The United Nations postal administration issued 8 new stamps on 3 February 2017 which depicted 8 flags new to its "Flag" series which began as long ago as 1983. This latest issue was designed by Sergio Baradat and lithographed by Lowe-Martin.
The featured flags are those of Ethiopia (first flown in 1996), Iraq (2008), Congo (1991), Georgia (2004), Benin (1990), Comoros (2002), Albania (1992) and Bulgaria (2001).
The very first flag series depicted 16 flags - Madagascar, United Republic Of Cameroon, Rwanda, Hungary, Guinea, Suriname, Bangladesh, Mali, Turkey, Luxembourg, Fiji, Viet Nam (sic), Yugoslavia, France, Venezuela and El Salvador.
The series continues to be released as it first was - in sheetlets of 16 stamps - with 4 x 4 different stamps being included in the sheet so that the four different designs meet in the centre of the sheet to form a single se-tenant block of 4 different stamps at the centre of the sheet.
The original Flag series was issued from 1980 to 1989 and then from 1997 additional flags were added to the series to take account of new member states which had joined the UN since 1989. The flag of the most recent new member state, South Sudan, was featured on a new stamp in 2013. Other new flag stamps were added in 2013 and 2014 to accommodate countries which had changed the design of their flags since 1989. Approximately 40 new stamps need to be issued to bring the series up to date.
Issue of 2007:-
Issue of 2013:-
Issue of 2014:-
