Article 42 of the United Nations Charter

E60117

Article 42 of the United Nations Charter authorizes the UN Security Council to take military action, including the use of armed force, to maintain or restore international peace and security when non-military measures are inadequate.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf article of an international treaty
adoptedBy United Nations Conference on International Organization
adoptionDate 1945-06-26
appliesTo Member States of the United Nations
authorizes blockade of airfields
blockade of coasts
blockade of ports
military action
operations by air forces
operations by land forces
operations by sea forces
use of armed force
basisFor Security Council resolutions authorizing use of force
UN peace enforcement operations
UN-authorized military interventions
category provision on collective security operations
provision on enforcement measures
conditionForApplication existence of a threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression
inadequacy of measures not involving the use of armed force
distinguishedFrom Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter
Article 51 of the United Nations Charter
enforcementMechanism decisions of the United Nations Security Council under Chapter VII
entryIntoForceDate 1945-10-24
grantsPowerTo United Nations Security Council
interpretedBy International Court of Justice
United Nations Security Council
languageOfOriginalText Chinese
English
French
Russian
Spanish
legalEffect creates legal basis for UN Security Council enforcement action
permits use of force under international law when authorized by the Security Council
locatedInDocument Chapter VII: Action with Respect to Threats to the Peace, Breaches of the Peace, and Acts of Aggression
normType binding obligation on UN Member States
partOf Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter
Charter of the United Nations
purpose maintenance of international peace and security
restoration of international peace and security
refersTo Article 41 of the United Nations Charter
relatedConcept Chapter VII measures
collective self-defense under the UN Charter
enforcement action
relationshipToArticle41 provides military measures when Article 41 measures are inadequate
subjectMatter collective security
military enforcement measures
powers of the United Nations Security Council
use of force


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