Consider the following statements about the United Nations and select the correct option.

Question

Consider the following statements about the United Nations and select the correct option.

I. All UN Members are part of the General Assembly.

II. States are admitted to membership by the decision of the General Assembly on the recommendations of the Security Council.

III. Members have the voting rights proportional to their financial contributions only.

1. A. I and II only (Correct answer)
2. B. II and III only
3. C. I and III only
4. D. All of the above

Correct Answer

Option A — I and II only

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is I and II only.

Key Points

• Examining each statement:
  • Statement I is CORRECT. All UN member states are members of the General Assembly, each with one seat. It is the only UN organ with universal membership.
  • Statement II is CORRECT. Under Article 4 of the UN Charter, states are admitted to membership by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. A recommendation therefore requires nine affirmative votes in the Council with no veto from any permanent member, followed by a two-thirds majority in the Assembly.
  • Statement III is INCORRECT. Voting rights in the General Assembly are not proportional to financial contributions. Every member has exactly one vote, regardless of size, wealth or assessed contribution — the principle of sovereign equality.
• Statements I and II are correct.

Additional Information

• Note the contrast with the IMF and the World Bank, where voting power *is* weighted by quota and financial contribution. This difference between the UN's one-state-one-vote rule and the Bretton Woods institutions' weighted voting is a favourite examination point.
• The six principal organs of the UN:
  • General Assembly — all 193 members; decisions on important questions need a two-thirds majority.
  • Security Council — 15 members, of whom 5 are permanent with veto power (China, France, Russia, the UK and the USA) and 10 are elected for two-year terms.
  • Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) — 54 members.
  • International Court of Justice — 15 judges, seated at The Hague; the only principal organ not located in New York.
  • Secretariat — headed by the Secretary-General.
  • Trusteeship Council — suspended operations in 1994.
• The UN was founded on 24 October 1945, observed as United Nations Day; the Charter was signed at San Francisco on 26 June 1945. India is a founding member, having signed on 30 October 1945 while still under British rule.
• The largest financial contributors are the USA, China and Japan — none of which gains extra votes in the General Assembly for it.