United Nations & Agencies MCQs for UPSC Prelims

67 practice questions on United Nations & Agencies from the International Relations section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus. 67 come with a written explanation and 11 are actual previous year questions. Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.

7 Easy 29 Medium 31 Hard 11 from past papers

Sample questions

Q1
Previous year question medium

Consider the following statements: 1. Recently, all the countries of the United Nations have adopted the first-ever compact for international migration, the 'Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM)'. 2. The objectives and commitments stated in the GCM are binding on the UN member countries. 3. The GCM addresses internal migration or internally displaced people also in its objectives and commitments. How many of the above statements are correct?

  1. A Only one
  2. B Only two
  3. C All three
  4. D None
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - None

All three statements are incorrect. The GCM, adopted in 2018, was not adopted by all UN members; the United States, Hungary and several other countries voted against or abstained, so statement 1 fails. The compact is explicitly a non-legally binding cooperative framework that reaffirms state sovereignty over migration policy, so statement 2 fails. Its scope is confined to international migration across borders; internal migration and internally displaced persons are outside its objectives and commitments, so statement 3 fails as well, making none the correct answer.

Q2
Previous year question easy

Consider the following statements in respect of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) : I. It provides loans and guarantees to middle income countries. II. It works single-handedly to help developing countries to reduce poverty. III. It was established to help Europe rebuild after the World War II. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. A I and II only
  2. B II and III only
  3. C I and III only
  4. D I, II and III
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - I and III only

The IBRD lends and provides guarantees mainly to middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries, so statement I is correct. It was created at the Bretton Woods Conference of 1944 with the original mandate of financing the reconstruction of war-ravaged Europe, so statement III is correct. Statement II fails because the IBRD never works single-handedly; it is one of the five institutions of the World Bank Group and operates alongside the IDA, IFC, MIGA and ICSID in poverty reduction efforts. Hence (c) I and III only is the answer.

Q3
Previous year question hard

Consider the following statements: 1. The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) has a 'Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air'. 2. The UNCAC is the ever-first legally binding global anti-corruption instrument. 3. A highlight of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) is the inclusion of a specific chapter aimed at returning assets to their rightful owners from whom they had been taken illicitly. 4. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is mandated by its member States to assist in the implementation of both UNCAC and UNTOC. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. A 1 and 3 only
  2. B 2, 3 and 4 only
  3. C 2 and 4 only
  4. D 1, 2, 3 and 4
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - 2 and 4 only

The Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air supplements the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, not UNCAC, so statement 1 is wrong. UNCAC, adopted in 2003, is the first legally binding global anti-corruption instrument, so statement 2 is correct. The celebrated chapter on asset recovery, returning illicitly acquired assets to their rightful owners, is a highlight of UNCAC, not UNTOC, so statement 3 is wrong. UNODC serves as the guardian of both conventions and is mandated by member states to assist in implementing them, so statement 4 is correct. Hence 2 and 4 only.

Q4
Previous year question medium

With reference to the United Nations General Assembly, consider the following statements: 1. The UN General Assembly can grant observer status to the non-member States. 2. Inter-governmental organisations can seek observer status in the UN General Assembly. 3. Permanent Observers in the UN General Assembly can maintain missions at the UN headquarters. Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. A 1 and 2 only
  2. B 2 and 3 only
  3. C 1 and 3 only
  4. D 1, 2 and 3
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - 1, 2 and 3

The General Assembly grants observer status to non-member states, the Holy See and Palestine being the standing examples, so statement 1 is correct. Inter-governmental organisations such as the European Union, the African Union and others also hold observer status obtained through Assembly resolutions, so statement 2 is correct. Permanent Observers are entitled to maintain missions at the UN headquarters in New York, so statement 3 is correct. All three statements being accurate, the answer includes them all.

Q5
Previous year question hard

With reference to the 'United Nations Credentials Committee', consider the following statements: 1. It is a committee set up by the UN Security Council and works under its supervision. 2. It traditionally meets in March, June and September every year. 3. It assesses the credentials of all UN members before submitting a report to the General Assembly for approval. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A 3 only
  2. B 1 and 3
  3. C 2 and 3
  4. D 1 and 2
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: A - 3 only

The Credentials Committee is appointed by the General Assembly at the start of each regular session on the proposal of its President, not by the Security Council, so statement 1 is incorrect. It has no fixed calendar of March, June and September meetings; it convenes as required during the session, so statement 2 is incorrect. Its task is to examine the credentials of the representatives of all member states and report to the General Assembly for approval, which is exactly what statement 3 says. The committee was in the news over the rival claims from Myanmar and Afghanistan, and the answer is 3 only.

Q6
Previous year question medium

Consider the following statements : 1. The Nuclear Security Summits are periodically held under the aegis of the United Nations. 2. The International Panel on Fissile Materials is an organ of International Atomic Energy Agency. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A 1 only
  2. B 2 only
  3. C Both 1 and 2
  4. D Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D - Neither 1 nor 2

The Nuclear Security Summits were initiated by the United States in 2010 and were not held under the aegis of the United Nations, so statement 1 is wrong. The International Panel on Fissile Materials is an independent group of arms-control experts, not an organ of the IAEA, so statement 2 is wrong. Hence Neither 1 nor 2.

Q7
Previous year question medium

With reference to the role of UN-Habitat in the United Nations programme working towards a better urban future, which of the statements is/are correct? 1. UN-Habitat has been mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities to provide adequate shelter for all. 2. Its partners are either governments or local urban authorities only. 3. UN-Habitat contributes to the overall objective of the United Nations system to reduce poverty and to promote access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Select the correct answer using the code given below :

  1. A 1, 2 and 3
  2. B 1 and 3 only
  3. C 2 and 3 only
  4. D 1 only
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B - 1 and 3 only

Statement 1 is correct: UN-Habitat is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and adequate shelter for all. Statement 3 is correct: it contributes to the UN system's goals of reducing poverty and improving access to safe water and basic sanitation. Statement 2 is wrong because its partners are not limited to governments or local authorities; they also include civil society, the private sector and others. Hence 1 and 3 only.

Q8
Previous year question medium

'Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action', often seen in the news, is

  1. A a strategy to tackle the regional terrorism, an outcome of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
  2. B a plan of action for sustainable economic growth in the Asia-Pacific Region, an outcome of the deliberations of the Asia-Pacific Economic Forum
  3. C an agenda for women's empowerment, an outcome of a World Conference convened by the United Nations
  4. D a strategy to combat wildlife trafficking, a declaration of the East Asia Summit
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: C - an agenda for women's empowerment, an outcome of a World Conference convened by the United Nations

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action is the landmark agenda for women's empowerment and gender equality adopted at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995. It is not a counter-terrorism strategy of the SCO, not an Asia-Pacific economic growth plan, and not a wildlife-trafficking declaration of the East Asia Summit, so the other options are wrong.

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