world organisations section 4 Practice Questions Answers Test with Solutions & More Shortcuts

Answer: (b)

There has been discussion of increasing the number of permanent members. The countries that have made the strongest demands for permanent seats are Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan. Japan and Germany, the main defeated powers in WWII, are now the UN’s second-and third-largest funders respectively, while Brazil and India are two of the largest contributors of troops to UN-mandated peacekeeping missions.

This proposal has found opposition in a group of countries called Uniting for Consensus. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan asked a team of advisers to come up with recommendations for reforming the United Nations by the end of 2004.

One proposed measure is to increase the number of permanent members by five, which, in most proposals, would include Brazil, Germany, India, Japan (known as the G4 nations), one seat from Africa (most likely between Egypt, Nigeria or South Africa) and/or one seat from the Arab League.

Answer: (c)

Six Indian places added to the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites; The sites on the tentative list are: Satpura Tiger Reserve, Iconic riverfront of the historic city of Varanasi, Megalithic site of Hire Benkal, Maratha Military Architecture in Maharashtra, Bhedaghat-Lametaghat in Narmada Valley- Jabalpur, and temples of Kanchipuram

India’s first two sites inscribed on the list at the Seventh Session of the World Heritage held in 1983 were the Agra Fort and the Ajanta Caves. Over the years, 27 more sites have been inscribed, the latest site inscribed in 2012 being the Western Ghats. Of these 29 sites, 23 are cultural sites and the other six are natural sites. A tentative list of further sites/ properties submitted by India for recognition includes 33 sites.

The World Heritage Sites in India are recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as of 29, of 2012. These are places of importance of cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. The Convention concerning the protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted on 17 November 1997 following the General Conference of the UNESCO held from 17 October 1972 to 21 November 1972

Note: Three new sites – “Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University)” at Nalanda, Bihar, “Capitol Building Complex – The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier” in Chandigarh and “Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim” have been added to the list in July 2016.

Answer: (b)

The United Nations Organisation (UNO) is an intergovernmental organization established on 24 October 1945 to promote international cooperation. It was founded to replace the League of Nations following World War II and to prevent another conflict.

Answer: (c)

Special drawing rights (SDRs) are supplementary foreign exchange reserve assets defined and maintained by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Not a currency, SDRs instead represent a claim to currency held by IMF member countries for which they may be exchanged.

As they can only be exchanged for euros, Japanese yen, pounds sterling, or US dollars, SDRs may actually represent a potential claim on IMF member countries’ non-gold foreign exchange reserve assets, which are usually held in those currencies.

Answer: (c)

The United Nations’ system consists of the six principal organs established by the Charter of the United Nations: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, and the UN Secretariat. All these organs were established in 1945 when the UN was founded.