In which of the following matters placed before the UN General Assembly, a resolution by two-thirds majority of the members present and voting is required? 1. Admission of new members to the UN 2. Election of the non-permanent members of the Security Council 3. Election of members of the Economic and Social Council Select the answer using the code given below:
- (a)1 and 2 only
- (b)2 and 3 only
- (c)1 and 3 only
- (d)1, 2 and 3
Correct — D, 1, 2 and 3. Article 18(2) of the Charter of the United Nations settles this by naming the categories. It provides that decisions of the General Assembly on important questions shall be made by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting, and then lists what counts as important: recommendations on the maintenance of international peace and security, the election of the non-permanent members of the Security Council, the election of the members of the Economic and Social Council, the election of members of the Trusteeship Council, the admission of new Members to the United Nations, the suspension of the rights and privileges of membership, the expulsion of Members, questions relating to the operation of the trusteeship system, and budgetary questions. All three items in the paper — admission of new members, election of non-permanent members of the Security Council and election of members of the Economic and Social Council — appear in that list, so all three require the two-thirds majority.
- (a)1 and 2 only — Leaves out the election of the Economic and Social Council, which Article 18(2) names expressly among the important questions.
- (b)2 and 3 only — Leaves out the admission of new members, which is one of the clearest cases in the Article and is also the one that requires a Security Council recommendation first.
- (c)1 and 3 only — Leaves out the election of the non-permanent members of the Security Council, which is likewise named in Article 18(2).
The General Assembly is the only United Nations organ in which every member has a seat and one vote. Its decisions are ordinarily taken by a simple majority of those present and voting, but Article 18(2) singles out a class of important questions for a two-thirds majority. Article 18(3) then allows the Assembly to add further categories to that class by a simple majority — a rule about how to make rules.
Rather than memorising the list, note what unites it: anything that changes who sits where, or who pays, is an important question. Admission, suspension and expulsion change the membership; elections to the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship Council change the composition of organs; the budget decides contributions. Once you see that pattern, all three statements are obviously in. The commonest error is to confuse the majority with the procedure: admission of a new member needs a Security Council recommendation before the Assembly votes at all, which is why applications can fail without ever reaching a two-thirds test.
- Article 18(1) gives each member of the General Assembly one vote.
- Article 18(2) requires a two-thirds majority of members present and voting on important questions, and lists them.
- That list includes recommendations on international peace and security, elections to the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship Council, admission, suspension and expulsion of members, trusteeship questions and budgetary questions.
- Article 18(3) allows other questions to be added to the important category by a simple majority.
- Admission of a new member under Article 4 requires a recommendation of the Security Council before the General Assembly can decide.
All three items in the paper appear in the Article, so the answer takes them all.
- Believing that only membership questions are important questions; elections to organs and the budget are equally in the list.
- Reading 'two-thirds of the members' instead of 'two-thirds of the members present and voting' — abstentions are not counted as votes.
- Assuming a two-thirds vote alone can admit a state; the Security Council must recommend first.
As a statements item on which General Assembly decisions need a special majority, or as a direct question on the composition of a UN organ.
Which among the following statements regarding the election of non-permanent members to the United Nations Security Council is/are correct ? 1. Five members coming from Africa and Asia, one from Eastern Europe, two from Latin America and two from Western Europe and other states 2. Six members are elected each year by the General Assembly for two year term Select the correct answer using the code given below :
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer(a) 1 only
The same election, examined for its regional distribution and its arithmetic — ten seats of two years each, so five are filled every year, not six. This CDS item asks instead what majority the General Assembly needs to hold that election.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Under Article 18 of the Charter of the United Nations, decisions of the General Assembly on important questions are made by
- (a)a simple majority of all members
- (b)a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting
- (c)consensus of all members
- (d)a three-fourths majority of all members
Answer(b) a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting — abstentions do not count as votes.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The admission of a new member to the United Nations requires, besides a decision of the General Assembly,
- (a)a recommendation of the Security Council
- (b)the consent of the Economic and Social Council
- (c)an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice
- (d)the approval of the Secretary-General
Answer(a) a recommendation of the Security Council — under Article 4 of the Charter.