Which principle is stated in the UN Charter Article 2(1) about states' relations?

• A. The sovereign equality of all its members
• B. The principle of non-intervention
• C. The supremacy of United Nations Council decisions
• D. The right to self-determination of peoples

Answer: (A)

The principle being tested is that all UN Members have equal sovereignty in their relations within the UN. Article 2(1) states that the Organization is based on the sovereign equality of all its Members, meaning every state—big or small—has the same legal status inside the UN framework. This formal equality governs how states participate, vote, and engage in decisions, ensuring no state is inherently superior to another in the eyes of the UN.

This principle underpins the structure and legitimacy of the UN system. It helps explain why every member has a voice in General Assembly debates and why states are bound by the UN’s purposes and principles on the same footing, even if real-world influence varies due to power, alliances, or geography.

The other options reference related ideas but are not the principle stated in Article 2(1). Non-intervention and the prohibition on intervention in domestic matters come from a different part of the Charter, emphasizing respect for state sovereignty in internal affairs. The idea of the supremacy of Security Council decisions is not declared as a blanket principle in Article 2(1); Security Council decisions have binding force in specific contexts, not as a general hierarchy of states within the UN. The right to self-determination of peoples is a distinct principle tied to decolonization and peoples’ rights, not the equality of states in their relations under Article 2(1).