Charter of the United Nations

The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational constitutional treaty of the modern international system and serves as the legal and organisational basis of the United Nations (UN). Adopted in the aftermath of the Second World War, it reflects the collective determination of states to prevent future global conflict, uphold human dignity, promote social and economic progress and establish a framework for peaceful cooperation. It remains one of the most important instruments of international law, binding upon all UN Member States and taking precedence over other treaty obligations. With New York as the headquarters of the organisation and Switzerland hosting the UN’s second-largest centre in Geneva, the Charter underpins a global administrative system with universal reach.

Origins and Development

The origins of the Charter were shaped by the political and military realities of the Second World War. Early conceptual foundations emerged through joint public declarations by Allied powers. The Declaration of St James’s Palace of June 1941 first articulated the shared aims of the Allies for a post-war order grounded in economic and social security. Shortly afterwards, the Atlantic Charter of August 1941 expanded these aspirations into eight principles, including self-determination, global economic cooperation, freedom of the seas and rejection of territorial expansion.
On 1 January 1942, representatives of 30 nations signed the Declaration by United Nations, formally uniting the Allied powers under a common name and reaffirming the principles of the Atlantic Charter. An additional twenty-two countries signed the following day. The term “United Nations” itself was proposed by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill endorsed its literary resonance.
The Moscow Declarations of October 1943, signed by the foreign ministers of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States, made the first official commitment to establishing a general international organisation based on sovereign equality and dedicated to maintaining peace and security. In pursuit of this objective, the United States hosted the Dumbarton Oaks Conference between August and October 1944. It was here that the structural blueprint for the United Nations took shape, including the proposal of six principal organs: the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice and Secretariat.

Drafting and Adoption at the San Francisco Conference

The San Francisco Conference, formally known as the United Nations Conference on International Organization, convened on 25 April 1945 with the participation of most of the world’s sovereign states. The delegates discussed, refined and approved the draft Charter. Each section required a two-thirds majority agreement, and the final text was adopted unanimously on 26 June 1945.
Fifty of the fifty-one founding states signed the Charter that day, while the remaining state, the Provisional Government of National Unity of Poland, signed two months later. The Charter entered into force on 24 October 1945 after ratification by the five permanent members of the Security Council—the Republic of China, the Soviet Union, France, the United Kingdom and the United States—along with a majority of other signatories. This date is recognised as the official beginning of the United Nations, and the General Assembly designated 24 October as United Nations Day in 1947, proclaiming it an international holiday in 1971.
Today, 193 Member States have ratified the Charter, making it a universally accepted legal framework for intergovernmental cooperation.

Structure and Contents of the Charter

The Charter is composed of a preamble and 111 articles arranged into 19 chapters. Its structure reflects both aspirational goals and detailed institutional arrangements.
Preamble: The preamble contains a general appeal for the maintenance of peace, social progress and respect for human rights. It also declares the contractual agreement of the peoples’ governments to uphold the Charter, marking it as the first major international document explicitly concerned with human rights.
Chapters I–II: Purposes and MembershipChapter I outlines the purposes of the United Nations, including maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting human rights. Chapter II establishes the criteria for UN membership and the obligations of Member States.
Chapters III–XV: Institutional FrameworkThese chapters define the structure, powers and functions of the principal UN organs:

• General Assembly: a deliberative body representing all Member States.
• Security Council: responsible for international peace and security, including investigation and dispute mediation under Chapter VI and the application of sanctions or use of force under Chapter VII.
• Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC): coordinates economic, social, health and related activities.
• International Court of Justice (ICJ): adjudicates legal disputes between states.
• Trusteeship Council: originally responsible for overseeing decolonisation.
• Secretariat: carries out administrative and executive duties under the authority of the Secretary-General.

Chapters XVI–XIX: Legal Provisions and AmendmentsThese chapters integrate the Charter with existing international law, address provisions linked to the Second World War, and establish procedures for amendment and ratification.

Enforcement and Peacekeeping Provisions

The Charter gives the Security Council unique authority to take binding action. Chapter VI allows the Council to investigate disputes and recommend peaceful solutions, whereas Chapter VII empowers it to impose economic, diplomatic or military measures to maintain or restore peace. Chapter VIII recognises the role of regional organisations in maintaining security, provided their actions align with UN principles.

Economic, Social and Trusteeship Functions

Chapters IX and X describe the UN’s mandate to promote higher standards of living, full employment and social progress. ECOSOC supervises this work through coordination with specialised agencies such as the International Labour Organization, World Health Organization and UNESCO. Chapters XII and XIII establish the Trusteeship Council to supervise territories transitioning towards self-government and independence, a role largely completed by the late twentieth century.

Historical Context and Conceptual Legacy

The evolution of the Charter reflects the transition from the failed League of Nations to a more structured and authoritative global system. Its emphasis on sovereign equality, peaceful settlement of disputes and binding obligations represented an attempt to create a more robust framework for international cooperation.
The wartime declarations that preceded it—particularly the Atlantic Charter and the Declaration by United Nations—reaffirmed economic and social rights, collective security and the principle of self-determination. These concepts became embedded within the Charter and influenced major post-war developments, including decolonisation, human rights instruments and the growth of multilateral diplomacy.
The Dumbarton Oaks blueprint provided the institutional design, while the San Francisco Conference supplied political legitimacy through comprehensive negotiations among a broad range of states.

Role in the Contemporary International System

Since 1945, the Charter has served as both a constitutional document and a legal framework for the international community. Its provisions guide peacekeeping operations, international legal rulings, humanitarian coordination and global economic cooperation. With offices in New York and Geneva—its largest and second-largest centres—the UN operates as the central platform for multilateral decision-making.