The Charter of the United Nations was signed in San Francisco on 26 June 1945, at the Herbst Theatre in the War Memorial Veterans Building, after the United Nations Conference on International Organization, opened on 25 April, had adopted it the previous day at the Opera House. The Chinese, French, Russian, English and Spanish texts are equally authentic. Depositary: the Government of the United States. The Statute of the International Court of Justice forms an integral part of the Charter. It is not the Covenant of the League of Nations of 1919, nor the Dumbarton Oaks proposals of 1944.

The Preamble and Article 1, at framework level: the maintenance of international peace and security, the development of friendly relations, co-operation in economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems, and a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations. Article 2: principles, including sovereign equality, good-faith fulfilment of obligations, peaceful settlement of disputes, and abstention from the threat or use of force against territorial integrity or political independence. An operational use-of-force handbook is not transcribed.

Article 7: the principal organs — the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice and the Secretariat. Fifty states signed at the Conference; Poland, the 51st original Member, signed later. It is not the Bretton Woods Conference.

Article 110: ratification in accordance with constitutional processes; instruments shall be deposited with the Government of the United States, which shall notify the signatory states. It comes into force upon deposit of ratifications by China, France, the USSR, the United Kingdom and the United States, and by a majority of the other signatory states. United Nations: 24 October 1945. Signatories that ratify thereafter become original Members on the date of deposit. Article 111: the original remains in the archives of the United States; certified copies to the other governments.

Cover: Australian Prime Minister Frank Forde signing the Charter at the Herbst Theatre; we do not claim he was the only signatory. Wikimedia Commons, free licence.

Sources consulted: Charter of the United Nations; Charter of the United Nations (UNTS certified copy).