UN Charter Turns 80 But Does It Still Matter?

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) The United Nations Charter turns 80 at a time when Israel, Iran and the United States have been launching missile attacks and Russia is continuing its invasion of Ukraine. So what is the UN Charter, and is it still respected? This content was published on July 2, 2025 - 15:00 7 minutes

Based in Geneva, I cover the work of the United Nations and other international organisations there. My focus is on humanitarian aid, human rights, and peace diplomacy. I studied business and economics at the University of Lausanne before training as a journalist and joining SWI swissinfo in 2021.

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• Deutsch de Die UNO-Charta wird 80, aber hat sie noch Gewicht? Read more: Die UNO-Charta wird 80, aber hat sie noch Gewicht
• Français fr La Charte de l'ONU a 80 ans, mais a-t-elle encore de l'importance? Original Read more: La Charte de l'ONU a 80 ans, mais a-t-elle encore de l'importance
• Italiano it La Carta delle Nazioni Unite ha 80 anni, ma è ancora importante? Read more: La Carta delle Nazioni Unite ha 80 anni, ma è ancora importante
• 日本語 ja 国連憲章調印から80年 揺らぐ国際秩序の中での意義とは? Read more: 国連憲章調印から80年 揺らぐ国際秩序の中での意義とは
• العربية ar ثمانون عاما على ميثاق الأمم المتحدة ... هل مازال يحتفظ بدوره في حفظ السلام؟ Read more: ثمانون عاما على ميثاق الأمم المتحدة ... هل مازال يحتفظ بدوره في حفظ السلام

The United Nations CharterExternal link was born 80 years ago. Nowadays, if it gets a mention in the news, it is usually to say an event such as a missile attack, invasion or annexation of territory has violated the Charter's principles. What is really left of this text? Here's an answer in five questions.

What is the United Nations Charter?

It is the founding text of the United Nations, originally signed by 50 states at the San Francisco Conference after the Second World War ended in 1945. It came into force on October 24 the same year.

The UN Charter forms the basis of current international law, setting out its fundamental principles. These include the sovereignty of states, equality of nations under the law, prohibition of using force except in self-defence or by decision of the UN Security Council, respect for human rights, and international cooperation.

In a way, it is the constitution of the multilateral system, a binding international treaty that each state undertakes to respect when it joins the United Nations. It contains 111 articles, organised in 19 chapters.

The Charter has also paved the way for other historic texts, including the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and, more recently, the 2024 Pact for the Future .

>> Read our article on the background to the birth of the UN:

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