Name the Principal Judicial Organ of this organisation and explain its composition.

The principal judicial organ of the United Nations is the INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE, which sits at The Hague in the NETHERLANDS — the only principal organ not based in New York.

Composition: (1) It consists of 15 JUDGES, elected for a term of NINE YEARS. (2) They are elected by the General Assembly and the Security Council voting separately and independently; a candidate must secure an absolute majority in both. (3) One-third of the judges retire every three years, and retiring judges are eligible for re-election. No two judges may be nationals of the same country, and the judges elect their own President and Vice-President for three years.

Four marks: one for naming the Court and about three for the composition, so give several distinct elements. The two figures are essential and are constantly swapped: 15 JUDGES, 9 YEARS. The rule that no two judges may come from the same country is the detail candidates most often omit, and it matters — it ensures the Court represents the main forms of civilisation and the principal legal systems of the world. Note the location carefully: THE HAGUE is in the NETHERLANDS, not Switzerland — a mistake that appears in several published keys.