Society & Welfare
International Organisations and Events
The United Nations System
UN origin, Charter, six principal organs, Security Council and veto, Secretaries-General, the 2026 selection, India at the UN and UNSC reform for CGPSC.
Prerequisites
- International Organisations — chapter overview — the map of this chapter and what is time-sensitive
- Union Executive — who conducts India’s foreign relations and signs treaties
The Hook: 24 October in a Raipur School
Connect
Every year on 24 October, schools across Chhattisgarh hold essay and quiz contests for UN Day. Few students know why that date was chosen, or why five countries can block anything the Security Council decides, or why India, the world’s most populous country, still has no permanent seat.
In 2026 these questions are live. António Guterres’s second term ends on 31 December 2026, and the Security Council has been running straw polls to pick his successor. How is the UN built, and where does India stand in it?
Why it matters: Prelims asks exact facts (organs, articles, numbers, the order of Secretaries-General). Mains GS-V asks you to evaluate the UN’s relevance and the case for Security Council reform.
From the League to the United Nations (संयुक्त राष्ट्र)
timeline title Road to the United Nations 1919-20 : League of Nations (Treaty of Versailles), HQ Geneva Aug 1941 : Atlantic Charter (Roosevelt and Churchill) 1 Jan 1942 : Declaration by United Nations, 26 signatories incl. India 1943 : Moscow and Tehran conferences Aug-Oct 1944 : Dumbarton Oaks proposals Feb 1945 : Yalta Conference agrees Security Council voting 25 Apr-26 Jun 1945 : San Francisco Conference, Charter signed 26 June 24 Oct 1945 : Charter enters into force (UN Day) Jan 1946 : First General Assembly session, London
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name “United Nations” | Coined by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt; first used in the Declaration by United Nations, 1 January 1942 |
| Charter signed | 26 June 1945, San Francisco, by 50 countries; Poland signed later, making 51 original members |
| In force | 24 October 1945, now celebrated as UN Day |
| India | An original member: it signed the 1942 Declaration and the 1945 Charter while still under British rule |
| Members | 193 (as of 2026). The newest is South Sudan (2011) |
| Non-member observer states | Holy See and State of Palestine |
| HQ | New York (land donated by John D. Rockefeller Jr.). Other main offices: Geneva, Vienna, Nairobi |
| Official languages | Six: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish |
Charter articles worth knowing
| Article / Chapter | Content |
|---|---|
| Art 1 | Purposes: international peace and security, friendly relations, cooperation, harmonising actions |
| Art 2(7) | No intervention in matters essentially within domestic jurisdiction (except Chapter VII enforcement) |
| Art 4 | Admission of new members: General Assembly decision on Security Council recommendation |
| Art 7 | Lists the six principal organs |
| Art 23 | Security Council composition (5 permanent + 10 non-permanent) |
| Art 27 | Voting in the Security Council; 27(3) needs the “concurring votes of the permanent members” on substantive matters, the source of the veto |
| Chapter VI | Pacific settlement of disputes |
| Chapter VII | Action with respect to threats to the peace (sanctions, use of force) |
| Art 51 | Inherent right of self-defence |
| Art 97 | Secretary-General appointed by the GA on SC recommendation |
| Art 108 | Charter amendment: two-thirds of GA + ratification by two-thirds of members including all P5 |
The Six Principal Organs
graph TD
UN["United Nations Charter, Art 7"] --> GA["General Assembly
all 193 members, New York"]
UN --> SC["Security Council
15 members, New York"]
UN --> EC["ECOSOC
54 members, New York"]
UN --> TC["Trusteeship Council
suspended since 1994"]
UN --> ICJ["International Court of Justice
15 judges, The Hague"]
UN --> SEC["Secretariat
headed by the Secretary-General"]| Organ | Key facts |
|---|---|
| General Assembly (महासभा) | All members, one country one vote. Important questions need a two-thirds majority. Resolutions are recommendations, not binding. Elects non-permanent SC members, ECOSOC members and (with the SC) ICJ judges. Regular session opens each September |
