Section 15p. 15

PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW COMPENDIUM VOLUME I

the United Nations with a view to such joint action on

behalf of the Organization as may be necessary for the

purpose of maintaining international peace and security.

Article 107

Nothing

in

the

present

Charter

shall

invalidate

or

preclude action, in relation to any state which during the

Second World War has been an enemy of any signatory to

the present Charter, taken or authorized as a result of that

war by the Governments having responsibility for such

action.

CHAPTER XVIII: AMENDMENTS

Article 108

Amendments to the present Charter shall come into

force for all Members of the United Nations when they

have been adopted by a vote of two thirds of the

members

of

the

General

Assembly

and

ratified

in

accordance with their respective constitutional processes

by two thirds of the Members of the United Nations,

including all the permanent members of the Security

Council.

Article 109

1.

A General Conference of the Members of the

United Nations for the purpose of reviewing the

present Charter may be held at a date and place

to be fixed by a two-thirds vote of the members

of the General Assembly and by a vote of any nine

members of the Security Council. Each Member

of the United Nations shall have one vote in the

conference.

2.

Any

alteration

of

the

present

Charter

recommended

by

a

two-thirds

vote

of

the

conference shall take effect when ratified in

accordance with their respective constitutional

processes by two thirds of the Members of the

United

Nations

including

all

the

permanent

members of the Security Council.

3.

If such a conference has not been held before the

tenth annual session of the General Assembly

following the coming into force of the present

Charter, the proposal to call such a conference

shall be placed on the agenda of that session of

the General Assembly, and the conference shall

be held if so decided by a majority vote of the

members of the General Assembly and by a vote

of any seven members of the Security Council.

CHAPTER XIX: RATIFICATION AND SIGNATURE

Article 110

1.

The present Charter shall be ratified by the

signatory

states

in

accordance

with

their

respective constitutional processes.

2.

The

ratifications shall be deposited with the

Government of the United States of America,

which shall notify all the signatory states of each

deposit as well as the Secretary-General of the

Organization when he has been appointed.

3.

The present Charter shall come into force upon

the deposit of ratifications by the Republic of

China,

France,

the

Union

of

Soviet

Socialist

Republics, the United Kingdom of Great Britain

and Northern Ireland, and the United States of

America, and by a majority of the other signatory

states. A protocol of the ratifications deposited

shall thereupon be drawn up by the Government

of the United States of America which shall

communicate copies thereof to all the signatory

states.

4.

The states signatory to the present Charter which

ratify it after it has come into force will become

original Members of the United Nations on the

date

of

the

deposit

of

their

respective

ratifications.

Article 111

The

present

Charter,

of which the Chinese, French,

Russian, English, and Spanish texts are equally authentic,

shall remain deposited in the archives of the Government

of the United States of America. Duly certified copies

thereof shall be transmitted by that Government to the

Governments of the other signatory states.

IN

FAITH

WHEREOF

the

representatives

of

the

Governments of the United Nations have signed the

present Charter. DONE at the city of San Francisco the

twenty-sixth day of June, one thousand nine hundred

and forty-five.

Rome Statute of the International

Criminal Court

July 17, 1998

ROME STATUTE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL

COURT

PREAMBLE

The States Parties to this Statute,

Conscious that all peoples are united by common bonds,

their cultures pieced together in a shared heritage, and

concerned that this delicate mosaic may be shattered at

any time,

Mindful that during this century millions of children,

women and men have been victims of unimaginable

atrocities that deeply shock the conscience of humanity,

Recognizing that such grave crimes threaten the peace,

security and well-being of the world,

Affirming that the most serious crimes of concern to the

international

community

as

a

whole

must

not

go

unpunished and that their effective prosecution must be

ensured by taking measures at the national level and by

enhancing international cooperation,

Determined

to

put

an

end

to

impunity

for

the

perpetrators of these crimes and thus to contribute to the

prevention of such crimes,

Recalling that it is the duty of every State to exercise its

criminal

jurisdiction

over

those

responsible

for

international crimes,

Reaffirming the Purposes and Principles of the Charter of

the United Nations, and in particular that all States shall

refrain from the threat or use of force against the

territorial integrity or political independence of any State,

or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of

the United Nations,

Emphasizing in this connection that nothing in this

Statute shall be taken as authorizing any State Party to

intervene in an armed conflict or in the internal affairs of

any State,

Determined to these ends and for the sake of present and

future

generations,

to

establish

an

independent

permanent International Criminal Court in relationship

with the United Nations system, with jurisdiction over the

most serious crimes of concern to the international

community as a whole,

© Compiled by RGL

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