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Annotated Chater of the United Nations
Annotation of the UN Charter
is in italics
PREAMBLE
In the Preamble, all the nations agree
to work together to prevent armed conflict and to act in the common
interest of all members. The language is poetic and idealistic.
The Charter is written in the name of "We the Peoples" of the world,
a commitment to all people, not only states or governments.
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.
CHAPTER I
PURPOSES AND PRINCIPLES
The UN's stated purposes are to maintain
peace and to encourage international cooperation, especially to
facilitate collective action to prevent threats to peace, stop aggression,
and solve economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems.
Member states commit to the equality of all members, settling their
disputes peacefully in accordance with international law, not using
force against other states, and supporting the actions of the UN.
This section also recognizes the principle of sovereignty, which
means that the UN cannot interfere in the internal matters of a
state. However, the principle of sovereignty is not meant to prevent
actions under Chapter VII, such as military
actions by the UN. In addition, this section mentions principles
such as equal rights "without distinction as to race, sex, language,
or religion" and the self-determination of peoples.
Article 1
The Purposes of the United Nations are:
1.To maintain international peace and security,
and to that end: 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;
2.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;
3.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
4.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.
1.The Organization is based on the principle
of the sovereign equality of all its Members.
2.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.
3.All Members shall settle their international
disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace
and security, and justice, are not endangered.
4.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.
5.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.
6.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.
7.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
Membership in the UN is open to any country
which formally agrees to the Charter and which accepts the obligations
within the Charter. The Security Council recommends whether or not
a state can be admitted; the General Assembly receives the recommendation,
and then votes on whether or not to admit. A member who has broken
the UN's rules can be temporarily suspended by the Security Council,
and then given back its privileges. States who routinely violate
the UN¯s rules can be expelled permanently by the General Assembly
on the Security Council¯s recommendation.
Article 3
The original Members of the United Nations shall be the states which,
having participated in the United Nations Conference on International
Organization at San Francisco, or having previously signed the Declaration
by United Nations of 1 January 1942, sign the present Charter and
ratify it in accordance with Article 110.
Article 4
1. Membership in the United Nations is open to all other peace-loving
states which accept the obligations contained in the present Charter
and, in the judgment of the Organization, are able and willing to
carry out these obligations.
2. The admission of any such state to membership
in the United Nations will be effected by a decision of the General
Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.
Article 5
A Member of the United Nations against which preventive or enforcement
action has been taken by the Security Council may be suspended from
the exercise of the rights and privileges of membership by the General
Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. The exercise
of these rights and privileges may be restored by the Security Council.
Article 6
A Member of the United Nations which has persistently violated the
Principles contained in the present Charter may be expelled from
the Organization by the General Assembly upon the recommendation
of the Security Council.
CHAPTER III
ORGANS
This section names the principle organs
of the UN: the General Assembly
, the Security Council, the Economic
and Social Council, the Trusteeship
Council, the International Court
of Justice, and the Secretariat.
The charter also leaves open the possibility to create more. There
are no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate
in UN bodies.
Article 7
1.There are established as the 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.
2.Such subsidiary organs as may be found necessary
may be established in accordance with the present Charter.
Article 8
The United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility
of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions
of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs.
CHAPTER IV
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
This section describes the composition,
functions, powers, and procedural rules of the General Assembly
(GA). The GA may discuss any
topic having to do with cooperation, the maintenance of international
peace and security, human rights, or any other topic, unless the
Security Council is actively discussing the matter. (This means
if, for instance, the Security Council is having a debate on the
situation in the Middle East, the General Assembly cannot pass a
resolution on this subject.) The GA also can receives reports from
the Security Council or other UN bodies, as well as commissioning
or issuing reports of its own. The GA is responsible for the budget
of the United Nations, including determining how much a country
owes in dues. A UN member who owes two years worth of back dues
can have its right to vote revoked, unless the GA votes that the
country's inability to pay is due to circumstances beyond the country's
control. (Often, countries that have suffered major natural disasters
are given permission not to pay their dues for a year.) Each country
has one vote in the GA. Voting on "important questions," such as
the election of members to other bodies, issues of peace and security,
new members, and most substantive questions requires a 2/3 majority
to pass. Voting on other topics requires a majority of votes. The
GA must meet annually and can meet in other sessions if called by
the Secretary General.
COMPOSITION
Article 9
1.The General Assembly shall consist of all the Members of the United
Nations.
2.Each Member shall have not more than five representatives in the
General Assembly. FUNCTIONS and POWERS
Article 10
The General Assembly may discuss any questions or any matters within
the scope of the present Charter or relating to the powers and functions
of any organs provided for in the present Charter, and, except as
provided in Article 12, may make recommendations to the Members
of the United Nations or to the Security Council or to both on any
such questions or matters.
Article 11
1.The General Assembly may consider the general principles of co-operation
in the maintenance of international peace and security, including
the principles governing disarmament and the regulation of armaments,
and may make recommendations with regard to such principles to the
Members or to the Security Council or to both.
2.The General Assembly may discuss any questions
relating to the maintenance of international peace and security
brought before it by any Member of the United Nations, or by the
Security Council, or by a state which is not a Member of the United
Nations in accordance with Article 35, paragraph 2, and, except
as provided in Article 12, may make recommendations with regard
to any such questions to the state or states concerned or to the
Security Council or to both. Any such question on which action is
necessary shall be referred to the Security Council by the General
Assembly either before or after discussion.
3.The General Assembly may call the attention
of the Security Council to situations which are likely to endanger
international peace and security.
