An “enemy state” means any state that, during the Second World War (1939–45), was an enemy of any UN Charter signatory.

• The provisions were directed primarily at the former Axis powers, notably Germany, Japan, and Italy, along with other states that fought against the Allied powers.

What provisions of the UN Charter are relevant?

• Permitted certain enforcement measures through regional arrangements against an enemy state in the post-WWII context, subject to the conditions stated in the Charter. Article 53(2) provides the definition itself. United Nations Legal Affairs
• Concerns the International Trusteeship System and included territories detached from enemy states as a result of WWII.
• Provides that the Charter would not invalidate or prevent actions concerning former enemy states that were taken or authorised as a result of WWII by governments responsible for such actions.

Present Status

• The clauses still appear in the text of the UN Charter, but they are regarded as obsolete. 

Source: The Indian Express