10
United Nations
The Declaration by United Nations, an effort during World War II by the Allied
powers to establish a unified front, was signed on January 1, 1942. It was one of
the first usages of the term “united nations.”
In 1945, delegates from fifty countries met in San Francisco, California,
and drew up a charter for the United Nations (UN). The Charter listed the
purposes of the organization as:
1. To maintain international peace and security.
2. To develop friendly relationships among nations based on respect for
the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples.
3. To achieve international cooperation in solving international problems.
Representatives from fifty-one countries (the fifty who had met in San
Francisco, plus Poland, who had not been able to attend the convention)
signed the Charter, showing their approval and support.
On October 24, 1945, the United Nations officially began its existence
after the five permanent Security Council members—the United States,
United Kingdom, USSR, France, and China—ratified its charter.