| Security Council (सुरक्षा परिषद) | Primary responsibility for peace and security. Its decisions under Chapter VII are binding on all members (Art 25). Details below |
| Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) | 54 members, three-year terms. Coordinates the economic and social work of the specialised agencies, functional commissions (e.g. Commission on the Status of Women) and NGOs in consultative status |
| Trusteeship Council | Supervised 11 Trust Territories. Suspended operations on 1 November 1994 after Palau, the last one, became independent. Still exists on paper |
| International Court of Justice (अंतर्राष्ट्रीय न्यायालय) | The Hague (Peace Palace), the only principal organ outside New York. 15 judges, 9-year terms, elected by absolute majority in both the GA and the SC. Hears disputes between states only and gives advisory opinions |
| Secretariat (सचिवालय) | Day-to-day administration, headed by the Secretary-General, the “chief administrative officer” (Art 97) |
Security Council in detail
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Size | 15: 5 permanent + 10 non-permanent. It was 11 (5 + 6) until 1965; a Charter amendment adopted in 1963 took effect in 1965 |
| P5 | China, France, Russia, UK, USA. Russia took the USSR’s seat in 1991; the People’s Republic of China replaced the Republic of China (Taiwan) in 1971 (GA Resolution 2758) |
| Non-permanent | Elected by the GA for two-year terms; 5 elected every year; no immediate re-election; seats allotted by region |
| Voting | Each member one vote. Procedural matters: 9 votes. Substantive matters: 9 votes including no negative vote by a P5 (the veto). By long practice, a P5 abstention is not a veto |
| Presidency | Rotates monthly in English alphabetical order of members |
| 2026 elected members | Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, Somalia (2025–26) and Bahrain, Colombia, DR Congo, Latvia, Liberia (2026–27) |
The 'veto initiative' (2022)
In April 2022 the General Assembly adopted Resolution 76/262: whenever a P5 member casts a veto, the President of the GA must convene a debate within 10 working days. The veto stays, but the vetoing state now has to explain itself before all members. It is a useful line in any Mains answer on UNSC reform.
Secretaries-General (महासचिव)
| # | Secretary-General | Country | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trygve Lie | Norway | 1946–1952 |
| 2 | Dag Hammarskjöld | Sweden | 1953–1961 (died in office; posthumous Nobel Peace Prize 1961) |
| 3 | U Thant | Burma (Myanmar) | 1961–1971 (first from Asia) |
| 4 | Kurt Waldheim | Austria | 1972–1981 |
| 5 | Javier Pérez de Cuéllar | Peru | 1982–1991 |
| 6 | Boutros Boutros-Ghali | Egypt | 1992–1996 (first from Africa; one term) |
| 7 | Kofi Annan | Ghana | 1997–2006 (Nobel Peace Prize 2001, with the UN) |
| 8 | Ban Ki-moon | South Korea | 2007–2016 |
| 9 | António Guterres | Portugal | 1 January 2017 – 31 December 2026 (two terms) |
The 2026 selection (as of early October 2026)
- The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council (Art 97). The recommendation is subject to the veto, so all five permanent members must at least not object.
- Since 2016 the process has been more open: candidates are nominated publicly and hold informal dialogues with all member states.
- In 2026 the Security Council held its first straw poll on 30 July 2026. Seven candidates were in the race, including Rebeca Grynspan (Costa Rica, head of UN Trade and Development, who led the first poll), Michelle Bachelet (Chile), Rafael Grossi (Argentina, head of the IAEA), Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett (Guyana) and Macky Sall (Senegal). There has never been a woman Secretary-General, and the Latin America and Caribbean region has not held the post since Pérez de Cuéllar.
- The new Secretary-General takes office on 1 January 2027. Check who has been appointed before your exam.
The President of the General Assembly changes every year. For the 81st session (from 8 September 2026) it is Khalilur Rahman, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, elected in June 2026. The only Indian to hold the post was Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (1953), also the first woman President of the GA.
