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Setting the scene
The United Nations Charter was signed on June 26, 1945, in San Francisco by 50 nations, establishing the UN as a successor to the failed League of Nations. The charter was drafted at the Dumbarton Oaks Conference in 1944 and finalized at the San Francisco Conference from April 25-June 26, 1945. The charter came into force on October 24, 1945, after ratification by the five permanent members of the Security Council—U.S., USSR, Britain, France, and China—and a majority of other signatories.
What happened
The charter established the UN's purposes: maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, achieving international cooperation, and harmonizing actions of nations. It created six principal organs: General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice, and Secretariat. The Security Council was given primary responsibility for peace, with five permanent members holding veto power—a compromise to ensure great power participation, unlike the League.
Why it still matters
The UN Charter is the foundational treaty of international relations, establishing principles of sovereign equality, non-aggression, and human rights. It has been amended three times and now has 193 member states. The charter's collective security system has had mixed success—preventing World War III but failing to stop many wars due to Cold War vetoes. The charter also established international law principles that influenced decolonization and human rights. October 24 is celebrated as UN Day. The charter represents humanity's attempt to create a rules-based international order after the catastrophe of two world wars.
Background
The Charter of the United Nations, also referred to as the UN Charter, is the foundational treaty of the United Nations. It establishes the purposes, governing structure, and overall framework of the United Nations System, including its principal organs: the Secretariat, the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the International Court of Justice, and the Trusteeship Council. The UN Charter is an important part of public international law, and is the foundation for much of international law governing the use of force, pacific settlement of disputes, arms control, and other important functions of the maintenance of international peace and security. San Francisco hosted the conference.