Previous Year Question
With reference to the United Nations General Assembly, consider the following statements:
The UN General Assembly can grant observer status to the non-member States.
Intergovernmental organisations can seek observer status in the UN General Assembly.
Permanent Observers in the UN General Assembly can maintain missions at the UN Headquarters.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3
Correct Answer: D
Detailed Solution
Statement 1 is correct. The United Nations General Assembly may grant permanent observer status, through a resolution, to States that are not full members of the United Nations.
The present arrangement includes two non-member observer States:
The Holy See
The State of Palestine
The Holy See has participated as a permanent observer since 1964. Palestine was accorded “non-member observer State” status through General Assembly Resolution 67/19, adopted on 29 November 2012.
Statement 2 is correct. Intergovernmental organisations may also obtain observer status in the General Assembly. Such status is generally granted through a resolution adopted by the General Assembly.
Under General Assembly Decision 49/426 of 9 December 1994, observer status should generally be confined to:
States; and
intergovernmental organisations whose activities cover matters of interest to the General Assembly.
Bodies such as the European Union, African Union, League of Arab States and the International Committee of the Red Cross participate as observers with different sets of rights. The ICRC is not an intergovernmental organisation, but the General Assembly granted it observer status because of its special international role.
Statement 3 is correct. Permanent Observers may maintain Permanent Observer Missions at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The UN Protocol and Liaison Service maintains official records of such missions and their personnel.
Observer status may generally permit:
participation in meetings and proceedings of the General Assembly;
access to official documents;
delivery of statements in accordance with the applicable rules or with the permission of the presiding officer; and
maintenance of a mission at the UN Headquarters.
Observers, however, do not possess the same voting rights as full Member States. They cannot vote on General Assembly resolutions and do not enjoy all the rights attached to full UN membership.