Choose the incorrect statements about the 'Secretariat' among the given options:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option 4: The Secretary-General is appointed for a two-year renewable term.
The Secretariat is international staff serving the other principal organs. It is headed by the Secretary-General who is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council for a five-year renewable term.
The United Nations (UN) has six principal organs. They are:
General Assembly: It is composed of representatives from all member states and serves as a forum for discussing and coordinating international issues. Each member state has one vote in the General Assembly.
Security Council: It is responsible for maintaining international peace and security. It has 15 members, including five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and ten non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms.
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC): It promotes international economic and social cooperation and development. It consists of 54 member states elected by the General Assembly for three-year terms.
Secretariat: It is the administrative arm of the UN and is headed by the Secretary-General who is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council for a five-year renewable term.
International Court of Justice (ICJ): It is the principal judicial organ of the UN and settles legal disputes between states. The ICJ is composed of 15 judges elected by the General Assembly and the Security Council.
Trusteeship Council: It was established to oversee the administration of trust territories. It was suspended on 1 November 1994 with the independence of the last UN trust territory. It is currently inactive.
(Though the Trusteeship Council is currently inactive, but it does not mean that the Principal organs of the UN have been reduced to 5. It continues to be 6 only.)
These six principal organs work together to fulfil the purposes and principles of the United Nations.