UNPYQ 2022: UN Credentials Committee — Role, Members, Meetings
With reference to the "United Nations Credentials Committee", consider the following statements:
1. It is a committee set up by the UN Security Council and works under its supervision.
2. It traditionally meets in March, June and September every year.
3. It assesses the credentials of all UN members before submitting a report to the General Assembly for approval.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 3 only
- 1 and 3
- 2 and 3
- 1 and 2
Answer: (a) 3 only
Statement-wise explanation
- 1: incorrect — The Credentials Committee belongs to the UN General Assembly, not the Security Council. Rule 28 of the General Assembly's Rules of Procedure says it is appointed at the beginning of each General Assembly session. Its nine members are appointed by the Assembly on the proposal of the Assembly President. It reports to the General Assembly, and the Security Council does not supervise it.
- 2: incorrect — There is no fixed meeting cycle in March, June and September. A new committee is appointed at the start of each regular session, which opens in September, and it meets as its work requires. Its report usually comes late in the year. In 2021, for example, the Assembly adopted the committee's report on 6 December 2021, with the decision on the Afghanistan and Myanmar seats deferred.
- 3: correct — Under Rule 28, the committee examines the credentials of the representatives of Member States and reports without delay. The General Assembly then approves that report by a resolution. Under Rule 27, credentials are issued by the Head of State or Government or by the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
How to eliminate
Statement 1 can be ruled out with basic knowledge. The word 'credentials' is about who may sit in the General Assembly, where all members are represented. Statement 3 itself says the report goes to the General Assembly for approval. A body set up and supervised by the Security Council would not normally report to the Assembly, so statements 1 and 3 do not sit well together. Once statement 1 is out, only the options '3 only' and '2 and 3' remain. Statement 2 has to be judged on its own. A list of three fixed months is a precise detail of the kind examiners invent. The committee is appointed once per session at the session's start in September, which does not fit a March-June-September cycle. Fact to remember: the Credentials Committee is a nine-member General Assembly committee, appointed each session on the President's proposal, and it reports to the Assembly.
Know more
Credentials at the UN: who gets to represent a country
Every Member State sends a delegation to the General Assembly (UNGA). The delegation must carry formal credentials. These are papers issued by the Head of State, the Head of Government or the Foreign Minister (Rule 27, UNGA Rules of Procedure).
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Parent body | UN General Assembly (a procedural committee, not a Main Committee) |
| Legal basis | Rules 27–29, UNGA Rules of Procedure |
| Size | 9 members |
| Appointed by | The General Assembly, on the proposal of the President of the Assembly |
| When | At the beginning of each regular session |
| Job | Examines delegates' credentials and reports to the Assembly |
| Final say | The General Assembly, by approving the report |
| Special and emergency special sessions | Use the same composition as the latest regular-session committee |
Provisional seating (Rule 29). Suppose a Member objects to a representative. That representative still sits provisionally, with the same rights as others, until the committee reports and the Assembly decides.
Why it matters politically. Usually the committee's work is routine. It becomes important when two rival authorities claim the same seat. Examples:
- China (1971): Resolution 2758 gave the China seat to the People's Republic of China.
- Afghanistan (1996 and 2021): In both years the committee deferred the decision on the seat after the Taliban took Kabul.
- Myanmar (2021): After the military coup, the committee deferred the decision. The envoy appointed by the elected government stayed in place.
A deferral works in favour of whoever already holds the seat. This is why accepting or rejecting credentials is often seen as a form of recognition, though the UN formally says it does not recognise governments.
Security Council. The Council handles the credentials of its own representatives under its own provisional rules, separately from this committee.
In the news
In September 2021 the Taliban in Afghanistan and the military in Myanmar each tried to replace their country's UN ambassador. On 6 December 2021 the General Assembly adopted the Credentials Committee's report, which deferred both decisions. The story was widely reported in the months before the 2022 Prelims.