The United Nations (UN) Day is celebrated annually to mark the entry into force of the UN Charter in 1945. The United Nations and its Charter was borne out of widespread desire of people, who had just faced the devastating effects of two world wars, for peace and outlawry of war. Whereas the Covenant of the League of Nations and Kellogg Briand Pact of 1928 was unsuccessful in ensuring lasting peace and prohibition of the use of force. The gradual movement towards the “sanctions of peace” from the use of the “sanctions of force” was finally achieved when the UN Charter took effect on the 24th of October 1945.

It is important to note that the UN and its Charter is a product of the new world order which espoused peace and respect for human rights. Under the Charter, the use of force was prohibited and only allowed under two exceptions: when permitted by the United Nations Security Council (Article 42) or when a state has a legitimate claim of self-defense (Article 51). Any other state action that makes use of force, contrary to what is allowed by the Charter, is then a breach of international law. Furthermore, “human rights” was mentioned 7 times in the Charter, making the respect, protection and promotion of human rights the guiding principle of the organization.

In 1948, the UN proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), bringing human rights into the realm of international law. The UDHR together with the outlawry of war are two of the most important contribution of the UN to the development of mankind. The UN, created by individuals with the desire to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind,” whilst reaffirming “faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small,” is committed to maintaining peace while respecting the fundamental rights of all.

It is within this declaration that the Commission, cognizant of the recent rise of inter and intra-state wars, calls for peace and reminds states to respect international law. The universalization of the prohibition of the use of force is as important as the universalization of human rights. Wars are a moral outrage, man-made crisis that cause humanitarian crisis, it is single-handedly the biggest cause of human rights violation as it violates individuals’ right to life and security. Today, in observance of UN Day, let us not forget the reason for the creation of the UN—peace and the respect for fundamental rights of all