Term
| What is the most important fact about the UN Charter? (ie, what cannot the UN Charter allow the UN to do?) |
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Definition
| Nothing in the UN Charter is to authorize the UN to intervene in matters that are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state. |
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Term
| What are the six official languages of the UN? |
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Definition
- Chinese
- English
- French
- Russian
- Spanish
- Arabic
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Term
| What are the six principal organs of the UN? |
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Definition
- General Assembly
- Security Council
- Economic and Social Council
- Trusteeship Council (dissolved)
- International Court of Justice
- Secretariat
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Term
| What are the functions and powers of the General Assembly? |
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Definition
- to consider and make recommendations on principles of cooperation
- to discuss any question relation to international peace and security (unless being discussed by the Security Council)
- to discuss and make recommendations on questions iwthin the scope of the Charter and UN organs
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Term
| What five groups of states does the General Assembly Presidency rotate among? |
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Definition
- African
- Asian
- Eastern European
- Latin American / the Caribbean
- Western European / other states
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Term
| How often does the General Assembly Presidency rotate? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the process of the General Assembly proceedings? |
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Definition
| Begins with general debate, then splits into six committees |
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Term
| What are the six committees of the General Assembly? |
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Definition
- Disarmament and International Security
- Economic and Financial
- Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural
- Special Political and Decolonization
- Administrative and Budgetary
- Legal
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Term
| How does the General Assembly adopt resolutions? |
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Definition
| Majority of members present and voting (important decisions go to a 2/3 majority) |
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Term
| In what ways are votes conducted? |
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Definition
| Recorded vote, show-of-hands, or roll-call |
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Term
| Do General Assembly decisions have legally binding force? |
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Definition
| No. But they carry the weight of world opinion. |
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Term
| What / who carries out the General Assembly's decisions? |
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Definition
- committees and other bodies established by Assembly to study and report
- international conferences called for by Assembly
- Secretariat of UN
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Term
| What is the Security Council's primary responsibility under the Charter? |
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Definition
| To maintain international peace and security |
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Term
| How many members are there on the Security Council at a time? |
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Definition
| Fifteen - five permanent, and ten rotating |
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Term
| How and for how long does a nation that is not in the P5 get on the Security Council? |
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Definition
| The General Assembly elects nations to two year terms |
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Term
| Which nations are the five permanent members of the Security Council? |
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Definition
- China
- France
- Russian Federation
- United Kingdom
- United States
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Term
| How many votes does each member of the Security Council have, and how many votes are required to pass a resolution? |
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Definition
Each member of the Security Council has one vote; a 9/15 majority is required to pass a motion
The P5 all have veto power for any motion of the Security Council |
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Term
| What weight do Security Council decisions hold? |
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Definition
| All members of the UN agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council |
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Term
| What does the Security Council have the right to call upon nations to do? |
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Definition
| The Security Council has the right to call on members of th UN to take measures not involving the use of armed force |
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Term
| What does the Security Council recommend in cases of threats to peace? |
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Definition
| Agreement by peaceful settlement |
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Term
| What military powers does the Security Council have? |
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Definition
| The Security Council has the right to dispatch military observers or a peacekeeping force |
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Term
| What is the function of the Economic and Social Committee? |
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Definition
| to serve as the central forum for discussing internation economic and social issues |
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Term
| What is the realm of influence of the Economic and Social Committee? |
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Definition
| making or initiating studies and reports and making recommendations on international economic, social, cultural, educational, health, and related matters |
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Term
| What are the nine functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council? |
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Definition
- Statistical Commission
- Commission on Population and Development
- Commission for Social Development
- Commission on Human Rights
- Commission on the Status of Women
- Commission on Narcotic Drugs
- Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
- Commission on Science and Technology for Development
- Commission on Sustainable Development
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Term
| What subjects does the Economic and Social Council maintain expert bodies on? |
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Definition
| development planning, natural resources, economic, social, and cultural rights, and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues |
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Term
| How many NGO's have consultative status with the Economic and Social Council? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the three categories of NGO's that the Economic and Social Council consults? |
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Definition
Category I - concerned with most of the Council's activities
Category II - specific competence in certain areas
Category III - organizations that can occasionally contribute to the Council
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Term
| What makes the International Court of Justice unique from other Courts? |
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Definition
| Only states are able to submit or be parties to the ICJ. No private persons and entities or international organizations may do so. |
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Term
| What does the International Court of Justice apply to decide disputes? |
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Definition
- international conventions expressly recognized by the contesting states
- international custom
- general principles of law
- judicial decisions and the teachings of the most qualified scholars of the various nations
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Term
| Who is at the head of the Secretariat? |
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Definition
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Term
| How and for how long is the Secretary-General appointed? |
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Definition
| By the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council; five year renewable term |
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Term
| What are the duties of the Secretariat? |
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Definition
- administering peacekeeping operations
- mediating international disputes
- surveying economic and social trends
- preparing studies on human rights and sustainable development
- Anything brought the attention of the UN
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Term
| What is one of the most vital roles played by the Secretary-General? (hint: "good offices") |
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Definition
| Using his "good offices" - steps taken publicly and in private - to prevent international disputes from arriving, escalating, or spreading |
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Term
| Have reform measures falling under the authority of the Secretary-General been implemented? |
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Definition
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Term
| What was the Millenium Report? |
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Definition
| A series of concrete goals and specific targets for the international community to assure that globalization becomes a positive force for all |
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Term
| What is the main source of funds for the UN? |
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Definition
| Contributions from member states |
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Term
| What is the fundamental criteron on which the scale of assessments for UN contributions is based? |
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Definition
| the capacity of countries to pay |
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Term
| What is the cap percentage of the UN budget that any one country can pay? |
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Definition
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