United Nations Organization

At the invitation of the United States, delegates from 51 nations met in San Francisco between 25 April and 26 June, 1945. Argentina, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic were admitted to the Conference on 30 April. Poland, recognized as one of the Organization's founding members, was unrepresented because its post-war government had not been formed, but space was reserved for its signature on the Charter. Meeting in San Francisco Opera House, the delegates worked in four main commissions and 12 technical committees. In tribute to the memory of President Roosevelt, who died just before the Conference convened, his proposal that the new world body be called the «United Nations» was accepted by acclamation. It was also decided that the first nation to affix its signature to the Charter would be China, the first country to be attacked in the Second World War.

The General Assembly decided that 24 October should henceforth be officially called «United Nations Day» and be devoted to making known to the peoples of the world the sins and achievements of the Organization and to gaining their support for its work.

The Charter that emerged from San Francisco provided a constitution for an organization to preserve peace and promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom. All nations signing the Charter are obligated to settle international disputes by peaceful means and to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any other State. They must also refrain from giving assistance to any State against which the United Nations is taking preventive or enforcement action. Nothing, however, in the Charter authorizes the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any State.

While the primary aim is the maintenance of world peace, the Charter sought also «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». Its six «principal organs», named in the Charter, provide the means to build agreement and facilitate peaceful change, but unless Governments are willing to work together the machinery cannot operate.

With the exception of the International Court of Justice which has its seat at the Hague in the Netherlands, all the principal organs are based in New York.

The six principal organs are:

• the General Assembly, in which all Member State are represented (more than 192);

• the 15-member Security Council, with five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) and 10 other members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms;

• the 54-member Economic and Social Council, which is elected by and reports to the General Assembly;

• the five-member Trusteeship Council, which reportsto the Security Council;

• the 15-member International Court of Justice, with the judges elected for 9-year terms by the General Assembly and Security Council jointly;

• an internationally staffed Secretariat headed by a Secretary-General who is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendations of the Security Council for a renewable term, usually five years.

Every Country sends 5 delegates but has only one vote at the meeting. The head of the delegation is usually the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The General Assembly meets once a year, in September.