NEW YORK: The Charter of the United Nations is not only the constituent instrument of the UN as an organization. It is a multilateral legal manifesto encompassing a set of basic principles and norms aimed at ensuring peace, freedom, development, equality and human rights throughout the world. These principles and norms reflect the shared values proclaimed in the preamble on behalf of the “peoples of the United Nations.” As such, it is the most innovative and trailblazing multilateral treaty ever concluded among States. Today, it is a universal instrument by which all States have solemnly accepted to be bound in their international relations.

Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, president of the International Court of Justice, speaks on the first day of a hearing before the court, Dec. 10, 2019, The Hague, Netherlands. UN Photo/ICJ-CIJ/Frank van Beek

Premium + Digital Edition

Ad-free access


P 80 per month
(billed annually at P 960)
  • Unlimited ad-free access to website articles
  • Limited offer: Subscribe today and get digital edition access for free (accessible with up to 3 devices)

TRY FREE FOR 14 DAYS
See details
See details