A UN resolution is a formal decision adopted by a UN body, such as the Security Council or the General Assembly. A resolution is a legally binding text that carries the force of law and must be followed by the countries that signed it. Resolutions are often accompanied by press statements, which can contain a summary of the resolution, an alphabetical list of states that contributed to the document (sponsors), and the name of the issuing body.
For example, resolution 2712 calls for “urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout Gaza to facilitate the delivery of essential goods and services” in order to avert a catastrophic humanitarian catastrophe. It also urges all those countries that have not already done so to sign and ratify the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty without further delay.
Another example is resolution 425, which was adopted near the end of Israel’s 1978 invasion of southern Lebanon. It declared that the destruction of the Palestine Liberation Organisation camps in southern Lebanon was a war crime and called for an Israeli withdrawal to the 1949 armistice lines. It was the first time that the term “genocide” was used in a Security Council resolution.
A key feature of the United Nations is its Security Council, which is responsible for maintaining global peace and security. One of its most powerful tools is the veto, which allows any of the five permanent members (the P5) to block the adoption of a resolution, regardless of the amount of support it receives from other countries. The veto has been widely criticized for fueling deadlock and protecting the geopolitical interests of powerful nations at the expense of international peace and justice.
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