On June 26, 1945, a momentous event took place in San Francisco, California – the formal establishment of the United Nations (U.N.) with the signing of the U.N. Charter. This historic document was signed by representatives from 50 countries who attended the United Nations Conference on International Organization. The U.N. Charter was deposited in the archives of the Government of the United States of America, with certified copies transmitted to the other signatory states.
The United Nations had its origins in the League of Nations, which was conceived after World War I. The Allies had proposed the idea of creating a new international body to maintain peace in the postwar world as early as 1941. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt coined the term “United Nations” in 1941 to describe the countries fighting against the Axis Powers in World War II. The name was officially used on January 1, 1942, when 26 states joined in the Declaration by the United Nations.
In October 1943, the major Allied powers held the Moscow Declaration, which emphasized the need for an international organization to replace the League of Nations. This goal was further solidified at the Allied conference in Tehran in December 1943. In August 1944, the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and China met at the Dumbarton Oaks estate in Washington, D.C., to lay the groundwork for the United Nations.
During the conference at Dumbarton Oaks, the delegates worked out the structure of the world body, although there were disagreements on issues such as membership and voting. The “Big Three” – the U.S., Britain, and the USSR – reached a compromise at the Yalta Conference in February 1945. All countries that had adhered to the 1942 Declaration by the United Nations were invited to the United Nations founding conference.
The San Francisco Conference, also known as The United Nations Conference on International Organization, aimed to establish a framework for the United Nations. It was attended by 850 delegates from 50 countries, including 26 original signatories of the 1942 Declaration of the United Nations. Poland, although an original signatory, did not have a representative at the conference due to the absence of an internationally recognized Polish Government at that time. However, Poland was later admitted as an original member, bringing the total number of founding member states to 51.
On June 25, 1945, at the conclusion of the San Francisco Conference, the Charter was unanimously adopted at the San Francisco Opera House. However, the United Nations only came into existence on October 24, 1945, when the governments of China, France, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, the United States, and a majority of the other signatory states had ratified the charter. This date is now annually observed as United Nations Day.
According to President Truman, the U.N. Charter serves as proof that nations, like individuals, can find common ground and resolve their differences. Today, the United Nations has nearly 200 member nations and is headquartered in New York City. Its main bodies include the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, and the UN Secretariat. The United Nations works towards maintaining international peace and security, protecting human rights, and delivering humanitarian aid.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
