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United Nations Charter, Chapter 13: The Trusteeship Council


Chapter Thirteen of the Charter of the United Nations
Signed in San Francisco, California on June 26, 1945

Composition

Article 86

1. The Trusteeship Council shall consist of the following Members of the United Nations:

  1. those Members administering trust territories;

  2. such of those Members mentioned by name in Article 23 as are not administering trust territories; and

  3. as many other Members elected for three-year terms by the General Assembly as may be necessary to ensure that the total number of members of the Trusteeship Council is equally divided between those Members of the United Nations which administer trust territories and those which do not.

2. Each member of the Trusteeship Council shall designate one specially qualified person to represent it therein.

Functions and Powers

Article 87

The General Assembly and, under its authority, the Trusteeship Council, in carrying out their functions, may:

  1. consider reports submitted by the administering authority;

  2. accept petitions and examine them in consultation with the administering authority;

  3. provide for periodic visits to the respective trust territories at times agreed upon with the administering authority; and

  4. take these and other actions in conformity with the terms of the trusteeship agreements.

Article 88

The Trusteeship Council shall formulate a questionnaire on the political, economic, social, and educational advancement of the inhabitants of each trust territory, and the administering authority for each trust territory within the competence of the General Assembly shall make an annual report to the General Assembly upon the basis of such questionnaire.

Voting

Article 89

1. Each member of the Trusteeship Council shall have one vote.

2. Decisions of the Trusteeship Council shall be made by a majority of the members present and voting.

Procedure

Article 90

1. The Trusteeship Council shall adopt its own rules of procedure, including the method of selecting its President.

2. The Trusteeship Council shall meet as required in accordance with its rules, which shall include provision for the convening of meetings on the request of a majority of its members.

Article 91

The Trusteeship Council shall, when appropriate, avail itself of the assistance of the Economic and Social Council and of the specialized agencies in regard to matters with which they are respectively concerned.