4.The powers of the General Assembly set forth
in this Article shall not limit the general scope of Article 10.
Article 12
1.While the Security Council is exercising in respect of any dispute
or situation the functions assigned to it in the present Charter,
the General Assembly shall not make any recommendation with regard
to that dispute or situation unless the Security Council so requests.
2.The Secretary-General, with the consent
of the Security Council, shall notify the General Assembly at each
session of any matters relative to the maintenance of international
peace and security which are being dealt with by the Security Council
and shall similarly notify the General Assembly, or the Members
of the United Nations if the General Assembly is not in session,
immediately the Security Council ceases to deal with suchmatters.
Article 13
1.The General Assembly shall initiate studies and make recommendations
for the purpose of:
a. promoting international co-operation in the political field and
encouraging the progressive development of international law and
its codification;
b. promoting international co-operation in the economic, social,
cultural, educational, and health fields, and assisting in the realization
of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction
as to race, sex, language, or religion.
2.The further responsibilities, functions
and powers of the General Assembly with respect to matters mentioned
in paragraph 1 (b) above are set forth in Chapters IX and X.
Article 14
Subject to the provisions of Article 12, the General Assembly may
recommend measures for the peaceful adjustment of any situation,
regardless of origin, which it deems likely to impair the general
welfare or friendly relations among nations, including situations
resulting from a violation of the provisions of the present Charter
setting forth the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations.
Article 15
1.The General Assembly shall receive and consider annual and special
reports from the Security Council; these reports shall include an
account of the measures that the Security Council has decided upon
or taken to maintain international peace and security.
2.The General Assembly shall receive and consider reports from the
other organs of the United Nations.
Article 16
The General Assembly shall perform such functions with respect to
the international trusteeship system as are assigned to it under
Chapters XII and XIII, including the approval of the trusteeship
agreements for areasnot designated as strategic.
Article 17
1.The General Assembly shall consider and approve the budget of
the Organization.
2.The expenses of the Organization shall be borne by the Members
as apportioned by the General Assembly.
3.The General Assembly shall consider and approve any financial
and budgetary arrangements with specialized agencies referred to
in Article 57 and shall examine the administrative budgets of such
specialized agencies with a view to making recommendations to the
agencies concerned.
VOTING
Article 18
1.Each member of the General Assembly shall have one vote. Decisions
of the General Assembly on important questions shall be made by
a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting. These questions
shall include: recommendations with respect to the maintenance of
international peace and security, the election of the non-permanent
members of the Security Council, the election of the members of
the Economic and Social Council, the election of members of the
Trusteeship Council in accordance with paragraph 1 (c) of Article
86, the admission of new Members to the United Nations, the suspension
of the rights and privileges of membership, the expulsion of Members,
questions relating to the operation of the trusteeship system, and
budgetary questions.
2.Decisions on other questions, including
the determination of additional categories of questions to be decided
by a two-thirds majority, shall be made by a majority of the members
present and voting.
Article 19
A Member of the United Nations which is in arrears in the payment
of its financial contributions to the Organization shall have no
vote in the General Assembly if the amount of its arrears equals
or exceeds the amount of the contributions due from it for the preceding
two full years. The General Assembly may, nevertheless, permit such
a Member to vote if it is satisfied that the failure to pay is due
to conditions beyond the control of the Member.
PROCEDURE
Article 20
The General Assembly shall meet in regular annual sessions and in
such special sessions as occasion may require. Special sessions
shall be convoked by the Secretary-General at the request of the
Security Council or of a majority of the Members of the United Nations.
Article 21
The General Assembly shall adopt its own rules of procedure. It
shall elect its President for each session.
Article 22
The General Assembly may establish such subsidiary organs as it
deems necessary for the performance of its functions.
CHAPTER V
THE SECURITY COUNCIL
This section describes the composition
and rules of the Security Council
(SC). The specific duties of the SC are spelled out in Chapters
VI, VII, VIII,
and XII. The Security Council has five permanent
members: China, France, Great Britain, Russia, and the USA. It also
has ten members, geographically distributed, who are elected for
two-year terms. The Security Council is always in session. On topics
of international peace and security, the Security Council has the
permission of all the members to act on their behalf. In addition
to acting on these issues, the SC works on the regulation of arms
and submits reports to the General Assembly. For a measure to pass
in the Security Council, nine members must vote for it. However,
all of the permanent members must either vote for a resolution or
abstain from voting for it to pass. (This is popularly called the
veto, and every permanent member has used it, especially during
the Cold War.) When the SC addresses issues pertaining to a state
that is not a member of the SC, or even of the UN, that state may
be invited to participate in debate, without a vote, at the discretion
of the SC.
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 itsmembers may, if it so desires, be represented by a member
of thegovernment 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
All countries involved in disputes should
try to end them by negotiation or other peaceful tactics. The Security
Council is the body that deals with dispute settlement. It may investigate
disputes, call for peaceful settlement, and encourage the use of
peaceful means of conflict resolution. If the countries are unable
to resolve their conflict, they may ask the SC for help, and the
SC can either investigate the conflict and encourage a peaceful
resolution, or it can make specific recommendations for a settlement.
Article 33
1.The parties to any dispute, the continuance of which is likely
to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security,
shall, first of all, seek a solution by negotiation, enquiry, mediation,
conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional
agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means of their own choice.
2.The Security Council shall, when it deems
necessary, call upon the parties to settle their dispute by such
means.
Article 34
The Security Council may investigate any dispute, or any situation
which might lead to international friction or give rise to a dispute,
in order to determine whether the continuance of the dispute or
situation is likely to endanger the maintenance of international
peace and security.
