International Organisations Class 12 NCERT Solutions

Concept used. The veto is the special negative vote held by each of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (the US, Russia, the UK, France and China). In a Security Council vote every member has one vote, but a single negative vote by any one permanent member can block a decision even if everyone else votes in favour. Non-permanent members do not have this power. Test each statement against this definition.

1. (a) Only the permanent members possess the veto power: correct. The veto belongs only to the five permanent members; the ten non-permanent members do not have it.
2. (b) It is a kind of negative power: correct. The veto is a negative vote. It does not push a decision through; it only stops one. So it is a power to block, not to pass.
3. (c) The Secretary-General uses this power when not satisfied with a decision: wrong. The Secretary-General is the administrative head of the UN and has no veto. Only the five permanent members of the Security Council hold it.
4. (d) One veto can stall a Security Council resolution: correct. A single negative vote by any permanent member can halt a resolution, no matter how many other members support it.

a. Correct    b. Correct    c. Wrong    d. Correct.

Concept used. The UN works through several different bodies, each with its own job. War, peace and security are handled mainly by the Security Council and the General Assembly. Social, economic and humanitarian work is shared across many organs and specialised agencies (such as the WHO, UNDP, UNHCR and UNICEF) that are spread all over the world. Membership of one body does not make a country a member of every other body. Check each statement against how the UN is actually built.

1. (a) All security and peace related issues are dealt with in the Security Council: correct. The Security Council carries the chief responsibility for maintaining international peace and security.
2. (b) Humanitarian policies are implemented by the main organs and specialised agencies spread across the globe: correct. Health, education, refugees and child welfare are handled by agencies like the WHO, UNESCO, UNHCR and UNICEF located across the world.
3. (c) Consensus among the five permanent members on security issues is vital for implementation: correct. Because any one permanent member can veto a decision, real agreement among all five is needed before a security decision can be carried out.
4. (d) Members of the General Assembly are automatically members of all other principal organs and specialised agencies: wrong. Every UN member sits in the General Assembly, but the Security Council and the specialised agencies have their own limited and separate memberships.

a. Correct    b. Correct    c. Correct    d. Wrong.

Concept used. The chapter lists the criteria proposed for new permanent members of the Security Council: a major economic power, a major military power, a large contributor to the UN budget, a big population, a record of respecting democracy and human rights, and a contribution to the Council's representativeness. The strongest argument for India is the one that fits these agreed criteria most directly. Weigh each option against them.

• (a) Nuclear capability: this works against India. Several countries are actually concerned about India's nuclear weapons, so it does not add weight to its claim.
• (b) Member since the UN's inception: true (India joined on 30 October 1945), but long membership alone is not one of the proposed criteria, so it adds little weight.
• (c) Located in Asia: geography matters in the wider debate, but being in Asia is a general fact and does not single India out for a seat.
• (d) Growing economic power and stable political system: this matches the criteria head-on. India is a fast-growing major economy and the world's largest stable democracy, which directly supports its claim.

(d) India's growing economic power and stable political system.

Concept used. Each UN agency has a defined area of work. The agency that deals with nuclear technology is the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), set up in 1957 to carry out US President Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" proposal. It promotes the peaceful use of nuclear energy, works to stop its use for military purposes, and its teams inspect nuclear facilities around the world to ensure civilian reactors are not used to make weapons.

• (a) and (c) name bodies that are not the recognised nuclear agency.
• (b) the IAEA is precisely the agency for the safety and peaceful use of nuclear technology, so it is correct.
• (d) is therefore not needed, since a correct option exists.

(b) International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Concept used. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) sets the rules for global trade. It was set up in 1995 as the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which had been created after the Second World War. So the body that the WTO replaced is GATT.

1. (a) The General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) is the trade body the WTO succeeded, so it is correct. (The exact name is the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and this option is the one the question intends.)
2. (b) "General Arrangement on Trade and Tariffs" is not a real organisation; it is a made-up distractor.
3. (c) and (d) name a health body and a development programme, neither of which has anything to do with trade rules.

(a) General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

Concept used. These blanks test the basic facts about the purpose, leadership and structure of the UN, all stated directly in the chapter. Fill each blank with the exact term the book uses.

1. (a) The prime objective of the UN is to prevent international conflict and to facilitate cooperation among states. In short, it works to maintain international peace and security.
2. (b) The highest functionary of the UN is called the Secretary-General. This is the UN's most visible public figure and its representative head.
3. (c) The UN Security Council has 5 permanent and 10 non-permanent members, fifteen in all.
4. (d) António Guterres is the present UN Secretary-General. He is the ninth Secretary-General and took office on 1 January 2017.

a. to prevent international conflict and facilitate cooperation among states; b. Secretary-General; c. 5 permanent and 10 non-permanent; d. António Guterres.

