CDS Polity · World Polity, Democracy and International Relations
The United Nations
The six principal organs and how they vote, the agencies with their headquarters and Nobel prizes, how peacekeeping works, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Why this matters
Fourteen CDS questions: four EASY, seven MODERATE and three HARD. The Nobel Peace Prize list came up three times in a row (CDS 2024 (I), 2024 (II) and 2025 (I)), and peacekeeping three times, so those two tables pay off most.
Concept 1 of 4: The Charter and the six principal organs
The UN Charter sets up six main organs. The General Assembly is where every member has one vote; the Security Council is the small body that can act on war and peace; the Court settles disputes between States. Most questions ask how one of them is made up or how it votes.
Definition
The basics:
- The UN Charter was signed at San Francisco on 26 June 1945 and came into force on 24 October 1945, now UN Day. The UN has 193 members and its headquarters is in New York.
- General Assembly: every member, one vote each. Important questions need a two-thirds majority of members present and voting (Article 18): among them the admission of new members, the election of the non-permanent Security Council members and the election of ECOSOC members.
- Security Council: 15 members. Five permanent with a veto: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Ten non-permanent, elected for two years.
- International Court of Justice at The Hague: 15 judges for nine-year terms, no two from the same State. The General Assembly and the Security Council vote independently of one another, and a candidate needs an absolute majority in both.
- The other three organs: the Economic and Social Council (54 members), the Trusteeship Council (its work suspended since 1994, when the last trust territory, Palau, became independent) and the Secretariat, headed by the Secretary-General.
| Organ | Seat | Key fact |
|---|---|---|
| General Assembly | New York | All 193 members, one vote each; important questions need two-thirds of those present and voting |
| Security Council | New York | 15 members: 5 permanent with veto, 10 elected for two yearsQ CDS 2023 (II): Japan is not a permanent member. |
| Economic and Social Council | New York | 54 members elected by the General Assembly |
| Trusteeship Council | New York | Work suspended in 1994 after Palau became independent |
| International Court of Justice | The Hague | 15 judges, nine-year terms, no two of one nationality; elected by the Assembly and Council voting separatelyQ |
| Secretariat | New York | Headed by the Secretary-General |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2024 · CDS (II) 2024 — General Knowledge · Q43Hard
Example 1 · World Polity, Democracy and International Relations · The United Nations
In which of the following matters placed before the UN General Assembly, a resolution by two-thirds majority of the members present and voting is required?
1. Admission of new members to the UN
2. Election of the non-permanent members of the Security Council
3. Election of members of the Economic and Social Council
Select the answer using the code given below :
Two-thirds is of those present and voting
An important question in the General Assembly needs two-thirds of the members present and voting, not two-thirds of all 193 members.
The ICJ sits at The Hague, not New York
Five of the six principal organs sit in New York. The International Court of Justice is the exception, at The Hague in the Netherlands.
Concept 2 of 4: Agencies, headquarters and Nobel prizes
Two lists do most of the work here: where each body sits, and which ones won the Nobel Peace Prize. UNHCR is the one UN body that has won it twice; UNESCO has never won it.
Definition
Points to fix:
- UNHCR (refugees): Nobel Peace Prize twice, 1954 and 1981.
- Once each: UNICEF 1965, ILO 1969, IAEA 2005, IPCC 2007, WFP 2020. The UN itself won in 2001 and its peacekeeping forces in 1988.
- UNESCO has never won it. Its Constitution (1945) opens: "Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed."
- ESCAP, the UN's regional commission for Asia and the Pacific, is in Bangkok.
- The International Tropical Timber Organization is not a UN agency: it was set up under the International Tropical Timber Agreement of 1983 and sits in Yokohama, Japan.
| Body | Headquarters | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| UNHCR | Geneva | Nobel Peace Prize twice: 1954 and 1981Q CDS 2024 (I) and CDS 2025 (I) both asked which UN body won the Nobel more than once. |
| UNICEF | New York | Nobel Peace Prize 1965 |
| ILO | Geneva | Nobel Peace Prize 1969 |
| IAEA | Vienna | Nobel Peace Prize 2005 |
| WFP | Rome | Nobel Peace Prize 2020 |
| UNESCO | Paris | No Nobel; its Constitution says wars begin in the minds of menQ CDS 2024 (II): set beside WFP, ILO and UNHCR, UNESCO was the one never awarded. |
| ESCAP | Bangkok | UN regional commission for Asia and the PacificQ |
| ITTO | Yokohama | Not a UN agency; set up under the 1983 timber agreementQ |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2025 · CDS (I) 2025 — General Knowledge · Q97Moderate
Example 2 · World Polity, Democracy and International Relations · The United Nations
"Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed." This observation can be found in the Constitution of which one of the following Organs of the United Nations ?
UNICEF and WFP won only once
Only UNHCR among UN bodies has won the Nobel Peace Prize twice (1954, 1981). UNICEF (1965), the ILO (1969) and the WFP (2020) won it once each.
Wars begin in the minds of men is UNESCO
The line opens UNESCO's Constitution, because education, science and culture are its tools for peace. It is not from the UN Charter or the WHO.
Concept 3 of 4: UN peacekeeping
Peacekeepers are not an army sent to win a war. They go in, with the warring sides' agreement, to hold a ceasefire and help a country rebuild. So they must stay neutral and use force only to defend themselves or their mandate.
Definition
How it works:
- A peacekeeping operation is authorised by the Security Council.
- Three principles: the consent of the main parties, impartiality, and no use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate.
- Multidimensional operations go beyond a ceasefire: they stabilise a country after conflict, consolidate peace, support the political process and help restore State authority.