Article 35
1.Any Member of the United Nations may bring any dispute, or any
situation of the nature referred to in Article 34, to the attention
of the Security Council or of the General Assembly.
2.A state which is not a Member of the United
Nations may bring to the attention of the Security Council or of
the General Assembly any dispute to which it is a party if it accepts
in advance, for the purposes of the dispute, the obligations of
pacific settlement provided in the present Charter.
3.The proceedings of the General Assembly
in respect of matters brought to its attention under this Article
will be subject to the provisions of Articles 11 and 12.
Article 36
1.The Security Council may, at any stage of a dispute of the nature
referred to in Article 33 or of a situation of like nature, recommend
appropriate procedures or methods of adjustment.
2.The Security Council should take into consideration
any procedures for the settlement of the dispute which have already
been adopted by the parties.
3.In making recommendations under this Article
the Security Council should also take into consideration that legal
disputes should as a general rule be referred by the parties to
the International Court of Justice in accordance with the provisions
of the Statute of the Court.
Article 37
1.Should the parties to a dispute of the nature referred to in Article
33 fail to settle it by the means indicated in that Article, they
shall refer it to the Security Council.
2.If the Security Council deems that the continuance
of the dispute is in fact likely to endanger the maintenance of
international peace and security, it shall decide whether to take
action under Article 36 or to recommend such terms of settlement
as it may consider appropriate.
Article 38
Without prejudice to the provisions of Articles 33 to 37, the Security
Council may, if all the parties to any dispute so request, make
recommendations to the parties with a view to a pacific settlement
of the dispute.
CHAPTER VII
ACTION WITH RESPECT TO THREATS TO THE PEACE, BREACHES OF THE PEACE,
AND ACTS OF AGGRESSION
The Security Council determines when there
is a threat of war or an act of aggression, and can then make whatever
sort of recommendations it deems best. For instance, it can make
provisional recommendations (such as withdrawing from a territory
or a cease-fire) as a prelude to negotiations. It may also order
economic sanctions, the interruption of air travel,, or other means
of stopping relations. Finally, if these measures do not work, the
Security Council can use military troops to stop a conflict. (For
instance, the 1990 Gulf War was a SC action.) All UN members are
called on to contribute troops to UN operations. A Military Staff
Committee helps the SC in organizing and planning the military action.
States who suffer economic consequences from a SC military action
can bring their problem to the SC for a conclusion. Finally, despite
the fact that all disputes are to be solved peacefully, members
may still act in self-defense, as long as they tell the Security
Council about their action.
Article 39
The Security Council shall determine the existence of any threat
to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and shall
make recommendations, or decide what measures shall be taken in
accordance with Articles 41 and 42, to maintain or restore international
peace and security.
Article 40
In order to prevent an aggravation of the situation, the Security
Council may, before making the recommendations or deciding upon
the measures provided for in Article 39, call upon the parties concerned
to comply with such provisional measures as it deems necessary or
desirable. Such provisional measures shall be without prejudice
to the rights, claims, or position of the parties concerned. The
Security Council shall duly take account of failure to comply with
such provisional measures.
Article 41
The Security Council may decide what measures not involving the
use of armed force are to be employed to give effect to its decisions,
and it may call upon the Members of the United Nations to apply
such measures. These may include complete or partial interruption
of economic relations and of rail, sea, air, postal, telegraphic,
radio, and other means of communication, and the severance of diplomatic
relations.
Article 42
Should the Security Council consider that measures provided for
in Article 41 would be inadequate or have proved to be inadequate,
it may take such action by air, sea, or land forces as may be necessary
to maintain or restore international peace and security. Such action
may include demonstrations, blockade, and other operations by air,
sea, or land forces of Members of the United Nations.
Article 43
1.All Members of the United Nations, in order to contribute to the
maintenance of international peace and security, undertake to make
available to the Security Council, on its call and in accordance
with a special agreement or agreements, armed forces, assistance,
and facilities, including rights of passage, necessary for the purpose
of maintaining international peace and security.
2.Such agreement or agreements shall govern
the numbers and types of forces, their degree of readiness and general
location, and the nature of the facilities and assistance to be
provided.
3.The agreement or agreements shall be negotiated
as soon as possible on the initiative of the Security Council. They
shall be concluded between the Security Council and Members or between
the Security Council and groups of Members and shall be subject
to ratification by the signatory states in accordance with their
respective constitutional processes.
Article 44
When the Security Council has decided to use force it shall, before
calling upon a Member not represented on it to provide armed forces
in fulfilment of the obligations assumed under Article 43, invite
that Member, if the Member so desires, to participate in the decisions
of the Security Council concerning the employment of contingents
of that Member's armed forces.
Article 45
In order to enable the United Nations to take urgent military measures,
Members shall hold immediately available national air-force contingents
for combined international enforcement action. The strength and
degree of readiness of these contingents and plans for their combined
action shall be determined within the limits laid down in the special
agreement or agreements referred to in Article 43, by the Security
Council with the assistance of the Military Staff Committee.
Article 46
Plans for the application of armed force shall be made by the Security
Council with the assistance of the Military Staff Committee.
Article 47
1.There shall be established a Military Staff Committee to advise
and assist the Security Council on all questions relating to the
Security Council's military requirements for the maintenance of
international peace and security, the employment and command of
forces placed at its disposal, the regulation of armaments, and
possible disarmament.
