Context:
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) elected Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia to UNSC.
UNSC:
- One of the 6 principal organs of the UN
- Others are UN General Assembly, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice, and UN Secretariat
- Mandate – Holds primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.
- Composed of – 15 Members (5 permanent and 10 non-permanent).
- 5 Permanent members – China, France, Russia, UK, and US
- Enjoy veto power
- Veto – Negative vote against the resolution.
- According to UN Charter, if any 1 of the P5 members cast a veto in UNSC, the resolution would fail
- 10 non-permanent members – Each year UNGA elects 5 non-permanent members (out of 10 in total) of UNSC
- Elected for a 2-year term through a secret ballot
- Decision making – UNSC resolutions are legally binding, unlike the UNGA’s.
- Each party has 1 vote
- Needs minimum of 9 votes to adopt a resolution.
Source: The Indian Express
Previous Year Question
With reference to the “United Nations Credentials Committee”, consider the following statements:
1. It is a committee set up by the UN Security Council and works under its supervision.
2. It traditionally meets in March, June and September every year.
3. It assesses the credentials of all UN members before submitting a report to the General Assembly for approval.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2022 Prelims]
(a) 3 only
(b) 1 and 3
(c) 2 and 3
(d) 1 and 2
Answer: (a)
Explanation:
A Credentials Committee is appointed at the beginning of each regular session of the General Assembly. Usually, the committee meets in November, with the report presented before the general body in December.
