Question

Which organ of the United Nations has five permanent members?

• A. General Assembly
• B. Security Council
• C. Secretariat
• D. Economic and Social Council
• A. America
• B. Russia
• C. China
• D. France
• A. 1962
• B. 1963
• C. 1964
• D. 1965
• A. The Security Council no longer represents contemporary political realities.
• B. The Security Council’s decisions reflect only western values and interests and are dominated by a few powers.
• C. The Security Council lacks equitable representation.
• D. The Security Council has a large army to establish peace.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Concept: The United Nations system consists of six main organs established by the UN Charter. The UN Security Council (UNSC) is primarily responsible for maintaining international peace and security.
• Permanent Members (P5): China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
• Veto Power: The primary privilege held by these five permanent members.

Step 1: Analyzing the composition of the UN Security Council.
The Security Council consists of 15 member states in total:
• 5 Permanent Members (P5): China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
• 10 Non-permanent Members: Elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.

Step 2: Evaluating the given options.

• (A) General Assembly: Consists of all 193 member states with equal voting representation.
• (B) Security Council: Contains the 5 permanent veto-wielding members.
• (C) Secretariat: The administrative body headed by the Secretary-General.
• (D) Economic and Social Council: Consists of 54 member states elected by the General Assembly. Thus, the correct organ is the Security Council.

Answer 2

Concept: The UN regular budget is funded through assessed contributions from member states, based on a scale derived from Gross National Income (GNI), adjusted for population and debt burden.
• Top Contributor: The United States contributes the maximum percentage (capped at 22% for the regular budget).

Step 1: Analyzing UN budgetary assessment rules.
Assessed contributions determine how much each country pays toward the UN regular budget. The assessment rate accounts for a nation's economic capacity and overall national income.

Step 2: Identifying the largest single contributor.
The United States of America (USA) is the largest individual financial contributor to both the UN regular budget and the UN peacekeeping budget, contributing 22% of the regular budget. China is the second-largest contributor.

Answer 3

Concept: The structure of the UN Security Council was modified via constitutional charter amendments to accommodate the expanding membership of post-colonial independent nations.
• Original Structure (1945–1965): 11 members (5 Permanent, 6 Non-permanent).
• Amended Structure (1965): 15 members (5 Permanent, 10 Non-permanent).

Step 1: Understanding the UN Charter Amendment process.
In December 1963, the General Assembly adopted resolution 1991 (XVIII) to amend Articles 23 and 27 of the UN Charter to expand the Security Council due to the growing number of UN member states from Asia and Africa.

Step 2: Determining the implementation year.
The amendment officially came into force on August 31, 1965, expanding the non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council from 6 to 10 members, thereby raising total UNSC membership from 11 to 15.

Answer 4

Concept: Understanding the functional limitations and institutional framework of the UN Security Council helps distinguish between factual features and common misconceptions.
• No Standing Army: The UN does not possess its own standing military forces. Peacekeeping troops are voluntarily contributed by member states.
• Demands for Reform: Focus on restructuring the UNSC to reflect current geopolitical reality, equitable geographic distribution, and reducing Western domination.

Step 1: Evaluating Statements (A), (B), and (C).

• Statement (A) is a central argument used by countries seeking reform (including India), as the UNSC structure still reflects the post-WWII power balance of 1945.
• Statement (B) represents a common criticism that P5 powers dominate decision-making aligned with Western strategic priorities.
• Statement (C) accurately describes the under-representation of developing regions such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Step 2: Evaluating Statement (D).
Statement (D) claims that the Security Council has a large army to establish peace. This statement is incorrect because the UN has no standing army of its own. UN Peacekeeping operations rely entirely on voluntary contributions of troops and police forces deployed by member nations under specific UN Security Council mandates. Therefore, (D) is the incorrect statement.