2.The Military Staff Committee shall consist
of the Chiefs of Staff of the permanent members of the Security
Council or their representatives. Any Member of the United Nations
not permanently represented on the Committee shall be invited by
the Committee to be associated with it when the efficient discharge
of the Committee's responsibilities requires the participation of
that Member in its work.
3.The Military Staff Committee shall be responsible
under the Security Council for the strategic direction of anyarmed
forces placed at the disposal of the Security Council. Questions
relating to the command of such forces shall be worked out subsequently.
4.The Military Staff Committee, with the authorization
of the Security Council and after consultation with appropriate
regional agencies, may establish regional sub-committees.
Article 48
1.The action required to carry out the decisions of the Security
Council for the maintenance of international peace and security
shall be taken by all the Members of the United Nations or by some
of them, as the
Security Council may determine.
2.Such decisions shall be carried out by the
Members of the United Nations directly and through their action
in the appropriate international agencies of which they remembers.
Article 49
The Members of the United Nations shall join in affording mutual
assistance in carrying out the measures decided upon by the Security
Council.
Article 50
If preventive or enforcement measures against any state are taken
by the Security Council, any other state, whether a Member of the
United Nations or not, which finds itself confronted with special
economic problems arising from the carrying out of those measures
shall have the right to consult the Security Council with regard
to a solution of those problems.
Article 51
Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of
individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs
against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council
has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and
security. Measures taken by Members in the exercise of this right
of self-defence shall be immediately reported to the Security Council
and shall not in any way affect the authority and responsibility
of the Security Council under the present Charter to take at any
time such action as it deems necessary in order to maintain or restore
international peace and security.
CHAPTER VIII
REGIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
Regional bodies for peace and security
issues are permitted under the charter. Regional bodies should try
to resolve internal conflicts first, before referring them to the
UN. The Security Council can use regional bodies to perform enforcement
actions. (See Chapter VII.) Regional bodies
must keep the SC informed of their actions. This section contains
a relic to the post-World War II writing of the Charter: a reference
to "enemy states," meaning any state which during the Second World
War has been an enemy of any signatory of the present Charter. When
the Charter was written, the Axis powers were prevented from becoming
members. However, in the present UN, states such as Germany and
Japan are some of the most active and enthusiastic members of the
UN.
Article 52
1.Nothing in the present Charter precludes the existence of regional
arrangements or agencies for dealing with such matters relating
to the maintenance of international peace and security as are appropriate
for regional action provided that such arrangements or agencies
and their activities are consistent with the Purposes and Principles
of the United Nations.
2.The Members of the United Nations entering
into such arrangements or constituting such agencies shall make
every effort to achieve pacific settlement of local disputes through
such regional arrangements or by such regional agencies before referring
them to the Security Council.
3.The Security Council shall encourage the
development of pacific settlement of local disputes through such
regional arrangements or by such regional agencies either on the
initiative of the states concerned or by reference from the Security
Council.
4.This Article in no way impairs the application
of Articles 34 and 35.
Article 53
1.The Security Council shall, where appropriate, utilize such regional
arrangements or agencies for enforcement action under its authority.
But no enforcement action shall be taken under regional arrangements
or by regional agencies without the authorization of the Security
Council, with the exception of measures against any enemy state,
as defined in paragraph 2 of this Article, provided for pursuant
to Article 107 or in regional arrangements directed against renewal
of aggressive policy on the part of any such state, until such time
as the Organization may, on request of the Governments concerned,
be charged with the responsibility for preventing further aggression
by such a state.
2.The term enemy state as used in paragraph
1 of this Article applies to any state which during the Second World
War has been an enemy of any signatory of the present Charter.
Article 54
The Security Council shall at all times be kept fully informed of
activities undertaken or in contemplation under regional arrangements
or by regional agencies for the maintenance of international peace
and security.
CHAPTER IX
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CO-OPERATION
The UN works for economic wellbeing, international
cooperation for the resolution of economic, social, and health problems,
and human rights. To this end, the UN creates specialized agencies
or incorporates specialized agencies already in existence.
Article 55
With a view to the creation of conditions of stability and well-being
which are necessary for peaceful and friendly relations among nations
based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination
of peoples, the United Nations shall promote:
a. higher standards of living, full employment,
and conditions of economic and social progress and development;
b. solutions of international economic, social, health, and related
problems; and international cultural and educational cooperation;
and
c. universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and
fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex,
language, or religion.
Article 56
All Members pledge themselves to take joint and separate action
in co-operation with the Organization for the achievement of the
purposes set forth in Article 55.
Article 57
1.The various specialized agencies, established by intergovernmental
agreement and having wide international responsibilities, as defined
in their basic instruments, in economic, social, cultural, educational,
health, and related fields, shall be brought into relationship with
the United Nations in accordance with the provisions of Article
63.
2.Such agencies thus brought into relationship with the United Nations
are hereinafter referred to as specialized agencies.
Article 58
The Organization shall make recommendations for the co-ordination
of the policies and activities of the specialized agencies.
Article 59
The Organization shall, where appropriate, initiate negotiations
among the states concerned for the creation of any new specialized
agencies required for the accomplishment of the purposes set forth
in Article 55.
Article 60
Responsibility for the discharge of the functions of the Organization
set forth in this Chapter shall be vested in the General Assembly
and, under the authority of the General Assembly, in the Economic
and Social Council, which shall have for this purpose the powers
set forth in Chapter X.
