UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — UN extends mission to Cental Africa by one year

Q1. With reference to the creation and renewal of United Nations peacekeeping mandates, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A mission's mandate runs until a date fixed in the Security Council resolution, so the mission can continue beyond that date only through a fresh Council decision.
  2. If the Security Council fails to agree, the General Assembly can extend an expiring peacekeeping mandate through its Fifth Committee.
  3. A resolution renewing a peacekeeping mandate can be adopted even when one of the permanent members abstains from the vote.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. With reference to the legal basis of United Nations peace operations, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Security Council must specify the Chapter of the UN Charter under which it authorises each peacekeeping operation.
  2. Chapter VII of the UN Charter deals with action with respect to threats to the peace, breaches of the peace and acts of aggression.
  3. In recent years, the Security Council has generally invoked Chapter VII when deploying peace operations into volatile post-conflict settings where the State cannot maintain security.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 2 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q3. A host government formally asks a UN peacekeeping mission deployed on its territory to leave immediately. Which of the following outcomes is most consistent with the basic principles and established practice of UN peacekeeping?

  • A. Contributing countries take over their own contingents and keep operating under bilateral arrangements
  • B. The mission stays on unchanged, since a Chapter VII mandate overrides the host State's wishes
  • C. The Council ends the mandate and the mission withdraws in phases, handing tasks to national authorities
  • D. The General Assembly takes over the mandate and converts the mission into a Chapter VI observer force

Q4. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Even where a UN peacekeeping mission is deployed with a protection-of-civilians mandate, the primary responsibility for protecting civilians remains with the host State.
  2. UN peacekeepers may use force only in self-defence and therefore cannot act to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical attack.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q5. A UN mission faces recurring riots around camps for displaced persons in a town where the host State's police are ineffective. The mission wants an armed contingent trained to act as one cohesive body to control crowds, without deploying infantry battalions. Which of the following contributions from a member state is best suited to this need?

  • A. A pool of individual police officers
  • B. A contingent of military observers
  • C. A team of military staff officers
  • D. A Formed Police Unit

Q6. With reference to the drawdown of UN peacekeeping missions in Africa, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Security Council terminated MINUSMA's mandate after Mali's transitional government requested the mission's immediate withdrawal.
  2. As in Mali, the drawdown of MINUSCA in the Central African Republic was set in motion by the host government's demand that the mission leave immediately.
  3. The resolution ending MINUSMA required it to cease operations, transfer its tasks and withdraw its personnel within a set timeframe.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3