26 June 1945 |
San Francisco, California, United States |
24 October 1945 |
Ratification by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, United States and by a majority of the other signatory states. |
193 |
United States |
English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian |
Charter of the United Nations at Wikisource |
The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the intergovernmental organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on 26 June 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries. (Poland, the other original member, which was not represented at the conference, signed it two months later.) It entered into force on 24 October 1945, after being ratified by the original five permanent members of the Security Council—the Republic of China (later replaced by the People''s Republic of China), France, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (later replaced by the Russian Federation), the United Kingdom, and the United States—and a majority of the other signatories.
As a charter, it is a constituent treaty, and all members are bound by its articles. Furthermore, Article 103 of the Charter states that obligations to the United Nations prevail over all other treaty obligations. Most countries in the world have now ratified the Charter.
ContentsThe Charter consists of a preamble and a series of articles grouped into chapters.
The preamble consists of two principal parts. The first part contains a general call for the maintenance of peace and international security and respect for human rights. The second part of the preamble is a declaration in a contractual style that the governments of the peoples of the United Nations have agreed to the Charter.
The following chapters deal with the enforcement powers of UN bodies:
The Preamble to the treaty reads as follows:
We the peoples of the United Nations determined
And for these ends
Have resolved to combine our efforts to accomplish these aims
Accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as the United Nations.Although the Preamble is an integral part of the Charter, it does not set out any of the rights or obligations of member states; its purpose is to serve as an interpretative guide for the provisions of the Charter through the highlighting of some of the core motives of the founders of the organisation.
Chapter I: Purposes And Principles Main article: Chapter I of the United Nations Charter Article 1The Purposes of the United Nations are
The Organization and its Members, in pursuit of the Purposes stated in Article 1, shall act in accordance with the following Principles:
Chapter II of the United Nations Charter deals with membership of the United Nations organization
Chapter III: Organs Main article: Chapter III of the United Nations CharterCOMPOSITION
Article 23
1. The Security Council shall consist of fifteen Members of the United Nations. The Republic of China, France, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America shall be permanent members of the Security Council. The General Assembly shall elect ten other Members of the United Nations to be non-permanent members of the Security Council, due regard being specially paid, in the first instance to the contribution of Members of the United Nations to the maintenance of international peace and security and to the other purposes of the Organization, and also to equitable geographical distribution.
2. The non-permanent members of the Security Council shall be elected for a term of two years. In the first election of the non-permanent members after the increase of the membership of the Security Council from eleven to fifteen, two of the four additional members shall be chosen for a term of one year. A retiring member shall not be eligible for immediate re-election.
3. Each member of the Security Council shall have one representative.
FUNCTIONS and POWERS
Article 24
1. In order to ensure prompt and effective action by the United Nations, its Members confer on the Security Council primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and agree that in carrying out its duties under this responsibility the Security Council acts on their behalf.
2. In discharging these duties the Security Council shall act in accordance with the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations. The specific powers granted to the Security Council for the discharge of these duties are laid down in Chapters VI, VII, VIII, and XII.
3. The Security Council shall submit annual and, when necessary, special reports to the General Assembly for its consideration.
Article 25
The Members of the United Nations agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council in accordance with the present Charter.
Article 26
In order to promote the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security with the least diversion for armaments of the world''s human and economic resources, the Security Council shall be responsible for formulating, with the assistance of the Military Staff Committee referred to in Article 47, plans to be submitted to the Members of the United Nations for the establishment of a system for the regulation of armaments.
VOTING
Article 27
1. Each member of the Security Council shall have one vote.
2. Decisions of the Security Council on procedural matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members.
3. Decisions of the Security Council on all other matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members including the concurring votes of the permanent members; provided that, in decisions under Chapter VI, and under paragraph 3 of Article 52, a party to a dispute shall abstain from voting.
PROCEDURE
Article 28
1. The Security Council shall be so organized as to be able to function continuously. Each member of the Security Council shall for this purpose be represented at all times at the seat of the Organization.
2. The Security Council shall hold periodic meetings at which each of its members may, if it so desires, be represented by a member of the government or by some other specially designated representative.
3. The Security Council may hold meetings at such places other than the seat of the Organization as in its judgment will best facilitate its work.
Article 29
The Security Council may establish such subsidiary organs as it deems necessary for the performance of its functions.
Article 30
The Security Council shall adopt its own rules of procedure, including the method of selecting its President.
Article 31
Any Member of the United Nations which is not a member of the Security Council may participate, without vote, in the discussion of any question brought before the Security Council whenever the latter considers that the interests of that Member are specially affected.
Article 32
Any Member of the United Nations which is not a member of the Security Council or any state which is not a Member of the United Nations, if it is a party to a dispute under consideration by the Security Council, shall be invited to participate, without vote, in the discussion relating to the dispute. The Security Council shall lay down such conditions as it deems just for the participation of a state which is not a Member of the United Nations.
Chapter VI: Pacific Settlement of Disputes Main article: Chapter VI of the United Nations Charter Chapter VII: Action with respect to Threats to the Peace, Breaches of the Peace, and Acts of Aggression Main article: Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter Chapter VIII: Regional Arrangements Main article: Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter Chapter IX: International Economic and Social Co-operation Main article: Chapter IX of the United Nations Charter Chapter X: The Economic and Social Council Main article: Chapter X of the United Nations Charter Chapter XI: Declaration regarding Non-Self-Governing Territories Main article: Chapter XI of the United Nations Charter Chapter XII: International Trusteeship System Main article: Chapter XII of the United Nations Charter Chapter XIII: The Trusteeship Council Main article: Chapter XIII of the United Nations Charter Chapter XIV: The International Court of Justice Main article: Chapter XIV of this United Nations Charter Chapter XV: The SecretariatTags:Arabic, Baghdad, Bangkok, Britain, California, China, Chinese, France, French, General Assembly, Geneva, International Court of Justice, Ireland, Nations, New York, Pacific, Poland, President, Russian, Russian Federation, San Francisco, Security Council, Soviet, Soviet Union, U.N, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Kingdom, United Nations, United Nations Charter, United States, Wikipedia, World War II