CHAPTER X
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
The Economic
and Social Council, ECOSOC, has 54 members, elected by the General
Assembly, who serve a three-year term. ECOSOC can issue studies
and reports or order them from other agencies, recommend action
to the GA on economic, social, cultural, educational issues, or
health, human rights, and fundamental freedoms, or draft conventions
for the GA to adopt. It can work with specialized agencies and provide
information to the Security Council as well. It can also perform
services for the GA or for member states. ECOSOC sets up commissions,
which handle specific issues. Specialized agencies, UN members who
are not ECOSOC members, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
can all participate without vote in the debate in ECOSOC commissions
and committees. (This is the only place in the Charter where NGOs
are mentioned, and is the basis for their work at the UN.) Each
member has one vote in ECOSOC, and all measures must be passed by
a majority vote.
COMPOSITION
Article 61
1.The Economic and Social Council shall consist of fifty-four Members
of the United Nations elected by the General Assembly.
2.Subject to the provisions of paragraph 3, eighteen members of
the Economic and Social Council shall be elected each year for a
term of three years. A retiring member shall be eligible for immediate
re-election.
3.At the first election after the increase in the membership of
the Economic and Social Council from twenty-seven to fifty-four
members, in addition to the members elected in place of the nine
members whose term of office expires at the end of that year, twenty-seven
additional members shall be elected. Of these twenty-seven additional
members, the term of office of nine members so elected shall expire
at the end of one year, and of nine other members at the end of
two years, in accordance with arrangements made by the General Assembly.
4. Each member of the Economic and Social Council shall have one
representative.
FUNCTIONS and POWERS
Article 62
1.The Economic and Social Council may make or initiate studies and
reports with respect to international economic, social, cultural,
educational, health, and related matters and may make recommendations
with respect to any such matters to the General Assembly to the
Members of the United Nations, and to the specialized agencies concerned.
2.It may make recommendations for the purpose of promoting respect
for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for
all.
3.It may prepare draft conventions for submission to the General
Assembly, with respect to matters falling within its competence.
4.It may call, in accordance with the rules prescribed by the United
Nations,international conferences on matters falling within its
competence.
Article 63
1.The Economic and Social Council may enter into agreements with
any of the agencies referred to in Article 57, defining the terms
on which the agency concerned shall be brought into relationship
with the United Nations. Such agreements shall be subject to approval
by the General Assembly.
2.It may co-ordinate the activities of the specialized agencies
through consultation with and recommendations to such agencies and
through recommendations to the General Assembly and to the Members
of the United Nations.
Article 64
1.The Economic and Social Council may take appropriate steps to
obtain regular reports from the specialized agencies. It may make
arrangements with the Members of the United Nations and with the
specialized agencies to obtain reports on the steps taken to give
effect to its own recommendations and to recommendations on matters
falling within its competence made by the General Assembly.
2.It may communicate its observations on these reports to the General
Assembly.
Article 65
The Economic and Social Council may furnish information to the Security
Council and shall assist the Security Council upon its request.
Article 66
1.The Economic and Social Council shall perform such functions as
fall within its competence in connexion with the carrying out of
the recommendations of the General Assembly.
2.It may, with the approval of the General Assembly, perform services
at the request of Members of the United Nations and at the request
of specialized agencies.
3.It shall perform such other functions as are specified elsewhere
in the present Charter or as may be assigned to it by the General
Assembly.
VOTING
Article 67
1.Each member of the Economic and Social Council shall have one
vote.
2.Decisions of the Economic and Social Council shall be made by
a majority of the members present and voting.
PROCEDURE
Article 68
The Economic and Social Council shall set up commissions in economic
and social fields and for the promotion of human rights, and such
other commissions as may be required for the performance of its
functions.
Article 69
The Economic and Social Council shall invite any Member of the United
Nations to participate, without vote, in its deliberations on any
matter of particular concern to that Member.
Article 70
The Economic and Social Council may make arrangements for representatives
of the specialized agencies to participate, without vote, in its
deliberations and in those of the commissions established by it,
and for its representatives to participate in the deliberations
of the specialized agencies.
Article 71
The Economic and Social Council may make suitable arrangements for
consultation with non-governmental organizations which are concerned
with matters within its competence. Such arrangements may be made
with international organizations and, where appropriate, with national
organizations after consultation with the Member of the United Nations
concerned.
Article 72
1.The Economic and Social Council shall adopt its own rules of procedure,
including the method of selecting its President.
2.The Economic and Social Council shall meet as required in accordance
with its rules, which shall include provision for the convening
of meetings on the request of a majority of its members.
CHAPTER XI
DECLARATION REGARDING NON-SELF-GOVERNING TERRITORIES
This section is a statement of principle
on colonies and other non-self-governing territories. In these territories,
the interests of the people who live there should be most important
and should be protected. Those governing the territories should
aim for the development and protected of those in the territories,
should help them develop self-government, and should respect their
political desires. The principle emphasized is "good-neighbourliness."
Article 73
Members of the United Nations which have or assume responsibilities
for the administration of territories whose peoples have not yet
attained a full measure of self-government recognize the principle
that the interests of the inhabitants of these territories are paramount,
and accept as a sacred trust the obligation to promote to the utmost,
within the system of international peace and security established
by the present Charter, the well-being of the inhabitants of these
territories, and, to this end:
a. to ensure, with due respect for the culture
of the peoples concerned, their political, economic, social, and
educational advancement, their just treatment, and their protection
against abuses;
b. to develop self-government, to take due account of the political
aspirations of the peoples, and to assist them in the progressive
development of their free political institutions, according to
the particular circumstances of each territory and its peoples
and their varying stages of advancement;
c. to further international peace and security;
d. to promote constructive measures of development, to encourage
research, and to co-operate with one another and, when and where
appropriate, with specialized international bodies with a view
to the practical achievement of the social, economic, and scientific
purposes set forth in this Article; and
e. to transmit regularly to the Secretary-General for information
purposes, subject to such limitation as security and constitutional
considerations may require, statistical and other information
of a technical nature relating to economic, social, and educational
conditions in the territories for which they are respectively
responsible other than those territories to which Chapters XII
and XIII apply.
