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🟡 Standard — Regular Study (2d–2mo)

Standard content for students with a few days to months.

International Organisations — Detailed Study Guide

United Nations System — Key Components

UN General Assembly (UNGA)

• Main deliberative organ — all 193 member states represented
• Each nation has one vote regardless of size/population
• Adopts budgets, elects non-permanent UNSC members, receives reports from other UN bodies
• Resolutions are not legally binding but establish international norms

UN Security Council (UNSC)

• Primary responsibility: international peace and security
• 15 members: 5 permanent (P5) + 10 rotating (2-year terms)
• Decisions are binding on all UN member states
• Chapter VII resolutions can authorise military action
• Chapter VI resolutions deal with peaceful dispute resolution
• “Uniting for Peace” resolution (1950) allows General Assembly to act if UNSC is deadlocked

Secretariat & Secretary-General The Secretary-General is the chief administrative officer. Antonio Guterres (Portugal) has served since 2017 (second term 2022-2026). The office is often described as “the world’s diplomat.”

UN Specialized Agencies

• UNESCO (Paris): Education, science, culture, communication
• WHO (Geneva): International health
• ILO (Geneva): Labour standards, social justice
• FAO (Rome): Agriculture and food security
• UNDP (New York): Development assistance

Bretton Woods Institutions The IMF and World Bank were created at the Bretton Woods Conference (1944):

• IMF: Prevents financial crises, provides balance-of-payments support
• World Bank: Provides concessional loans for development projects
• Voting power based on shareholdings — USA holds veto power at ~16%

Regional Organisations

• European Union (EU): 27 member states, single market, common currency (euro)
• African Union (AU): 55 member states, successor to OAU
• NATO: North Atlantic military alliance (31 members)
• SAARC: South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (8 members, suspended after 2019 coup in Afghanistan)
• ASEAN: Association of Southeast Asian Nations (10 members)

⚡ Exam tip: CLAT has tested questions on UN voting procedures (General Assembly vs Security Council), the veto power of P5, and the difference between specialised agencies. India in UNSC context (current term 2023-24) is high-yield.

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International Organisations

🟢 Lite — Quick Review (1h–1d)

Rapid summary for last-minute revision before your exam.

International Organisations — Quick Facts

Major Global Organisations

Organisation	HQ	Founded	Key Function
United Nations (UN)	New York	1945	Global peace, security, cooperation
UN General Assembly	New York	1945	Deliberative body (193 member states)
UN Security Council	New York	1946	Peace and security (15 members, 5 veto)
World Trade Organisation (WTO)	Geneva	1995	Regulates international trade
International Monetary Fund (IMF)	Washington DC	1944	Global monetary cooperation
World Bank	Washington DC	1944	Development financing
International Court of Justice (ICJ)	The Hague	1945	UN judicial arm (15 judges)
International Criminal Court (ICC)	The Hague	2002	War crimes, crimes against humanity

UN Security Council — The Veto Power Five permanent members (P5): USA, Russia, UK, France, China — each holds veto power over substantive resolutions. This means any one P5 vote against a resolution kills it. 10 non-permanent members elected for 2-year terms by the General Assembly.

UN General Assembly — Each member state has one vote. Resolutions are not binding but carry political weight.

⚡ Exam tip: For CLAT, remember the difference between UNGA (one nation one vote, advisory) and UNSC (veto power, binding resolutions). Also know that India has been elected to the UNSC as a non-permanent member multiple times (1950, 1977, 1985, 1992, 2011, 2023-24).

🔴 Extended — Deep Study (3mo+)

Comprehensive coverage for students on a longer study timeline.

International Organisations — Full Comprehensive Notes

The United Nations — Deep Dive

Historical Background The UN was established on 24 October 1945 (UN Day) following the San Francisco Conference. The preamble begins: “We the peoples of the United Nations, determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war…”

The UN was a successor to the failed League of Nations (1920-1946), with stronger enforcement mechanisms and universal membership.

Organs of the United Nations

1. General Assembly (UNGA)

• Session: September–December annually (main session); special sessions as needed
• Each member gets one vote; decisions on important questions require 2/3 majority
• Elects: non-permanent UNSC members, ECOSOC members, Human Rights Council members, UN Secretary-General (on UNSC recommendation)
• Main committees: Disarmament, Budget, Legal, Administrative

2. Security Council (UNSC)

• Permanent members and their current representatives:
  • USA: Alternate for political matters
  • Russia: Permanent representative
  • UK: Permanent representative
  • France: Permanent representative
  • China: Permanent representative
• Decision-making: Procedural matters (9 of 15), substantive matters (all 5 P5 must concur)
• Peacekeeping operations authorised under Chapter VI/VII

3. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

• Coordinates economic and social work of 14 specialised agencies
• 54 members elected for 3-year overlapping terms
• Issues: sustainable development, women, children, ageing, crime prevention

4. International Court of Justice (ICJ)

• Located at Peace Palace, The Hague, Netherlands
• 15 judges elected for 9-year terms by UNGA and UNSC
• Contentious cases between states only (no jurisdiction over individuals)
• Advisory opinions on legal questions referred by UN organs
• India has pending case: Allegations of genocide under the Genocide Convention (Ukraine v. Russia) — 2022

5. Trusteeship Council

• Established to oversee decolonisation of trust territories
• Suspended operations in 1994 after all trust territories achieved self-governance
• Now dormant but still exists under the Charter

UN Specialized Agencies — Detailed Table

Agency	HQ	Mission	India Status
WHO	Geneva	Health norms, pandemic response	Member, WHA observer
UNESCO	Paris	Education, science, culture	Member
ILO	Geneva	Labour standards, social justice	Founder member
FAO	Rome	Food security, agriculture	Member
IMF	Washington DC	Monetary cooperation, financial stability	Member
World Bank	Washington DC	Development financing	Member
ICAO	Montreal	Civil aviation standards	Member
ITU	Geneva	Telecommunications	Member
WIPO	Geneva	Intellectual property	Member
WTO	Geneva	Trade regulation	Member (since 1995)

Important UN Summits and Declarations

• UDHR 1948: Universal Declaration of Human Rights — adopted 10 December, 48 states in favour
• Rio Earth Summit 1992: Agenda 21, climate convention
• Millennium Declaration 2000: Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) — 8 goals by 2015
• 2030 Agenda 2015: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — 17 goals, 169 targets
• Paris Agreement 2015: Climate change mitigation (target: 1.5°C limit)

India’s Role in International Organisations

• UNSC non-permanent member: 1950, 1977-78, 1985-86, 1992-93, 2011-12, 2023-24
• G20 Summit 2023 (New Delhi): India hosted, theme “One Earth, One Family, One Future”
• BRICS expansion 2024: India is a founding member (with Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa; expanded to include Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE, Egypt, Ethiopia)
• WTO: India is a founding member (1995); current disputes include agricultural subsidies

Current Affairs Integration for CLAT Recent UN developments likely to be tested:

• UNSC Resolution 2739 (2024) on Gaza
• Climate finance: New collective quantified goal (NCQG) of $300 billion/year by 2035
• Secretary-General’s AI governance initiative (2023)
• UN Pact for the Future (2024) — global governance reforms

⚡ Exam tip: CLAT legal reasoning and current affairs sections frequently intersect on questions about UN Charter provisions, the difference between binding and non-binding instruments, and India’s position on UN reforms. Also know that the ICJ is the only international court with universal jurisdiction based on consent of states — not to be confused with the ICC (which tries individuals with jurisdiction over states parties + UN Security Council referrals).