- Peacekeepers are called the Blue Helmets, from their light blue helmets and berets.
- The first armed force was UNEF (1956), sent after the Suez crisis. UN peacekeeping forces won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988.
| Point | Fact |
|---|---|
| Who authorises | The Security CouncilQ |
| Three principles | Consent of the parties, impartiality, force only in self-defence or defence of the mandate |
| Multidimensional tasks | Stabilisation, peace consolidation, support for the political processQ CDS 2019 (I): supporting a State that is losing a war is not one of them. |
| Popular name | Blue HelmetsQ |
| First armed force | UNEF, 1956, after the Suez crisis |
| Nobel Peace Prize | 1988 |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2026 · CDS (I) 2026 — General Knowledge · Q94Moderate
Example 3 · World Polity, Democracy and International Relations · The United Nations
Consider the following statements with regard to the UN Peacekeeping Operation :
1. The power to authorize a Peacekeeping Operation is exclusively vested with the General Assembly.
2. UN Peacekeeping Operations are deployed with the consent of the main parties to the conflict.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Peacekeeping is a Security Council decision
The power to authorise an operation lies with the Security Council, not the General Assembly.
Peacekeepers never take sides
Helping a State that is losing a war would break impartiality. Operations stabilise and rebuild; they do not fight for one party.
Concept 4 of 4: The Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015 the UN set 17 goals for the whole world to reach in fifteen years. They took over from the eight Millennium Development Goals, which ran from 2000 to 2015.
Definition
The facts:
- Adopted in September 2015 as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
- 17 goals and 169 targets, to be met by 2030.
- They replaced the 8 Millennium Development Goals (2000 to 2015).
| Goal | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | No poverty |
| 2 | Zero hunger |
| 4 | Quality education |
| 5 | Gender equality |
| 8 | Decent work and economic growthQ CDS 2023 (II): Goals 8, 12 and 16 were all offered, and all three are SDGs. |
| 12 | Responsible consumption and production |
| 13 | Climate action |
| 16 | Peace, justice and strong institutions |
| 17 | Partnerships for the goals |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2017 · CDS (II) 2017 — General Knowledge · Q43Easy
Example 4 · World Polity, Democracy and International Relations · The United Nations
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted by the UNO in place of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), 2015, aim to achieve the 17 goals by the year
The SDGs run to 2030, the MDGs ran to 2015
The MDGs had eight goals for 2000 to 2015. The SDGs, adopted in 2015, have 17 goals for 2030.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (4)
The Charter and the six principal organs6 rows
| Organ | Seat | Key fact |
|---|---|---|
| General Assembly | New York | All 193 members, one vote each; important questions need two-thirds of those present and voting |
| Security Council | New York | 15 members: 5 permanent with veto, 10 elected for two yearsQ CDS 2023 (II): Japan is not a permanent member. |
| Economic and Social Council | New York | 54 members elected by the General Assembly |
| Trusteeship Council | New York | Work suspended in 1994 after Palau became independent |
| International Court of Justice | The Hague | 15 judges, nine-year terms, no two of one nationality; elected by the Assembly and Council voting separatelyQ |
| Secretariat | New York | Headed by the Secretary-General |
Agencies, headquarters and Nobel prizes8 rows
| Body | Headquarters | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| UNHCR | Geneva | Nobel Peace Prize twice: 1954 and 1981Q CDS 2024 (I) and CDS 2025 (I) both asked which UN body won the Nobel more than once. |
| UNICEF | New York | Nobel Peace Prize 1965 |
| ILO | Geneva | Nobel Peace Prize 1969 |
| IAEA | Vienna | Nobel Peace Prize 2005 |
| WFP | Rome | Nobel Peace Prize 2020 |
| UNESCO | Paris | No Nobel; its Constitution says wars begin in the minds of menQ CDS 2024 (II): set beside WFP, ILO and UNHCR, UNESCO was the one never awarded. |
| ESCAP | Bangkok | UN regional commission for Asia and the PacificQ |
| ITTO | Yokohama | Not a UN agency; set up under the 1983 timber agreementQ |
UN peacekeeping6 rows
| Point | Fact |
|---|---|
| Who authorises | The Security CouncilQ |
| Three principles | Consent of the parties, impartiality, force only in self-defence or defence of the mandate |
| Multidimensional tasks | Stabilisation, peace consolidation, support for the political processQ CDS 2019 (I): supporting a State that is losing a war is not one of them. |
| Popular name | Blue HelmetsQ |
| First armed force | UNEF, 1956, after the Suez crisis |
| Nobel Peace Prize | 1988 |
The Sustainable Development Goals9 rows
| Goal | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | No poverty |
| 2 | Zero hunger |
| 4 | Quality education |
| 5 | Gender equality |
| 8 | Decent work and economic growthQ CDS 2023 (II): Goals 8, 12 and 16 were all offered, and all three are SDGs. |
| 12 | Responsible consumption and production |
| 13 | Climate action |
| 16 | Peace, justice and strong institutions |
| 17 | Partnerships for the goals |
Watch out for (7)
- Two-thirds is of those present and voting→ The Charter and the six principal organs
- The ICJ sits at The Hague, not New York→ The Charter and the six principal organs
- UNICEF and WFP won only once→ Agencies, headquarters and Nobel prizes
- Wars begin in the minds of men is UNESCO→ Agencies, headquarters and Nobel prizes
- Peacekeeping is a Security Council decision→ UN peacekeeping
- Peacekeepers never take sides→ UN peacekeeping
- The SDGs run to 2030, the MDGs ran to 2015→ The Sustainable Development Goals
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