Article 4, Chapter 2, United Nation

Article 4, Chapter 2, United Nations Charter

The name “United Nations”, coined by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was first used in the “Declaration by United Nations” of 1 January 1942, during the Second World War, when rep­

resentatives of 26 nations

pledged their Governments to continue fight­

ing together against the Axis Powers.

 

States first

established

international organizations to cooperate

on

specific matters.

In 1899,

the International Peace Conference was

held

in the Hague to elaborate instruments for settling crises peacefully, preventing wars and codifying rules of warfare. It adopted the Conven­

tion for the Pacific Settlement

of International

Disputes

and

estab­

lished the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which began work in 1902.

 

The forerunner of the

United Nations was the

League

of

Nations,

an organization conceived

in

similar circumstances during

the

First

World War, and established in 1919 under the Treaty of Versailles “to promote international cooperation and to achieve peace and security”. The League of Nations ceased its activities after failing to prevent the Second World War.

In 1945, representatives of 50 countries met in San Francisco at the United Nations Conference on International Organization to the Unit­ ed Nations Charter. The United Nations was established on 24 October 1945 by 51 countries committed to preserving peace through interna­

tional

cooperation and collective security.

Today,

nearly

every

nation

in the world belongs to the UN: membership now totals 189 countries.

 

All

UN Member States are represented

in the

General Assembly —

a kind of parliament of nations, which meets

to

consider

the

world’s

most

pressing problems. Each Member State

has

one vote. Decisions

on “important matters”, such as international peace and security, ad-

 

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mitting new members, the UN budget and the budget for peacekeep­ ing, are decided by two-thirdsmajority. Other matters are decided by simple majority. In recent years, a special effort has been made to reach decisions through consensus, rather than by taking a formal vote.

The Assembly holds its annual regular session from September to December. When necessary, it may resume its session, or hold a special or emergency session on subjects of particular concern. When the As­

sembly

is not meeting, its six main committees,

other subsidiary

bodies

and the UN Secretariat carry out its work.