Resolutions are formal expressions of the opinion or will of UN organs such as the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council. They are either binding or non-binding and may cover a wide range of issues. They are issued as individual documents and are usually published in annual or sessional compilations. Resolutions of principal organs can also be incorporated in treaties.
The process of creating a UN resolution is long and complex and usually involves counsellors from the country of concern’s permanent mission to New York as well as counterparts in the UN Secretariat. The goal is to get a majority of the Council members to unanimously or by a qualified majority adopt a draft resolution that is consistent with the mandate given them in the Charter.
The wording of a resolution is key, with preambular clauses (which begin with verbs and end with commas) and operative clauses (which always start with adjectives) usually being a good place to focus. The name of the body that sponsored the resolution will often appear before or after the operative clauses, though this is not strictly necessary. The resolutions are then voted on and a result, whether adopted or rejected, is then recorded. The vote requires nine votes to pass, unless there is a veto cast by one of the five permanent Security Council members – China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States – which prevents the resolution from being passed.
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