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Article 109 review conference

Updated May 23, 2026

A UN Charter mechanism (Article 109) for convening a general conference of member states to review and propose amendments to the Charter, subject to P5 ratification.

Article 109 of the UN Charter establishes a mechanism for convening a General Conference of the Members of the United Nations for the purpose of reviewing the Charter itself. Under paragraph 1, such a conference may be called at a date and place determined by a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly and a vote of any nine members of the Security Council (originally seven, before the 1965 enlargement of the Council). Any alteration recommended by a two-thirds vote of the conference takes effect only when ratified, in accordance with their constitutional processes, by two-thirds of UN members including all permanent members of the Security Council — preserving the P5 veto over structural reform.

Paragraph 3 contained a one-time provision: if no review conference had been held before the tenth annual session of the General Assembly (1955), the question of calling one would automatically be placed on that session's agenda, and the conference would be convened by a simple majority of the Assembly plus any seven Security Council members. In 1955 the Assembly adopted resolution 992 (X) establishing a committee to consider the matter, but no conference has ever actually been convened. The item has remained nominally on the agenda for decades, periodically deferred.

For MUN delegates, Article 109 is occasionally invoked in committees simulating Charter reform, Security Council restructuring (e.g., the G4 expansion proposals), or historical crisis committees set in 1955. It is distinct from amendment under Article 108, which allows individual amendments to be adopted by two-thirds of the Assembly and ratified by two-thirds of members including the P5 — the procedure used for the only successful Charter amendments to date (1963 enlargement of ECOSOC and the Security Council; 1971 further ECOSOC enlargement).

Practically, the high ratification threshold and P5 veto make Article 109 a largely dormant provision, but it remains the Charter's only pathway to comprehensive, as opposed to piecemeal, revision.

Example

In 1955, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 992 (X) establishing a committee to consider convening an Article 109 review conference, but no such conference has ever been held.

Frequently asked questions

Article 108 governs individual amendments adopted by the General Assembly; Article 109 provides for a full review conference. Both require ratification by two-thirds of members including all P5 states.
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