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UNGA head

Topics Covered: Important International institutions, agencies and fora, their structure, mandate.

UNGA head:

Context:

India has decided to vote in support of Maldives’ Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid in the election of the President of the United Nations General Assembly.

  • This time the UNGA head will be chosen from the Asia-Pacific grouping.

Asia- Pacific group of the UN:

  • Consists of 53 Member States and is the second largest regional group by number of member states after the African Group.
  • Its territory is composed of much of the continents of Asia and Oceania with the exception of a few countries.

About UNGA:

The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the UN.

  • All 193 Member States of the UN are represented in the General Assembly, making it the only UN body with universal representation.
  • The President of the General Assembly is elected each year by assembly to serve a one-year term of office.
  • The presidency rotates annually between the five geographic groups: African, Asia-Pacific, Eastern European, Latin American and Caribbean, and Western European and other States.

How are the decisions taken?

  • Decisions on important questions, such as those on peace and security, admission of new members and budgetary matters, require a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly.
  • Decisions on other questions are by simple majority.

The Assembly has no binding votes or veto powers like the UN Security Council.

According to the Charter of the United Nations, the General Assembly may:

  1. Consider and approve the United Nations budget and establish the financial assessments of Member States.
  2. Elect the non-permanent members of the Security Council and the members of other United Nations councils and organs and, on the recommendation of the Security Council, appoint the Secretary-General.
  3. Consider and make recommendations on the general principles of cooperation for maintaining international peace and security, including disarmament.
  4. Discuss any question relating to international peace and security and, except where a dispute or situation is currently being discussed by the Security Council, make recommendations on it.

 

Insta Curious:

  1. Do you know, the period from 2019 to 2028 is designated as the Nelson Mandela Decade of Peace? Read Here
  2. Did you know that the year 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and its founding Charter? Read here

 

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

  1. Which countries are not a part of UNGA?
  2. How is the president of UNGA elected?
  3. Name the permanent members of UNSC?
  4. How are non permanent members elected?
  5. Voting powers at UNSC.
  6. How are non permanent seats distributed?
  7. UNGA vs UNSC.

Sources: the Hindu.