Which UN organ primarily handles international legal disputes between states?

Which UN organ primarily handles international legal disputes between states?

• A. International Court of Justice
• B. General Assembly
• C. Secretariat
• D. Security Council

Answer: (A)

The key idea is understanding which UN organ is built to resolve legal questions between states. The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial body of the United Nations; it settles disputes between states under international law, and it can issue binding judgments on those cases. It also provides advisory opinions to UN organs and specialized agencies when asked for legal guidance. In contrast, the General Assembly mostly makes recommendations on a wide range of political, economic, and social issues, and its resolutions are not binding. The Security Council handles matters of peace and security and can make binding decisions, but it does not function as a general court for interstate legal disputes. The Secretariat is the administrative arm of the UN and does not adjudicate legal disputes. So for international legal disputes between states, the International Court of Justice is the appropriate forum because it is designed to interpret and apply international law and to issue binding judgments on those disputes.

The key idea is understanding which UN organ is built to resolve legal questions between states. The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial body of the United Nations; it settles disputes between states under international law, and it can issue binding judgments on those cases. It also provides advisory opinions to UN organs and specialized agencies when asked for legal guidance.

In contrast, the General Assembly mostly makes recommendations on a wide range of political, economic, and social issues, and its resolutions are not binding. The Security Council handles matters of peace and security and can make binding decisions, but it does not function as a general court for interstate legal disputes. The Secretariat is the administrative arm of the UN and does not adjudicate legal disputes.

So for international legal disputes between states, the International Court of Justice is the appropriate forum because it is designed to interpret and apply international law and to issue binding judgments on those disputes.