Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Security Council
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
The United Nations is composed of several principal organs, each with its own structure and functions. One of the most powerful among them is the council that includes a unique group of five permanent members who hold veto power. This question asks the candidate to identify which council has this structure. Understanding this arrangement is essential for grasping how global security decisions are made.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The Security Council is the only UN organ that includes five permanent members, namely China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with ten non permanent members elected for limited terms. The permanent members have special privileges such as veto power on substantive resolutions. No other council or organ within the UN has this particular arrangement of permanent and non permanent members with veto rights.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the names of the principal organs of the United Nations, which include the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice, and Secretariat.Step 2: Identify which of these has a structure based on permanent and non permanent members.Step 3: Recognise that the Security Council fits this description, with five permanent and ten non permanent members.Step 4: Note that the General Assembly includes all member states without permanent seats and that the Economic and Social Council and Trusteeship Council do not have five permanent members.Step 5: Select Security Council as the correct answer.
Verification / Alternative check:
As a cross check, consider how international news reports refer to the P5, which stands for the five permanent members of the Security Council. Whenever global crises or military interventions are discussed, the Security Council is mentioned because of its power to authorise actions and impose sanctions. There is no similar reference to permanent members in relation to the General Assembly or the Economic and Social Council, which confirms that the Security Council is the only correct choice.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, Trusteeship Council, is wrong because it was created to supervise trust territories and does not have five permanent members with veto powers.Option C, General Assembly, is wrong because it includes all UN member states with equal voting rights and no permanent member category.Option D, Economic and Social Council, is wrong because it consists of elected member states but not a special group of permanent veto holding members.
Common Pitfalls:
Students may become confused by the number of UN organs and may incorrectly assume that the General Assembly, being large and representative, has some permanent members. Others may overlook the precise wording of the question and forget the distinctive feature of the Security Council. A simple mnemonic is to associate Security Council with security and veto powers, while the General Assembly is a broader deliberative body with equal votes for all members.
Final Answer:
Security Council
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