United Nations Charter
International founding document
The United Nations Charter is the founding treaty of the United Nations, signed in 1945 by fifty nations following World War II.
It establishes the organization's structure, purposes, and principles—including collective security, peaceful dispute resolution, and respect for human rights.
The Charter functions as a kind of constitution for international relations: violations of the UN Charter, rights guaranteed under the Charter.
Preliminary statement before content
- signatoriesThose who signed officially
- ratificationFormal approval by authority
- articlesWritten works or items
- provisionsStockpiled food and supplies
amendment · chapters · drafting · San Francisco · 1945 · founding document · original text · membership
Shared defense pact system
- peacekeepingPreventing or ending conflict
- ceasefireAgreed halt to fighting
- disarmamentReducing or eliminating weapons
- aggressionHostile or attacking behavior
armed force · breach of peace · Security Council · sanctions · enforcement · military action · reconciliation · armistice
International peace oversight body
- General AssemblyMain UN body
- veto powerAuthority to reject decisions
- permanent membersFixed seats on council
- organsFunctional body parts
Secretariat · trusteeship · membership · voting · procedures · multilateralism · consensus
Inalienable personal freedoms
- fundamental freedomsConstitutionally protected core liberties
- dignityInnate personal worth
- equalitySame status for all
- non-discriminationEqual treatment regardless of difference
self-determination · social progress · justice · universal · inalienable · civil liberties · protection · respect
Control over one's fate
- non-interventionPolicy of staying uninvolved
- independenceFreedom from external control
- statehoodCondition of being sovereign
- member statesCountries within a union
non-interference · political independence · equal rights · peoples · boundaries · autonomy · recognition
Organized group pursuit
- collaborationJoint intellectual work
- joint actionCombined effort toward goal
- solidarityUnity among allies
- partnershipShared business arrangement
coordination · interdependence · shared responsibility · economic cooperation · humanitarian · development · integration · multilateral
preamble
Preliminary statement before content
- signatoriesThose who signed officially
- ratificationFormal approval by authority
- articlesWritten works or items
provisions · amendment · chapters · drafting · San Francisco · 1945 · founding document · original text · membership · legal framework
collective security
Shared defense pact system
- peacekeepingPreventing or ending conflict
- ceasefireAgreed halt to fighting
- disarmamentReducing or eliminating weapons
aggression · armed force · breach of peace · Security Council · sanctions · enforcement · military action · reconciliation · armistice · truce
Security Council
International peace oversight body
- General AssemblyMain UN body
- veto powerAuthority to reject decisions
- permanent membersFixed seats on council
organs · Secretariat · trusteeship · membership · voting · procedures · multilateralism · consensus
human rights
Inalienable personal freedoms
- fundamental freedomsConstitutionally protected core liberties
- dignityInnate personal worth
- equalitySame status for all
non-discrimination · self-determination · social progress · justice · universal · inalienable · civil liberties · protection · respect · tolerance
self-determination
Control over one's fate
- non-interventionPolicy of staying uninvolved
- independenceFreedom from external control
- statehoodCondition of being sovereign
member states · non-interference · political independence · equal rights · peoples · boundaries · autonomy · recognition
collective action
Organized group pursuit
- collaborationJoint intellectual work
- joint actionCombined effort toward goal
- solidarityUnity among allies
partnership · coordination · interdependence · shared responsibility · economic cooperation · humanitarian · development · integration · multilateral
United Nations Charterunilateralism
Acting without international cooperation
isolationism · Monroe Doctrine · Brezhnev Doctrine · imperial decree · bilateral treaty
United Nations CharterMein Kampf
Fascist dictator's prison writings
Nuremberg Laws · Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact · declaration of war · colonial charter · manifest destiny
United Nations Charterlaw of the jungle
Ruthless competition governs behavior
united, nations, charter, unite, nation, unit, unity, uniting, unites