India at the United Nations
| Area | Facts |
|---|---|
| Founding | Original member; A. Ramaswami Mudaliar led India’s delegation at San Francisco |
| Security Council | Non-permanent member eight times: 1950–51, 1967–68, 1972–73, 1977–78, 1984–85, 1991–92, 2011–12, 2021–22. India has announced its candidature for 2028–29 |
| ICJ judges from India | B.N. Rau, Nagendra Singh (President of the ICJ, 1985–88), R.S. Pathak, Dalveer Bhandari (on the Court since 2012) |
| Peacekeeping | One of the largest cumulative troop contributors since the 1950s. India sent the UN’s first all-women Formed Police Unit to Liberia (2007) |
| Agenda-setting | Raised apartheid at the UN (1946); led the Non-Aligned Movement; proposed the International Day of Yoga (21 June, GA resolution 2014) and the International Year of Millets (2023) |
| Counter-terrorism | Proposed the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) in 1996; still not adopted because states disagree on a definition of terrorism |
Chhattisgarh angle
The International Year of Millets 2023, proposed by India and adopted by the General Assembly, connects directly to Chhattisgarh’s kodo, kutki and ragi growers in Bastar and Surguja. In a Mains answer on India’s soft power at the UN, this is a concrete local example. See Agricultural Economy for the millet economy.
Analysis for Mains: Is the UN Still Relevant? The Case for Reform
Achievements
- No world war since 1945; decolonisation (membership grew from 51 to 193).
- Peacekeeping in dozens of conflicts; humanitarian relief through UNHCR, WFP and UNICEF.
- Norm-setting: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (10 December 1948), the Sustainable Development Goals (2015, 17 goals), the Paris Agreement process.
Failures and limits
- Veto paralysis on major conflicts (Syria, Ukraine, Gaza) because the P5 are often parties or patrons.
- Unrepresentative Council: no permanent member from Africa or Latin America, and none from South Asia despite India’s population, economy and peacekeeping record.
- Funding stress: arrears and cuts by major donors forced the UN80 Initiative (2025) on cost-cutting and merging overlapping bodies. The United States left WHO in January 2026 and is due to leave UNESCO on 31 December 2026.
- GA resolutions are not binding; enforcement depends on great powers.
Reform camps
| Group | Position |
|---|---|
| G4 (India, Brazil, Germany, Japan) | Expand both permanent and non-permanent seats; support each other’s permanent bids |
| Uniting for Consensus (“Coffee Club”, incl. Italy, Pakistan, Argentina, South Korea) | Only more non-permanent or longer-term seats; no new permanent members |
| African Union (Ezulwini Consensus, 2005) | Two permanent seats with veto and five non-permanent seats for Africa |
| L.69 (developing countries incl. India) | Expansion in both categories with more developing-country representation |
Negotiations happen through the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) in the GA, running since 2009 without a text-based draft. Any change needs Art 108: two-thirds of members and all P5.
Memory Tricks
Six organs: 'GSE TIS'
General Assembly · Security Council · ECOSOC · Trusteeship Council · ICJ · Secretariat. Only the ICJ sits outside New York (The Hague).
Secretaries-General in order
“Little Hammer Thanked Waldheim, Pérez Boutros Kofi Ban Guterres”: Lie, Hammarskjöld, Thant, Waldheim, Pérez de Cuéllar, Boutros-Ghali, Annan, Ban, Guterres.
Numbers ladder
5 P5 → 6 organs and languages → 9 votes to pass in the SC, 9-year ICJ terms → 15 SC members and ICJ judges → 54 ECOSOC → 193 members.
