The Charter of the United Nations was signed on 26 June 1945, in San Francisco, at the conclusion of the United Nations Conference on International Organization, and came into force on 24 October 1945. The Statute of the International Court of Justice is an integral part of the Charter.
The signing of the Charter, by 50 of the 51 founding member states (Poland was absent, so signed later), brought the UN into existance and set out its many goals and ideals, as outlined below.
Preamble[]
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 (sic.) 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.
Index of the Charter[]
- Chapter I: Purposes and Principles
- Chapter II: Membership
- Chapter III: Organs
- Chapter IV: The General Assembly
- Chapter V: The Security Council
- 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
- Chapter XVI: Miscellaneous Provisions
- Chapter XVII: Transitional Security Arrangements
- Chapter XVIII: Amendments
- Chapter XIX: Ratification and Signature