The JUSCANZ Group is an informal, information-sharing coalition of like-minded countries at the
United Nations Human Rights Council
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a United Nations Regional Gro ...
and other
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
bodies, such as the
Second
The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...
,
Third Committees and
UN Trade and Development
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the United Nations General Assembl ...
(UNCTAD).
In the
United Nations Regional Grouping system, it is considered as a subsection of the
Western European and Others Group (WEOG), as most of its members are members of that Group. Its aim is to counterbalance the sway of the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
bloc in WEOG matters.
The name of the group is derived from the acronym of its founding members
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
.
Role
The Group's role is mainly to act as a tool for information-sharing at the United Nations. Unlike the United Nations Regional Groups, JUSCANZ is not a policy-coordination mechanism.
Members of the Group are not expected to reach consensus positions on issues. Rather, at JUSCANZ meetings, members meet to share information on the status of resolutions and to flag potential problems or issues for other delegations.
Members

While membership of the group is not fixed, and its membership has varied throughout its history, the main members that have partaken in meetings of the Group include:
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History
On 22 January 2010,
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
was permitted to join the Group for sessions at the
United Nations Office at Geneva
The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG, ) in Geneva, Switzerland, is one of the four major offices of the United Nations where numerous different UN agencies have a joint presence. The main UNOG administrative offices are located inside ...
, but not at the
United Nations Headquarters
The headquarters of the United Nations (UN) is on of grounds in the Turtle Bay, Manhattan, Turtle Bay neighborhood of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It borders First Avenue (Manhattan), First Avenue to the west, 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd ...
in New York, nor at the other two major office sites of
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
and
Nairobi
Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
.
On 11 February 2014, Israel was allowed to join the Group in all relevant United Nations Committees at Headquarters in New York.
See also
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Anglosphere
The Anglosphere, also known as the Anglo-American world, is a Western-led sphere of influence among the Anglophone countries. The core group of this sphere of influence comprises five developed countries that maintain close social, cultura ...
*
JACKSNNZ
In international diplomacy, JACKSNNZ (pronounced “Jacksons”) is the colloquial name of an informal grouping of the world's affluent non-European Union, EU countries, excluding the United States. The JACKSNNZ states are Japan, Japan, Austra ...
*
Umbrella Group
An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and iden ...
*
Western European and Others Group
The Group of Western European and Other States, also known as the Western European and Other States Group or WEOG, is one of the five United Nations regional groups. It is composed of 28 member states. Most of these are in Western Europe, but ...
Notes
References
United Nations coalitions and unofficial groups
Anglosphere
Andorra and the United Nations
Australia and the United Nations
Canada and the United Nations
Iceland and the United Nations
Israel and the United Nations
Japan and the United Nations
Liechtenstein and the United Nations
Mexico and the United Nations
New Zealand and the United Nations
Norway and the United Nations
San Marino and the United Nations
South Korea and the United Nations
Switzerland and the United Nations
Turkey and the United Nations
United Kingdom and the United Nations
United States and the United Nations
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