Concept used. Each UN organ or agency has one clearly defined job. Match every body to the function that describes that job. Reading the body's name usually tells you its work: "Court" deals with disputes, "Health" with health, "Atomic Energy" with nuclear technology, and so on.

1. 1 (Economic and Social Council) → c. It looks into the economic and social welfare of member countries.
2. 2 (International Court of Justice) → e. A court resolves disputes between and among member countries.
3. 3 (International Atomic Energy Agency) → d. It handles the safety and peaceful use of nuclear technology.
4. 4 (Security Council) → b. It is responsible for the preservation of international peace and security.
5. 5 (UN High Commission for Refugees) → f. It provides shelter and medical help during emergencies.
6. 6 (World Trade Organisation) → j. It facilitates free trade among member countries.
7. 7 (International Monetary Fund) → a. It oversees the global financial system.
8. 8 (General Assembly) → g. It debates and discusses global issues.
9. 9 (World Health Organisation) → i. It works for good health for all.
10. 10 (Secretariat) → h. It handles the administration and coordination of UN affairs.

1-c, 2-e, 3-d, 4-b, 5-f, 6-j, 7-a, 8-g, 9-i, 10-h.

Concept used. The Security Council is the UN organ that holds the chief responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. It has five permanent members (the US, Russia, the UK, France and China), who alone hold the veto, and ten non-permanent members elected for two years from across the continents. Its functions flow from that core responsibility for peace.

The main functions of the Security Council are:

1. Maintaining international peace and security. This is its central task. It works to stop conflicts between states from escalating into war and, where war breaks out, to limit the fighting.
2. Investigating disputes. It can look into any dispute or situation that might lead to international friction, so that trouble can be addressed before it spreads.
3. Recommending peaceful settlement. It suggests methods and terms for settling disputes peacefully, encouraging states to talk rather than fight.
4. Taking enforcement action. When peaceful means fail, it can call for economic sanctions or authorise the use of force, including UN peacekeeping operations, against an aggressor.
5. Acting on new members and key appointments. It recommends the admission of new members to the UN and, together with the General Assembly, takes part in choosing the Secretary-General and electing the judges of the International Court of Justice.

The chapter underlines that the Council can act effectively only when the five permanent members agree, because any one of them can use the veto to stall a decision.

The Security Council maintains international peace and security: investigating disputes, recommending peaceful settlements, taking enforcement action (sanctions or force) against aggressors, deploying peacekeepers, and recommending new members and key UN appointments. Its decisions need the agreement of the five veto-holding permanent members.

Concept used. India seeks a permanent seat in a reformed Security Council. The chapter sets out the criteria proposed for new members (a major economic and military power, a big population, a substantial contributor to the UN budget, a country that respects democracy and human rights, and one that adds to the Council's representativeness) and shows how India meets them. A strong answer supports India's case by matching India's record to these criteria.

As a citizen of India, I would support India's candidature on the following grounds:

1. World's largest democracy with a stable political system. India has run a stable, working democracy since independence. A country that respects democracy and human rights fits the agreed criteria for a new member.
2. Huge population. India is among the most populous countries in the world, making up almost one-fifth of humanity. A permanent member should be a big nation in terms of population.
3. Growing economic power. India's economy is expanding rapidly and it is now one of the world's major economies, which strengthens its claim as a major economic power.
4. Long record in the UN. India has been a member since the UN's founding in 1945 and has taken part in virtually all its initiatives, especially UN peacekeeping, where its contribution is long and substantial.
5. Regular financial contributions. India has made steady financial contributions to the UN and has never faltered on its payments.
6. Better representation of the developing world. The vast majority of UN members today are developing countries. India's inclusion would make the Council more representative of contemporary realities, so that those who are affected by its decisions also help shape them.

India deserves a permanent seat because it is the world's largest democracy with a stable polity, has a huge population, a fast-growing economy, a founding membership and a long peacekeeping and financial record, and because its inclusion would make the Council more representative of the developing world that forms most of the UN's membership.

Concept used. Reform of the UN has two parts: reform of structures and processes (above all the Security Council), and a review of the issues that fall within the UN's jurisdiction. Almost everyone agrees reform is needed, but they cannot agree on what to do, how to do it, or when. A critical evaluation lays out the difficulties on both sides.