Article 74
Members of the United Nations also agree that their policy in respect
of the territories to which this Chapter applies, no less than in
respect of their metropolitan areas, must be based on the general
principle of good-neighbourliness, due account being taken of the
interests and well-being of the rest of the world, in social, economic,
and commercial matters.
CHAPTER XII
INTERNATIONAL TRUSTEESHIP SYSTEM
Eleven non-self-governing territories were
brought under the Trusteeship System, which was a system designed
to guide territories toward self-determination. These territories
have all become self-determining at this point. In the system, countries
voluntarily placed territories which they administered, such as
territories they acquired under the mandate system, territories
which were taken from the Axis powers in WWII, or any other non-self-governing
territory. The territories were referred to as trust territories
and the ruling power was called the administrative authority. Once
a territory has become a UN member, it cannot be a trust territory.
The terms of the trusteeship agreement were determined by the states
concerned (although not by the people of the territory). The administrative
authority, under the trusteeship agreement, could be a member state,
a group of member states or the UN itself. If a trust territory
or a portion of one was designated a "strategic area," then the
SC had to agree on its administration; otherwise, the GA had to
agree. This created a system wherein, in theory, colonies could
be guided toward self-government under the administration of the
UN, which would monitor their administrative authority.
Article 75
The United Nations shall establish under its authority an international
trusteeship system for the administration and supervision of such
territories as may be placed thereunder by subsequent individual
agreements. These territories are hereinafter referred to as trust
territories.
Article 76
The basic objectives of the trusteeship system, in accordance with
the Purposes of the United Nations laid down in Article 1 of the
present Charter, shall be:
a. to further international peace and security;
b. to promote the political, economic, social, and educational
advancement of the inhabitants of the trust territories, and their
progressive development towards self-government or independence
as may be appropriate to the particular circumstances of each
territory and its peoples and the freely expressed wishes of the
peoples concerned, and as may be provided by the terms of each
trusteeship agreement;
c. to encourage respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms
for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion,
and to encourage recognition of the interdependence of the peoples
of the world; and
d. to ensure equal treatment in social, economic, and commercial
matters for all Members of the United Nations and their nationals,
and also equal treatment for the latter in the administration
of justice, without prejudice to the attainment of the foregoing
objectives and subject to the provisions of Article 80.
Article 77
1.The trusteeship system shall apply to such territories in the
following categories as may be placed thereunder by means of trusteeship
agreements:
a. territories now held under mandate;
b. territories which may be detached from enemy states as a result
of the Second World War; and
c. territories voluntarily placed under the system by states responsiblefor
their administration.
2. It will be a matter for subsequent agreement
as to which territories in the foregoing categories will be brought
under the trusteeship system and upon what terms.
Article 78
The trusteeship system shall not apply to territories which have
become Members of the United Nations, relationship among which shall
be based on respect for the principle of sovereign equality.
Article 79
The terms of trusteeship for each territory to be placed under the
trusteeship system, including any alteration or amendment, shall
be agreed upon by the states directly concerned, including the mandatory
power in the case of territories held under mandate by a Member
of the United Nations, and shall be approved as provided for in
Articles 83 and 85.
Article 80
1.Except as may be agreed upon in individual trusteeship agreements,
made under Articles 77, 79, and 81, placing each territory under
the trusteeship system, and until such agreements have been concluded,
nothing in this Chapter shall be construed in or of itself to alter
in any manner the rights whatsoever of any states or any peoples
or the terms of existing international instruments to which Members
of the United Nations may respectively be parties.
2.Paragraph 1 of this Article shall not be interpreted as giving
grounds for delay or postponement of the negotiation and conclusion
of agreements for placing mandated and other territories under the
trusteeship system as provided for in Article 77.
Article 81
The trusteeship agreement shall in each case include the terms under
which the trust territory will be administered and designate the
authority which will exercise the administration of the trust territory.
Such authority, hereinafter called the administering authority,
may be one or more states or the Organization itself.
Article 82
There may be designated, in any trusteeship agreement, a strategic
area or areas which may include part or all of the trust territory
to which the agreement applies, without prejudice to any special
agreement or agreements made under Article 43.
Article 83
1.All functions of the United Nations relating to strategic areas,
including the approval of the terms of the trusteeship agreements
and of their alteration or amendment shall be exercised by the Security
Council.
2.The basic objectives set forth in Article 76 shall be applicable
to the people of each strategic area.
3.The Security Council shall, subject to the provisions of the trusteeship
agreements and without prejudice to security considerations, avail
itself of the assistance of the Trusteeship Council to perform those
functions of the United Nations under the trusteeship system relating
to political, economic, social, and educational matters in the strategic
areas.
Article 84
It shall be the duty of the administering authority to ensure that
the trust territory shall play its part in the maintenance of international
peace and security. To this end the administering authority may
make use of volunteer forces, facilities, and assistance from the
trust territory in carrying out the obligations towards the Security
Council undertaken in this regard by the administering authority,
as well as for local defence and the maintenance of law and order
within the trust territory.
Article 85
1.The functions of the United Nations with regard to trusteeship
agreements for all areas not designated as strategic, including
the approval of the terms of the trusteeship agreements and of their
alteration or amendment, shall be exercised by the General Assembly.
