Question

Out of the six principal organs of the United Nations, the only authorised body of the United Nations which issues member states a binding resolution is ____________________.
A.United Nations Security Council
B.International Monetary Fund
C.World Health Organisation
D.World Wildlife Fund

Answer 1

Hint: The United Nations was established on Oct 24, 1945, by 51 countries at the end of the Second World War. Currently, it has a membership of 193 countries. The UN is headquartered in New York City, USA. The principal aim of the UN as mentioned in Article 1 of the UN Charter is ‘to maintain international peace and security’, ‘to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights’ and ‘to achieve international co-operation in solving international problems’.

Complete step by step solution:
Option A: UN Security Council is correct. As one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, the main responsibility of the Security Council is to maintain international peace and security. The total strength of the Security Council is 15 (since 1965) including the 5 permanent members—USA, UK, China, France and Russia. Any decision of the Security Council has to be passed by 9 out of the 15 members and this should include all the 5 permanent members. Thus the permanent members have the special veto power to block any decision or resolution from being passed. The Council has the power to pass legally-binding resolutions, to suspend or expel members, to impose economic sanctions and to take military action to maintain or restore peace and security.So, this option is correct.
Option B: International Monetary Fund is incorrect because it is not a principal organ of the UN rather a specialised agency. It was formed at the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference and began functioning from 1945 to restructure international payments, manage international financial crises and secure financial stability.
Option C: World Health Organisation is incorrect because much like IMF it is also a specialised agency of the United Nations. Its central role is to identify and address public health risks, investigate and manage disease outbreaks, support research and issue guidelines.
Option D: The World Wildlife Fund is incorrect because unlike the IMF and WHO, it is not a specialised agency of the UN but an international non-governmental organisation which functions to preserve wildlife and natural environment from human impact.

Note: The United Nations was formed to correct the issues of its predecessor, League of Nations which had been set up in the aftermath of the First World War but it failed to function effectively enough to prevent the Second World War. When joining, the member states agree to accept the obligations of the UN charter which came to existence at the end of the San Francisco Conference on June 26, 1945.