JAMB 2020 Government · Question 12

Within the United Nations, the vote power is exercised in __________

Options

  1. A.UNESCO
  2. B.WHO
  3. C.the General Assembly
  4. D.the Security Council

Answer: D. the Security Council

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question: The question asks which UN organ has "veto power" (the question says "vote power", which is almost certainly a typo for veto power). It is asking where the power to block a decision is exercised.

Explain the concept:

  • A veto is the right to reject a decision so that it cannot pass, even if most members support it.
  • In the UN, only the five permanent members of the Security Council have this power: the USA, UK, France, Russia (formerly USSR) and China.
  • If any one of these five votes "No" on a substantive (non-procedural) resolution, the resolution fails, even if the other 14 members vote in favour.

Step-by-step solution:

  1. UNESCO is a specialised agency for education, science and culture. It has no veto power, so A is wrong.
  2. WHO is a specialised agency for health. It has no veto power, so B is wrong.
  3. The General Assembly gives each of the 193 member states one equal vote. Decisions are made by simple or two-thirds majority, and nobody has a veto. So C is wrong.
  4. The Security Council has 15 members: 5 permanent (with veto) and 10 non-permanent (without veto). The veto power is exercised here. So D is correct.

Note on the wording: The question says "vote power", but the intended meaning is "veto power". If it truly meant ordinary voting, the General Assembly would be the body where all members vote equally.

Answer: D. the Security Council

Exam tip: Remember "P5 = Veto = Security Council". The permanent five are C-FRUUS: China, France, Russia, UK, USA. Whenever you see "veto" in a UN question, think Security Council.

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