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|---|---|
| ICJ (The Hague, 1945): disputes between states, UN principal organ | vs | ICC (International Criminal Court, The Hague, Rome Statute 1998, in force 2002): tries individuals; not a UN organ; India is not a party |
| Declaration by United Nations (1 Jan 1942) | vs | UN Charter (signed 26 Jun 1945, in force 24 Oct 1945) |
| Universal Declaration of Human Rights (10 Dec 1948, GA resolution) | vs | UN Charter (treaty) |
| President of the GA (elected yearly) | vs | Secretary-General (5-year term, chief administrative officer) |
| SC procedural vote: any 9 | vs | SC substantive vote: 9 with no P5 “no” |
Common Mistakes
MCQ traps
- “India joined the UN after independence in 1947.” False. India is an original member (1945).
- “The Trusteeship Council was abolished.” False. It suspended operations in 1994; abolition would need a Charter amendment.
- “A permanent member’s abstention defeats a resolution.” False. By settled practice an abstention is not a veto.
- “The Security Council has had 15 members since 1945.” False. It had 11 until 1965.
- “ICJ judges are elected by the General Assembly alone.” False. They need an absolute majority in both the GA and the SC.
- “Guterres is Secretary-General until 2027.” His term ends on 31 December 2026; his successor starts on 1 January 2027.
Practice
All questions below are original practice questions written in CGPSC style. They are not previous-year questions.
Level 1: Foundation
- The UN Charter came into force on ______, now observed as UN Day.
- The only principal organ of the UN located outside New York is the ______.
- The Security Council was enlarged from 11 to 15 members in the year ______.
Answers
- 24 October 1945.
- International Court of Justice (The Hague).
- 1965.
Level 2: Prelims MCQs
Q1. Consider the following statements about the UN Security Council:
- Its decisions on substantive matters need the affirmative votes of nine members, with no negative vote by any permanent member.
- Non-permanent members are elected for three-year terms.
- A permanent member that abstains is treated as having cast a veto.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 1 and 2 only
- (c) 2 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer and explanation
(a) 1 only. Article 27(3) requires nine votes including the “concurring votes” of the permanent members, which is the veto. Non-permanent members serve two-year terms, so statement 2 is wrong. Long-standing practice treats an abstention by a permanent member as not blocking a resolution, so statement 3 is wrong.
Q2. Which one of the following correctly gives the order in which these persons served as UN Secretary-General?
- (a) U Thant – Dag Hammarskjöld – Kurt Waldheim – Kofi Annan
- (b) Dag Hammarskjöld – Kurt Waldheim – U Thant – Boutros Boutros-Ghali
- (c) Dag Hammarskjöld – U Thant – Javier Pérez de Cuéllar – Kofi Annan
- (d) Trygve Lie – U Thant – Dag Hammarskjöld – Ban Ki-moon
Answer and explanation
(c). The order is Lie, Hammarskjöld, U Thant, Waldheim, Pérez de Cuéllar, Boutros-Ghali, Annan, Ban, Guterres. Options (a), (b) and (d) each swap Hammarskjöld and U Thant or misplace Waldheim.
Q3. Match List I (UN organ) with List II (feature):
| List I | List II |
|---|---|
| A. ECOSOC | 1. Suspended operations in 1994 |
| B. Trusteeship Council | 2. 15 judges with nine-year terms |
| C. International Court of Justice | 3. 54 members elected for three years |
| D. General Assembly | 4. One member, one vote; resolutions are recommendatory |
- (a) A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4
- (b) A-4, B-1, C-2, D-3
- (c) A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2
- (d) A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4
Answer and explanation
(d) A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4. ECOSOC has 54 members; the Trusteeship Council suspended work after Palau’s independence in 1994; the ICJ has 15 judges elected for nine years; the General Assembly works on one member, one vote and its resolutions are generally not binding.
Q4. With reference to India and the United Nations, which of the following statements is not correct?
- (a) India signed the Declaration by United Nations in 1942.
- (b) Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was the first woman President of the UN General Assembly.
- (c) India has served on the Security Council as a non-permanent member eight times.
- (d) India is a State Party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Answer and explanation
(d). India has not signed or ratified the Rome Statute, so it is not a party to the ICC. The other three statements are correct: India signed the 1942 Declaration as one of 26 states, Pandit presided over the GA in 1953, and India’s eighth term was 2021–22.
