Which of the following approves the annual budget of the UN?

Analyze the question: The question asks which UN organ has the power to approve the organisation's annual (regular) budget.

Explain the concept: The UN has six principal organs, and each has a different role:

• General Assembly: The main deliberative body, where all member states are represented and each has one vote. It handles the budget, admits new members, and elects non-permanent members of the Security Council.
• Security Council: Responsible for maintaining international peace and security. It has 5 permanent members and 10 non-permanent members.
• Secretariat: The administrative arm, headed by the Secretary-General. It carries out the day-to-day work of the UN and prepares the draft budget, but does not approve it.
• Trusteeship Council: Supervised trust territories on the path to self-government. Its work ended in 1994 when Palau, the last trust territory, became independent.
• ECOSOC and the International Court of Justice: The remaining two organs, dealing with economic and social matters and with legal disputes between states respectively.

Solution:

1. Under Article 17 of the UN Charter, the General Assembly considers and approves the budget of the organisation.
2. Member states are assessed their contributions based on a scale that the General Assembly decides.
3. The Secretariat only proposes the budget, the Security Council deals with peace and security, and the Trusteeship Council has no budget role.

Correct answer: A. The General Assembly.

Exam tip: Remember "Assembly = Approves." The General Assembly is the UN's "parliament," and just as a parliament approves a national budget, the Assembly approves the UN's budget. The Secretariat spends and administers, but the Assembly approves.