Idea Transcript
THE UNITED NATIONS ORGANISATION. 1. State the reasons for the establishment of the United Nations. Ans. a. The disastrous World wars: Left a legacy of misery and depression nearly in every country. The war cost billions of dollars. Millions lost their lives and many people were disabled, homeless and unemployed. b. The failure of the league of nations: The league of nations was born with the promise of peace but it failed to prevent another war. c. Fear of the third World war: The peace treaties of the First World War sowed seeds of bitterness and conflict leading to WWII d. Division of the world into two power Blocs: A transparent and impartial organisation was required so that the difference in ideologies between the two blocs (USA and USSR) could be resolved amicably rather than resorting to war. e. Destructive weapons: The destructive weapons invented during the WWII could bring the whole world to an end. It led to an armament race for more destructive weapons. 2. Where are the headquarters of the UN? Ans. All the organs of the UN are based in New York, USA except the international Court of Justice which is located at The Hague in Netherlands. 3. What are the pre- requisite of becoming a member of the UN with special reference to India? Ans. Membership of UN is open to all peace loving nations who believe in the principles of the UN and accept the obligations of the UN charter. Other countries are admitted by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the security council by a 2/3rd majority of votes. India was represented by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru at this conference. 4. Who appoints the Secretary- general of the UN? Ans. General assembly on recommendation of the Security Council appoints the Secretary-General of the UN.
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5. Name the six principal organs of the UN. Ans. The six organs of UN are: The general Assembly. The Security Council. The International Court of Justice. The Economic and Social Council. The Trusteeship council. The Secretariat. 6. What can the General assembly do if the Security Council fails to act in case where there appears to be a threat to peace? Ans. Under the Uniting for peace resolution adopted by the General Assembly in November 1950, the Assembly may take action if the Security Council, because of lack of unanimity of its permanent members, fails to act in a case where there appears to be a threat to the peace, breach of the peace or act of aggression. The Assembly is empowered to consider the matter immediately with the view to making recommendations to members for collective measures, including, the use of armed forces. 7. Who are the 5 permanent members of the Security Council? Ans. The 5 permanent members of the Security Council are China, France , Russia, Britain and the USA. 8. State any two functions of Security Council. Ans. The two functions of Security council are: To maintain international peace and security in accordance with the principles and purposes of the UN. To investigate any disputes or situation which might lead to international friction. 9. Name the Judicial Organ of the UN. Ans. International Court of Justice is the Judicial organ of the UN. 10. How are decisions arrived at the General Assembly? Ans. Decisions on important matters are made by two-third majority. These matters include the election of eth non- members of eth Security council, admission of new members, the suspension or expulsion of members, budgetary issues etc. II. Answer the following:1. With reference to the functioning of the UN, briefly answer the following: i. State the objectives of the UN. To maintain international peace and security, to take collective measures for the prevention and removal of threat to peace, to suppress acts of aggression or other breaches of peace. To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of people. 2
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To achieve international cooperation in solving international economic, social or humanitarian problems and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedom. To be a center for harmonizing the actions of actions in the attainment of these common ends. Disarm, decolonize and develop are the three objectives set by the UN.
Mention the principles of the UN for its members. The principles of the sovereign equality of all its members. All members should settle their international disputes by peaceful means. They should fulfill in good faith the obligations assumed by them. They should refrain from the threat or use of force against any state. The organization should ensure that States which are not members of the UN act in accordance with these principles. The UN shall not intervene in the domestic/internal affairs of any State.
2. With reference to the General Assembly, explain the following. i. Composition of the General Assembly. All members of the United Nations are members of the General Assembly. Each state has 5 representatives in the General assembly, but each State has one vote. The regular session of the General Assembly begins each year on the third Tuesday in September and continues usually until the third week of December. At the start of each regular session, the Assembly elects a new president, 1 Vice- presidents and the Chairman of the Assembly’s six main committees. To ensure equitable geographical representation ,the presidency of the Assembly rotates each year among five Groups of states. ii.
Power and functions. To consider and make recommendations on the principles of cooperation, in the maintenance of international peace. To discuss any question relating to international peace and security and to make recommendations on it. To discuss and make recommendations on any question affecting the powers and functions of any organs of the UN. To initiate studies and make recommendations to promote international political, social and economic cooperation. To appoint the Security- General on the recommendations of the Security council. To make recommendation for the peaceful settlement of disputes. To receive and consider reports from the Security Council and other organs of the UN. 3
To consider and approve the budget of the UN and to apportion the contributions among members. To elect the non- permanent members of the Security Council and to elect the judges of the International court of Justice. 3. The Security- Council is the most important and effective organ of the UN in this context describe: i. The composition of the Security- Council. The council consists of 15 members. The 5 permanent members of Security Council are China, France , Russia, Britain and the USA. The ten non- permanent members are elected by the general Assembly by two-third majority for two years. A retiring member is not eligible for immediate re-election. The presidency of the council rotates monthly, according to the English alphabetical listing of its members. ii. Veto- power. Each member of the Security council has one vote. Decisions on the procedural matters are made by an affirmative vote of nine members, including the concurring votes of all 5 members. The negative vote of a permanent member is called veto; abstinence from voting does not amount to a negative vote. The council is powerless to act if any of the 5 members uses the veto power. iii. Functions and power. To maintain international peace and security in accordance with the principles of the UN. To investigate any dispute which might lead to international friction. To recommend methods of adjusting such disparities. To formulate plans for the establishment of system to regulate armaments. To determine the existence of threat to the peace and to recommend appropriate actions. To call for members to apply economic sanctions and other measures not involving the use of force to prevent aggression. To take military action against an aggressor. To recommend the admission of new members. To recommend to the general Assembly the appointment of eth SecretaryGeneral and together with the assembly, to elect the judges of the International Court of Justice. International Court of Justice. This court serves as the principal Judiciary organ of the UN. It consists of 15 judges elected for a nine-year term by the Security Council and General Assembly .Each judge has to be from a different country. Cases are decided by the majority of the judges present. All Member State which are parties to a dispute have to comply with its decisions. The court has its permanent seat at Hague in Netherlands, but it can hold its meetings elsewhere, if it decides to do so. The judges of the International court of Justice serve for a term of nine- years and can be reelected. The President and vice- President of the court are elected for three years and may, when their expires, be re-elected. 4
The court advises on legal issues that may be referred to it by the UN or its agencies. Normally, the court tries to bring about a peaceful settlement between the parties concerned by an unanimous agreement. A State which is not a member of the UN may become a party to a dispute only on conditions determined by the general assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council. Functions. To render advices (when requested) to the general Assembly and the Security Council on any legal question. To give advisory opinion on specific legal questions to the other organ of the UN and specialized agencies as and when the court is authorized by the general assembly. To decide disputes submitted to it in respect of international established conventions recognized by the contesting States. To settle disputes submitted to it regarding international custom as evidence of a general practice accepted by nations. To give its judgment regarding the general principles of law recognized by nations. To decide the disputes regarding judicial decisions and the reaching of the most lightly qualified publicists of the various nations as a subsidiary means for determining the rules of law. To decide the amount of compensation to be paid to those who are disabled or killed while performing their duties.
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