2. Answer the following questions

1. What countries is the UN membership open to?

2. Which states are considered to be the original members of the UN?

3. The recommendation of what UN body is necessary for a country to be admitted by the General Assembly?

4. In which cases can a state be suspended or expelled from the UN?

5. What are the official languages of the General Assembly?

6. Are the official languages the same for all the UN principles organs?

7. What are the official languages of the Security Council?

Chapter 5

1. Read the following text

The Main Organs

There are established as the principal organs of the United Nations:

• a General Assembly

• a Security Council

• an Economic and Social Council

• a Trusteeship Council

• an International Court of Justice

• a Secretariat.

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The General Assembly shall consist of all the Members of the United Nations. Each Member shall have not more than five representatives in the General Assembly. Each state decides the way in which it chooses its representatives.

Functions

The General Assembly may discuss any questions or any matters within the scope of the present Charter or relating to the powers and functions of any organs provided for in the present Charter, and may make recommendations to the Members of the United Nations or to the Security Council or to both on any such questions or matters.

Under the Charter, the functions and powers of the General Assembly include:

• to consider and make recommendations on cooperation in the maintenance of international peace and security, including disarmament and arms regulation;

• to discuss any question relating to international peace and security and, except where a dispute or situation is being discussed by the Security Council, to make recommendations on it;

• to discuss and, with the same exception, make recommendations on any question within the scope of the Charter or affecting the powers and functions of any organ of the United Nations;

• to initiate studies and make recommendations to promote international political cooperation, the development and codification of international law; the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, and international collaboration in economic, social, cultural, educational and health fields;

• to make recommendations for the peaceful settlement of any situation, regardless of origin, which might impair friendly relations among nations;

• to receive and consider reports from the Security Council and other United Nations organs;

• to consider and approve the United Nations budget and to apportion the contributions among Members;

• to elect the non-permanent members of the Security Council, the members of the Economic and Social Council and those members of the Trusteeship Council that are elected;

• to elect jointly with the Security Council the Judges of the International Court of Justice; and, on the recommendation of the Security Council, to appoint the Secretary-General.

• Under the "Uniting for peace" resolution adopted by the General Assembly in November 1950, the Assembly may take action if the Security Council, because of a lack of unanimity of its permanent members, fails to act in a case where there appears to be a threat to the peace, breach of the peace or act of aggression. The Assembly is empowered to consider the matter immediately with a view to making recommendations to Members for collective measures, including, in the case of a breach of the peace or act of aggression, the use of armed force when necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security.

General Assembly Sessions

The General Assembly's regular session begins each year on the third Tuesday in September and continues usually until the third week of December. In recent years, the Assembly has been in session throughout the year. At the start of each regular session, the Assembly elects a new President, 21 Vice-Presidents and the Chairmen of the Assembly's six Main Committees. The Assembly also holds a general debate, in which Member States express their views on a wide range of matters of international concern. To ensure equitable geographical representation, the presidency of the Assembly rotates each year among five groups of States: African, Asian, Eastern European, Latin American and Caribbean, and Western European and other States.

In addition to its regular sessions, the Assembly may meet in special sessions at the request of the Security Council, of a majority of Members of the United Nations or of one Member if the majority of Members concurs. Emergency special sessions may be called within 24 hours of a request by the Security Council on the vote of any nine members of the Council, or by a majority of the United Nations Members, or by one Member if the majority of Members concurs.

Main Committees

Because of the great number of questions which the Assembly is called upon to consider (166 separate agenda items at the 51st (1996/1997) session of the Assembly, for example), the Assembly allocates most questions to its six Main Committees:

• First Committee - Disarmament and International Security Committee

• Second Committee - Economic and Financial Committee

• Third Committee - Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee

• Fourth Committee - Special Political and Decolonization Committee

• Fifth Committee - Administrative and Budgetary Committee

• Sixth Committee - Legal Committee

There is also a General Committee, composed of the President and 21 Vice-Presidents of the Assembly and the chairmen of the six Main Committees and a Credentials Committee. The Credentials Committee consists of nine members appointed by the Assembly on the proposal of the President at each session who reports to the Assembly on the credentials of representatives. Some questions are considered directly in plenary meetings, rather than in one of the Main Committees. All questions are voted on in plenary meetings, usually towards the end of the regular session, after the committees have completed their consideration of them and submitted draft resolutions to the plenary Assembly.

The General Assembly is assisted by two standing committees: the Advisary Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions and the Committee on Contributions.

Subsidiary and ad hoc bodies are set up as necessary. Voting in committees and sub-committees is by a simple majority. Questions referred to a Main Committee are dealt with the Assembly itself in plenary meetings.