Q5. Under the UN Charter, the right of individual or collective self-defence is recognised in:
- (a) Article 2(7)
- (b) Article 27
- (c) Article 51
- (d) Article 97
Answer and explanation
(c) Article 51. Art 2(7) is non-intervention in domestic matters, Art 27 is Security Council voting, and Art 97 deals with the Secretariat and the appointment of the Secretary-General.
Level 3: Mains Answer Writing
Q1. (150–200 words) “The composition of the UN Security Council reflects the world of 1945, not of today.” Discuss with reference to India’s claim to permanent membership.
Model answer outline
- Intro: The P5 are the victors of 1945. Membership has grown from 51 to 193, but the Council has been enlarged only once (11 to 15, 1965).
- Body:
- Under-representation: no permanent seat for Africa, Latin America or South Asia; Europe holds two of five.
- Veto paralysis on Syria, Ukraine and Gaza erodes legitimacy; the 2022 veto initiative is only a partial check.
- India’s case: most populous country, a large economy, eight elected terms, a major peacekeeping contributor, leadership of the Global South (G20 presidency 2023 brought the African Union in as a permanent member).
- Obstacles: Uniting for Consensus opposes new permanent seats; China’s position; the Art 108 requirement of P5 ratification; the IGN has no negotiating text since 2009.
- Middle paths: longer-term renewable seats, veto restraint, more transparency.
- Conclusion: Reform is needed for legitimacy. India should pair its G4 diplomacy with Global South coalition-building, including Africa’s Ezulwini demand.
Q2. (60 words) Explain the procedure for appointing the UN Secretary-General.
Model answer outline
Under Article 97, the General Assembly appoints the Secretary-General on the Security Council’s recommendation. The Council holds straw polls and its recommendation is subject to the P5 veto. Since 2016, candidates are publicly nominated and hold open dialogues with members. The term is five years, renewable once by convention. In 2026 the process chose Guterres’s successor, who takes office on 1 January 2027.
Quick Revision Table
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Declaration by United Nations | 1 Jan 1942, 26 states incl. India |
| Charter signed / in force | 26 Jun 1945 San Francisco / 24 Oct 1945 |
| Members (as of 2026) | 193; newest South Sudan (2011); observers Holy See, Palestine |
| Six organs | GA, SC, ECOSOC, Trusteeship Council, ICJ, Secretariat |
| SC | 5 + 10; 11 → 15 in 1965; veto from Art 27(3) |
| ECOSOC | 54 members, 3-year terms |
| ICJ | The Hague; 15 judges; 9-year terms; elected by GA and SC |
| Trusteeship Council | Suspended 1 Nov 1994 (Palau) |
| Secretary-General | Guterres (9th), 2017 – 31 Dec 2026; successor from 1 Jan 2027 |
| PGA, 81st session | Khalilur Rahman (Bangladesh), from 8 Sep 2026 |
| India’s SC terms | 8; last 2021–22; candidate for 2028–29 |
| First woman PGA | Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (India), 1953 |
| Veto initiative | GA Res 76/262 (2022): debate within 10 working days |
| US withdrawals | WHO, Jan 2026; UNESCO, due 31 Dec 2026 |
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
- India is an original member of the UN, not a post-1947 entrant.
- The veto comes from Art 27(3); abstention is not a veto; the Council has been enlarged only once (1965).
- The ICJ is the only principal organ outside New York; the Trusteeship Council is suspended, not abolished.
- Guterres’s term ends on 31 December 2026; check the name of his successor before the exam.
- UNSC reform is blocked by competing camps and the P5 ratification rule. India argues through the G4 and the L.69.
What’s Next
- UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes — the specialised bodies that do the UN’s development work
- Regional Groupings: SAARC, BRICS and SCO — India’s regional and minilateral diplomacy
- Social Legislation and Human Rights — the UDHR and how UN human rights norms shape Indian law
- IMF and World Bank — the Bretton Woods institutions, covered in the Economy section
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