The main difficulties in implementing UN reform are:

1. No agreement on the criteria for new members. Many criteria have been suggested, economic power, military power, budget contribution, population, respect for democracy. Each has some validity, but governments back the criteria that suit their own interests, so no single list commands agreement.
2. The problem of representation. States cannot agree on how to share new seats. Should representation be by continent, by region, or by level of development? Should culture or "civilisation" be represented? Every formula leaves some group dissatisfied.
3. The veto deadlock. Some want the veto abolished as undemocratic, but the five permanent members are unlikely to surrender it. Reform of the veto needs the agreement of the very members who benefit from it.
4. Fear of weakening the UN. Without the veto there is a real danger, as in 1945, that the great powers would lose interest in the UN, act outside it, and leave it ineffective. So removing the veto could damage the body it is meant to improve.
5. Rivalries among the contenders. If India is admitted, then Brazil, Germany, Japan and perhaps South Africa would also press their claims, and many states oppose one or more of these. Each candidate attracts a rival's objection.
6. Contentious jurisdiction issues. The 2005 proposals (peacebuilding, the responsibility to protect, a Human Rights Council, the Sustainable Development Goals, a definition of terrorism) are themselves disputed. States disagree on when the UN should intervene and on what counts as terrorism, so the agenda itself is hard to settle.

UN reform is held back by the lack of agreement on the criteria for new members, disputes over how to share representation, the veto deadlock, the fear that scrapping the veto would weaken the UN, rivalries among candidate countries, and disagreement over the contentious jurisdiction issues raised in 2005. Reform is widely wanted but very hard to implement.

Concept used. The UN is an imperfect body that has not stopped every war or ended every misery. Yet over 190 nations choose to keep it going because it serves purposes that no single country can serve alone. Its indispensability rests on the unique functions it performs in a deeply interdependent world.

The UN is indispensable for the following reasons:

1. A forum for dialogue, not war. The UN is one place where over 190 nations can meet, argue and find peaceful solutions. As Churchill put it, "jaw-jaw is better than war-war": it is better to bore each other with words than to bore holes in each other on the battlefield.
2. Resolving conflicts peacefully. Even though it is rarely noticed, most conflicts and differences between states are settled without going to war, and the UN often helps make that possible.
3. Tackling shared problems. Some challenges, such as disease and global warming, can only be handled when everyone cooperates. A disease may be eradicated only if every country vaccinates its people; warming can be slowed only if the major powers act together. The UN helps organise this cooperation.
4. Rules, information and trust. The UN provides mechanisms, rules and a bureaucracy that help states cooperate with more confidence that costs and benefits will be shared fairly and that others will keep their promises.
5. Humanitarian and developmental work. Through agencies like the WHO, UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF and UNESCO, the UN improves living conditions in health, education, refugees, children and culture across the world.
6. A check in a unipolar world. The UN cannot balance US power, but it provides an arena where the rest of the world can be heard and where US attitudes and policies can sometimes be modified through compromise.

The UN is indispensable because it gives over 190 nations one place to talk rather than fight, helps settle most disputes peacefully, organises cooperation on shared threats like disease and climate change, supplies rules and trust for that cooperation, runs vast humanitarian and developmental work, and offers a forum where even the most powerful states can be questioned. As the book says, it is imperfect, but without it the world would be worse off.

Concept used. UN reform has two distinct parts. One is reform of the organisation's structures and processes, where the biggest issue is the Security Council. The other is a review of jurisdiction, the issues the UN should take up, such as peacebuilding, human rights, development goals and terrorism. To answer this, decide whether restructuring the Security Council is all of reform or only one important part of it.

Arguments that support the statement (reform is mainly about the Security Council):

1. The Security Council is the most powerful organ, and its structure no longer reflects today's world: it represents 1945 realities, not 2026.
2. Its decisions are seen as reflecting mainly Western values and interests and as dominated by a few powers, so it lacks equitable representation.
3. The veto held by the five permanent members is the single biggest obstacle to democratic reform, which is why most reform energy is spent on the Council.
4. Expanding the permanent and non-permanent membership to include Asia, Africa and Latin America would make the whole UN more representative.

Arguments against the statement (reform is more than the Security Council):

1. Reform also means reviewing the UN's jurisdiction, the issues it deals with, such as peacebuilding, the responsibility to protect, the Human Rights Council, the Sustainable Development Goals and terrorism.
2. The 2005 summit agreed on steps well beyond the Council, including a Peacebuilding Commission, a Human Rights Council and a Democracy Fund.
3. The UN's humanitarian and developmental work through its many agencies needs improvement too, as do its budgetary and administrative procedures.

Balanced conclusion. Restructuring the Security Council is the most important and most difficult part of reform, but it is not the whole of it. Reform also requires reviewing what the UN does and how its agencies and finances work. So one can partly agree: Security Council restructuring is central to reform, but reform is wider than the Council alone.

I partly agree. Restructuring the Security Council, its membership and the veto, is the most central and most difficult part of UN reform, since the Council is the most powerful and least representative organ. But reform is broader than that: it also means reviewing the UN's jurisdiction (peacebuilding, human rights, development, terrorism) and improving its agencies, budget and administration. So Security Council restructuring is the heart of reform, but not the whole of it.