The
United Nations Charter is the
treaty that forms and establishes the
international organization called the
United Nations[1]. It was signed at the
United Nations Conference on International Organization in
San Francisco,
California,
United States, in 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries (
Poland, the other original member, which was not represented at the conference, signed it later). It entered into force on
October 24,
1945, after being ratified by the 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, the Charter states that obligations to the United Nations prevail over all other treaty obligations.[1] Most countries in the world have now ratified the Charter. One notable exception is the Holy See, which has chosen to remain a permanent observer state and therefore is not a full signatory to the Charter. [1]
The Charter consists of a preamble and a series of articles grouped into chapters.[1]
The following chapters deal with the enforcement powers of UN bodies