2.The Trusteeship Council, operating under the authority of the
General Assembly shall assist the General Assembly in carrying out
these functions.
CHAPTER XIII
THE TRUSTEESHIP COUNCIL
This section describes the Trusteeship
Council, which is no longer active. It was composed of all member
states who were administering trust territories and an equal number
of member states that were not. The members must include the five
permanent members. It has various duties, such as soliciting and
reviewing reports from administering authorities on the status of
the trust territories.
COMPOSITION
Article 86
1.The Trusteeship Council shall consist of the following Members
of the United Nations:
a. those Members administering trust territories;
b. such of those Members mentioned by name in Article 23 as are
not administering trust territories; and
c. as many other Members elected for three-year terms by the General
Assembly as may be necessary to ensure that the total number of
members of the Trusteeship Council is equally divided between
those Members of the United Nations which administer trust territories
and those which do not.
2.Each member of the Trusteeship Council shall
designate one specially qualified person to represent it therein.
FUNCTIONS and POWERS
Article 87
The General Assembly and, under its authority, the Trusteeship Council,
in carrying out their functions, may:
a. consider reports submitted by the administering
authority;
b. accept petitions and examine them in consultation with the
administering authority;
c. provide for periodic visits to the respective trust territories
at times agreed upon with the administering authority; and
d. take these and other actions in conformity with the terms of
the trusteeship agreements.
Article 88
The Trusteeship Council shall formulate a questionnaire on the political,
economic, social, and educational advancement of the inhabitants
of each trust territory, and the administering authority for each
trust territory within the competence of the General Assembly shall
make an annual report to the General Assembly upon the basis of
such questionnaire.
VOTING
Article 89
1.Each member of the Trusteeship Council shall have one vote.
2.Decisions of the Trusteeship Council shall be made by a majority
of the members present and voting.
PROCEDURE
Article 90
1.The Trusteeship Council shall adopt its own rules of procedure,
including the method of selecting its President.
2.The Trusteeship Council shall meet as required in accordance with
its rules, which shall include provision for the convening of meetings
on the request of a majority of its members.
Article 91
The Trusteeship Council shall, when appropriate, avail itself of
the assistance of the Economic and Social Council and of the specialized
agencies in regard to matters with which they are respectively concerned.
CHAPTER XIV
THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
The International
Court of Justice (ICJ) is designed to rule on disagreements
between states. All UN members are members of the ICJ, and other
states can become members as well. States must comply with ICJ rulings,
or else the case will be brought to the attention of the SC. States
can also take conflicts to other international judiciary bodies,
if so desired. If the UN or any UN body has a legal question, the
ICJ can issue an opinion.
Article 92
The International Court of Justice shall be the principal judicial
organ of the United Nations. It shall function in accordance with
the annexed Statute, which is based upon the Statute of the Permanent
Court of International Justice and forms an integral part of the
present Charter.
Article 93
1.All Members of the United Nations are ipso facto parties to the
Statute of the International Court of Justice.
2.A state which is not a Member of the United Nations may become
a party to the Statute of the International Court of Justice on
conditions to be determined in each case by the General Assembly
upon the recommendation of the Security Council.
Article 94
1.Each Member of the United Nations undertakes to comply with the
decision of the International Court of Justice in any case to which
it is a party.
2.If any party to a case fails to perform the obligations incumbent
upon it under a judgment rendered by the Court, the other party
may have recourse to the Security Council, which may, if it deems
necessary, make recommendations or decide upon measures to be taken
to give effect to the judgment.
Article 95
Nothing in the present Charter shall prevent Members of the United
Nations from entrusting the solution of their differences to other
tribunals by virtue of agreements already in existence or which
may be concluded in the future.
Article 96
1.The General Assembly or the Security Council may request the International
Court of Justice to give an advisory opinion on any legal question.
2.Other organs of the United Nations and specialized agencies, which
may at any time be so authorized by the General Assembly, may also
request advisory opinions of the Court on legal questions arising
within the scope of their activities.
CHAPTER XV
THE SECRETARIAT
The Secretariat
consists of the Secretary-General (SG) and all the staff of the
UN. The SC recommends a SG to the GA, who appoints her/him. Every
year, the SG must make a report to the GA; she/he also attends all
the meetings of the branches of the UN and brings important matters
to the attention of the SC. The Secretary-General and the staff
receive instructions only from the UN and its bodies, never from
any other body or from any individual government.
Article 97
The Secretariat shall comprise a Secretary-General and such staff
as the Organization may require. The Secretary-General shall be
appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the
Security Council. He shall be the chief administrative officer of
the Organization.
Article 98
The Secretary-General shall act in that capacity in all meetings
of the General Assembly, of the Security Council, of the Economic
and Social Council, and of the Trusteeship Council, and shall perform
such other functions as are entrusted to him by these organs. The
Secretary-General shall make an annual report to the General Assembly
on the work of the Organization.
Article 99
The Secretary-General may bring to the attention of the Security
Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance
of international peace and security.
Article 100
1.In the performance of their duties the Secretary-General and the
staff shall not seek or receive instructions from any government
or from any other authority external to the Organization. They shall
refrain from any action which might reflect on their position as
international officials responsible only to the Organization.
2.Each Member of the United Nations undertakes to respect the exclusively
international character of the responsibilities of the Secretary-General
and the staff and not to seek to influence them in the discharge
of their responsibilities.
Article 101
1.The staff shall be appointed by the Secretary-General under regulations
established by the General Assembly.
