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. It entered into force on 24 October 1945, after being ratified by the five permanent

members of the Security Council—the Republic of China under Chapter II of the United Nations

Charter, France, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, 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.

Summary The 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. Chapter I sets forth the purposes of the United

Nations, including the important provisions of the maintenance of international peace

and security. Chapter II defines the criteria for membership

in the United Nations. Chapters III-XV, the bulk of the document,

describe the organs and institutions of the UN and their respective powers.

Chapters XVI and Chapter XVII describe arrangements for integrating the UN with established international

law. Chapters XVIII and Chapter XIX provide for

amendment and ratification of the Charter. The following chapters deal with the enforcement

powers of UN bodies: Chapter VI describes the Security Council's

power to investigate and mediate disputes; Chapter VII describes the Security Council's

power to authorize economic, diplomatic, and military sanctions, as well as the use of

military force, to resolve disputes; Chapter VIII makes it possible for regional

arrangements to maintain peace and security within their own region;

Chapters IX and Chapter X describe the UN's powers for economic and social cooperation,

and the Economic and Social Council that oversees these powers;

Chapters XII and Chapter XIII describe the Trusteeship Council, which oversaw decolonization;

Chapters XIV and Chapter XV establish the powers of, respectively, the International

Court of Justice and the United Nations Secretariat. Chapters XVI through Chapter XIX deal respectively

with XVI: miscellaneous provisions, XVII: transitional security arrangements related

to World War II, XVIII: the charter amendment process, and XIX: ratification of the charter.

Charter Provisions Preamble

The Preamble to the treaty reads as follows:

We the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge

of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and

to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person,

in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and

to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from

treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and

to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

And for these ends to practice tolerance and live together in

peace with one another as good neighbours, and

to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and

to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed

force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and

to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement

of all peoples, 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

Article 1 The Purposes of the United Nations are

To maintain international peace and security, to take effective collective measures for

the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of

aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and

in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement

of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace;

To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal

rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to

strengthen universal peace; To achieve international co-operation in solving

international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in

promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all

without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion; and

To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common

ends. Article 2

The Organization and its Members, in pursuit of the Purposes stated in Article 1, shall

act in accordance with the following Principles: The Organization is based on the principle

of the sovereign equality of all its Members. All Members, in order to ensure to all of

them the rights and benefits resulting from membership, shall fulfill in good faith the

obligations assumed by them in accordance with the present Charter.

All Members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner

that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered.

All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force

against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other

manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.

All Members shall give the United Nations every assistance in any action it takes in

accordance with the present Charter, and shall refrain from giving assistance to any state

against which the United Nations is taking preventive or enforcement action.

The Organization shall ensure that states which are not Members of the United Nations

act in accordance with these Principles so far as may be necessary for the maintenance

of international peace and security. Nothing contained in the present Charter shall

authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the

domestic jurisdiction of any state or shall require the Members to submit such matters

to settlement under the present Charter; but this principle shall not prejudice the application

of enforcement measures under Chapter Vll. Chapter II: Membership

Chapter II of the United Nations Charter deals with membership of the United Nations organization

Chapter III: Organs

There are established as principal organs of the United Nations: a General Assembly,

a Security Council, an Economic and Social Council, a Trusteeship Council, an International

Court of Justice and a Secretariat. Such subsidiary organs as may be found necessary

may be established in accordance with the present Charter.

Chapter IV: The General Assembly

Chapter V: The Security Council

COMPOSITION 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

Chapter VII: Action with respect to Threats to the Peace, Breaches of the Peace, and Acts

of Aggression

Chapter VIII: Regional Arrangements

Chapter IX: International Economic and Social Co-operation

Chapter X: The Economic and Social Council

Chapter XI: Declaration regarding Non-Self-Governing Territories

Chapter XII: International Trusteeship System

Chapter XIII: The Trusteeship Council

Chapter XIV: The International Court of Justice

Chapter XV: The Secretariat It comprises the secretary general and such

other staff as the organization may require. It provides services to the other organs of

the United Nations, such as the G.A, the S.C, the ECOSOC, and the trusteeship council, as

well as their subsidiary bodies. The secretary general is appointed by the

G.A on the recommendation of security council. The staff of the secretariat is appointed

by the secretary general according to the regulation laid G.A.

The secretariat is located at the headquarters of the U.N in New York.

The secretariat also includes the regional commission secretariat at Baghdad, Bangkok,

Geneva and Santiago. Function of Secretariat

preparation of report and other documents containing information, analysis, historical

background research finding, policy suggestions and so forth, to facilitate deliberations

and decision making by other organs. to facilitate legislative organs and their

subsidiary bodies. provision of meeting services for the G.A

and other organs provision of editorial, translation and document

reproduction services for the issuance of UN documents in different language.

conduct of studies and provision of information to various member states in meeting challenge

in various fields preparation of statistical publication, information

bulletin and analytical work which the G.A. has decided

organization of conferences experts group meetings and seminar on topics of concern

to the international community provision of technical assistance to develop

countries. understanding of service mission to countries,

areas or location as authorized by the G.A or the security council

Chapter XVI: Miscellaneous Provisions

Chapter XVII: Transitional Security Arrangements

Chapter XVIII: Amendments

Chapter XIX: Ratification and Signature

See also Command responsibility