# Yemen Admitted to the United Nations (30 September 1947)

URL: https://allhistories.com/yemen/timeline/1947-yemen-admitted-to-the-united-nations
Location: New York
Themes: Constitutionalism, Opposition

Yemen was admitted to the United Nations on 30 September 1947. The United States had recognised Yemen as a sovereign state on 4 March 1946, and the kingdom had become an Arab League member in 1945. Membership placed Yemen alongside the other newly independent Middle Eastern states of that period. The imam used his international standing to protest British rule in Aden and the protectorates, which Yemen regarded as part of its territory. At the same time the kingdom remained one of the most closed societies in the world, with few foreigners admitted and few roads or schools outside the main towns. UN membership gave Yemen a venue for its disputes with Britain and later for the debates about decolonisation of the south. In 1948 the kingdom sent a small expeditionary force to the Arab–Israeli War, and in 1958 Yemen joined the United Arab States while keeping its separate seat. At this point in the timeline (1947), the Kingdom of Yemen was led by Imam Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din (30 October 1918 – 17 February 1948). The main location of this event lies outside present-day Yemen.

## Why it matters
UN membership confirmed Yemen's sovereignty and gave the imam a platform to challenge British rule in the south.

Ruler at the Time: [Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din](https://allhistories.com/yemen/rulers/yahya-muhammad-hamid-ed-din)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutawakkilite_Kingdom_of_Yemen)
- [Wikipedia — Arab League](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_League)