Question

The principal judicial organ of the United Nations, is

• A. the International Labour Organisation
• B. the Security Council
• C. the International Court of Justice
• D. the General Assembly

Hint:

Remember that out of the six principal organs of the UN, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the only one located outside of New York City; its headquarters are at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept: The United Nations (UN) was established in 1945 with six principal organs tasked with maintaining international peace, security, and global cooperation. These principal organs are:
• The General Assembly
• The Security Council
• The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
• The Trusteeship Council
• The International Court of Justice (ICJ)
• The UN Secretariat Among these six, only one acts as an independent, permanent court to settle international legal disputes between states. Step-by-Step Analysis:
Let us verify the exact roles of the institutions mentioned in the options:
• Option (A) - International Labour Organisation (ILO): The ILO is a specialized agency of the United Nations, not a principal organ. Its primary mandate centers on setting international labor standards and promoting social and economic justice.
• Option (B) - Security Council: The Security Council is a principal political organ of the UN charged with maintaining global peace and security. It possesses executive enforcement powers (such as deploying peacekeepers or imposing sanctions) but is not a judicial court.
• Option (C) - International Court of Justice (ICJ): Established by the UN Charter, the ICJ (located in The Hague, Netherlands) is explicitly designated as the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It settles legal disputes submitted to it by nation-states and gives advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorized UN organs and specialized agencies.
• Option (D) - General Assembly: The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policy-making, and representative organ of the UN, comprising all 193 member states. While it debates major international issues, it does not act as a court of law. Thus, the International Court of Justice is unequivocally the principal judicial framework of the UN.