Chapter III. The United Nations Charter and Admission of States, and Also Their Exclusion

Abstract

Article 3 of the United Nations Charter created two categories of membership: members, meaning those present at the U.N.'s creation in 1945 and thus limited to states whose governments had joined the ultimately victorious World War II military alliance: and others. These others were characterised by Article 4(1) of the Charter as peace-loving states. In 1945, there were 51 original member states of the United Nations. Over the next five years, 9 other states were admitted under the Charter Article 4 machinery. Admission to regional or trans-national associations of states that do not involve any onerous financial or other obligations increasingly comes as a matter of course, since these particular organisations normally thrive on enlarged membership.Keywords: member states; United Nations Charter