2.Appropriate staffs shall be permanently assigned to the Economic
and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, and, as required, to
other organs of the United Nations. These staffs shall form a part
of the Secretariat.
3.The paramount consideration in the employment of the staff and
in the determination of the conditions of service shall be the necessity
of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and
integrity. Due regard shall be paid to the importance of recruiting
the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.
CHAPTER XVI
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
International treaties are to be registered
with the Secretariat. The Charter supercedes any other treaty between
member states. The UN, its staff, and delegates to it shall be respected
in all member states.
Article 102
1.Every treaty and every international agreement entered into by
any Member of the United Nations after the present Charter comes
into force shall as soon as possible be registered with the Secretariat
and published by it.
2.No party to any such treaty or international agreement which has
not been registered in accordance with the provisions of paragraph
1 of this Article may invoke that treaty or agreement before any
organ of the United Nations.
Article 103
In the event of a conflict between the obligations of the Members
of the United Nations under the present Charter and their obligations
under any other international agreement, their obligations under
the present Charter shall prevail.
Article 104
The Organization shall enjoy in the territory of each of its Members
such legal capacity as may be necessary for the exercise of its
functions and the fulfilment of its purposes.
Article 105
1.The Organization shall enjoy in the territory of each of its Members
such privileges and immunities as are necessary for the fulfilment
of its purposes.
2.Representatives of the Members of the United Nations and officials
of the Organization shall similarly enjoy such privileges and immunities
as are necessary for the independent exercise of their functions
in connexion with the Organization.
3.The General Assembly may make recommendations with a view to determining
the details of the application of paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article
or may propose conventions to the Members of the United Nations
for this purpose.
CHAPTER XVII
TRANSITIONAL SECURITY ARRANGEMENT
This section deals with security arrangements
between the coming into force of the charter and the time when member
states had volunteered troops for UN actions, as well as with post-World
War II security in Europe. The UN only exists for post-WWII politics;
everything having to do with the war and its aftermath is left to
the Allies to take care of.
Article 106
Pending the coming into force of such special agreements referred
to in Article 43 as in the opinion of the Security Council enable
it to begin the exercise of its responsibilities under Article 42,
the parties to the Four-Nation Declaration, signed at Moscow, 30
October 1943, and France, shall, in accordance with the provisions
of paragraph 5 of that Declaration, consult with one another and
as occasion requires with other Members of the United Nations with
a view to such joint action on behalf of the Organization as may
be necessary for the purpose of maintaining international peace
and security.
Article 107
Nothing in the present Charter shall invalidate or preclude action,
in relation to any state which during the Second World War has been
an enemy of any signatory to the present Charter, taken or authorized
as a result of that war by the Governments having responsibility
for such action.
CHAPTER XVIII
AMENDMENTS
Amendments must be adopted by both a 2/3
majority in the GA and a 2/3 approval by the governments of nation-states,
including the permanent members. It is also required that there
be a meeting to examine the Charter 10 years after it comes into
force.
Article 108
Amendments to the present Charter shall come into force for all
Members of the United Nations when they have been adopted by a vote
of two thirds of the members of the General Assembly and ratified
in accordance with their respective constitutional processes by
two thirds of the Members of the United Nations, including all the
permanent members of the Security Council.
Article 109
1.A General Conference of the Members of the United Nations for
the purpose of reviewing the present Charter may be held at a date
and place to be fixed by a two-thirds vote of the members of the
General Assembly and by a vote of any nine members of the Security
Council. Each Member of the United Nations shall have one vote in
the conference.
2.Any alteration of the present Charter recommended by a two-thirds
vote of the conference shall take effect when ratified in accordance
with their respective constitutional processes by two thirds of
the Members of the United Nations including all the permanent members
of the Security Council.
3.If such a conference has not been held before the tenth annual
session of the General Assembly following the coming into force
of the present Charter, the proposal to call such a conference shall
be placed on the agenda of that session of the General Assembly,
and the conference shall be held if so decided by a majority vote
of the members of the General Assembly and by a vote of any seven
members of the Security Council.
CHAPTER XIX
RATIFICATION AND SIGNATURE
This explains the ratification proceedures.
This chapter includes the first mention of language issues. The
Charter exists in Chinese, French, Russian, English, and Spanish,
and is considered equally authentic in each of them; none is a translation
of the other. These became the five official languages of the UN.
(They are, not coincidentally, the languages of the five permanent
members of the Security Council, along with Spanish.) Arabic was
added later, as Arab states became members of the UN.
Article 110
1.The present Charter shall be ratified by the signatory states
in accordance with their respective constitutional processes.
2.The ratifications shall be deposited with the Government of the
United States of America, which shall notify all the signatory states
of each deposit as well as the Secretary-General of the Organization
when he has been appointed.
3.The present Charter shall come into force upon the deposit of
ratifications by 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, and by a majority of
the other signatory states. A protocol of the ratifications deposited
shall thereupon be drawn up by the Government of the United States
of America which shall communicate copies thereof to all the signatory
states.
4.The states signatory to the present Charter which ratify it after
it has come into force will become original Members of the United
Nations on the date of the deposit of their respective ratifications.
Article 111
The present Charter, of which the Chinese, French, Russian, English,
and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall remain deposited
in the archives of the Government of the United States of America.
Duly certified copies thereof shall be transmitted by that Government
to the Governments of the other signatory states. IN FAITH WHEREOF
the representatives of the Governments of the United Nations have
signed the present Charter. DONE at the city of San Francisco the
twenty-sixth day of June, one thousand nine hundred and forty-five.
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