United Nations Founded
The United Nations Charter came into force, establishing the international organization
October 24, 1945
Building Peace From the Ruins of War
The United Nations was officially established on October 24, 1945, when the UN Charter was ratified by the required majority of its original 51 member states, including the five permanent members of the Security Council: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, and the Soviet Union. The Charter had been signed in San Francisco on June 26, 1945, just weeks after the end of World War II in Europe. The United Nations replaced the League of Nations, which had failed to prevent the war, and was designed to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, and promote social progress and human rights. Its founding was a direct response to the destruction of the most catastrophic conflict in human history.
How the UN Is Organized
The United Nations has six principal organs. The General Assembly is the main deliberative body, where all member states have one vote. The Security Council has primary responsibility for international peace and security and can authorize the use of force. Its five permanent members, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, each hold veto power over substantive decisions. The Secretariat carries out the day-to-day work of the organization under the Secretary-General. The International Court of Justice settles legal disputes between states. The UN also has dozens of specialized agencies, including the World Health Organization, UNESCO, and UNICEF, each focused on specific global challenges.
Seventy-Five Years of Imperfect Progress
The United Nations has grown from 51 original members to 193 member states today, reflecting decolonization and the end of the Cold War. It has authorized military interventions, sent peacekeeping forces to conflict zones around the world, coordinated responses to global health crises, and adopted landmark agreements including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Its record is mixed. Cold War tensions between the U.S. and Soviet Union frequently paralyzed the Security Council. Genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia occurred despite UN involvement. But the UN has also helped prevent numerous conflicts and coordinate humanitarian responses to disasters and displacement on a scale no single nation could manage alone.