all membership obligations.

This position changed towards the end of the 20th century. Liechtenstein became a member in 1990, San Marino in 1992; Andorra followed shortly after Monaco. The admission of such microstates reaffirmed the principle of sovereign equality: In the UN General Assembly, every member state has one vote, regardless of its area, population or political weight.

The General Assembly decides on the admission of a new state on the recommendation of the Security Council. The prerequisite is that the applicant recognises the obligations of the UN Charter. With its membership, Monaco acquired the right to participate in the deliberations and votes of the General Assembly, to send representatives to UN bodies and to participate in the organisation’s programmes. Since then, the Principality has maintained a permanent mission at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York.

For Monaco, this step also had foreign-policy significance. Although the city-state has long been sovereign, its geographical location and treaty relations have placed it in particularly close connection with France. Its independent membership in a worldwide organisation of states made its capacity to act under international law visible. At the same time, it offered Monaco a forum for issues on which its international activities focus, including humanitarian concerns, environmental protection and the use of the seas.

The choice of the anniversary as the occasion for the coin can therefore be understood as a commemoration of a clearly definable step towards Monaco’s international integration and independent state representation.