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The only independent external oversight body of the United Nations system, authorised to conduct system-wide evaluations, inspections and investigations, is the:
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Answer: Option C — Joint Inspection Unit (JIU)
Detailed Solution
The Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) is the only independent external oversight body of the United Nations system that is mandated to conduct evaluations, inspections and investigations across the entire UN system.
About the JIU:
- It was set up on an experimental basis in 1966 by the UN General Assembly.
- Its Statute was approved by the General Assembly in 1976, and it became a permanent body from 1 January 1978.
- Its headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland.
It consists of 11 Inspectors, who are appointed by the General Assembly for a five-year term (renewable once). They are chosen for their experience in national or international administration and finance, and they serve in their personal capacity (not as representatives of their countries).
It examines the efficiency, effectiveness and coordination of the UN and its specialised agencies, funds and programmes, such as the WHO, UNESCO, FAO, ILO and UNDP.
It produces reports with recommendations to improve management, administration and use of resources.
It reports to the legislative bodies of the organisations it covers, such as the UN General Assembly.
Other oversight bodies in the UN system:
Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS): set up in 1994; the internal oversight body of the UN Secretariat. It carries out audits, investigations, inspections and evaluations within the UN itself.
Board of Auditors: set up in 1946; the external auditors of the UN. It consists of three members who are the heads of national audit institutions (Supreme Audit Institutions). India's Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has served on the UN Board of Auditors.
Independent Audit Advisory Committee (IAAC): advises the General Assembly on audit and oversight matters.
India and UN audit:
India's CAG has also been elected as the External Auditor of other international organisations, such as the WHO, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
About the UN's principal organs:
General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Trusteeship Council (inactive since 1994), International Court of Justice (The Hague) and the Secretariat.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The OIOS is the internal oversight office of the UN Secretariat.
- ✗The International Court of Justice settles legal disputes between states.
- ✗ECOSOC coordinates the UN's economic and social work.
Quick tip
Remember: Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) = only independent external oversight body of the whole UN system (Geneva; 1966 experimental, Statute 1976, permanent 1978; 11 Inspectors); OIOS = internal (1994); Board of Auditors = 1946.
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International Economic Organisations — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of International Economic Organisations, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers international economic and financial organisations: the IMF, the World Bank group, the WTO, the Asian Development Bank, the New Development Bank, the AIIB, OPEC, the OECD and groupings such as the G20, along with their headquarters, founding and functions. Questions usually ask where an organisation is headquartered, when it was set up, and what it does. For example, the IMF and World Bank were created at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944, the WTO replaced GATT in 1995, and the New Development Bank, set up by the BRICS countries, is headquartered in Shanghai. Practise the international economic organisations questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.