United Nations General Assembly Resolution
Encyclopedia
A United Nations General Assembly Resolution is voted on by all member states of the United Nations
in the General Assembly.
General Assembly resolutions usually require a simple majority (50% of all votes plus one) to pass. However, if the General Assembly determines that the issue is an "important question" by a simple majority vote, then a two-thirds majority is required; "important questions" are those that deal significantly with maintenance of international peace and security, admission of new members to the United Nations, suspension of the rights and privileges of membership, expulsion of members, operation of the trusteeship system
, or budgetary questions.
Although General Assembly resolutions
are generally non-binding
towards member states, internal resolutions may be binding on the operation of the General Assembly itself, for example with regard to budgetary and procedural matters.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in the General Assembly.
General Assembly resolutions usually require a simple majority (50% of all votes plus one) to pass. However, if the General Assembly determines that the issue is an "important question" by a simple majority vote, then a two-thirds majority is required; "important questions" are those that deal significantly with maintenance of international peace and security, admission of new members to the United Nations, suspension of the rights and privileges of membership, expulsion of members, operation of the trusteeship system
United Nations Trust Territories
United Nations trust territories were the successors of the remaining League of Nations mandates and came into being when the League of Nations ceased to exist in 1946. All of the trust territories were administered through the UN Trusteeship Council...
, or budgetary questions.
Although General Assembly resolutions
United Nations resolution
A United Nations resolution is a formal text adopted by a United Nations body. Although any UN body can issue resolutions, in practice most resolutions are issued by the Security Council or the General Assembly.-Legal status:...
are generally non-binding
Non-binding resolution
A non-binding resolution is a written motion adopted by a deliberative body that cannot progress into a law. The substance of the resolution can be anything that can normally be proposed as a motion....
towards member states, internal resolutions may be binding on the operation of the General Assembly itself, for example with regard to budgetary and procedural matters.
Notable General Assembly resolutions
- 1946
- Resolution 1: Established the United Nations Atomic Energy CommissionUnited Nations Atomic Energy CommissionThe United Nations Atomic Energy Commission was founded on 24 January 1946 by Resolution 1 of the United Nations General Assembly "to deal with the problems raised by the discovery of atomic energy."...
(UNAEC) "to deal with the problems raised by the discovery of atomic energy" and tasked to "make specific proposals... for the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons and of all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction", among other issues regarding nuclear technology.
- Resolution 1: Established the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission
- 1947
- Resolution 177: International Law Commission was directed to "formulate the principles of international law recognized in the Charter of the Nuremberg Tribunal and in the judgment of the Tribunal." This resulted in the creation of the Nuremberg PrinciplesNuremberg PrinciplesThe Nuremberg principles were a set of guidelines for determining what constitutes a war crime. The document was created by the International Law Commission of the United Nations to codify the legal principles underlying the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi party members following World War II.- Principle...
. - Resolution 181: The 1947 UNGA 'Partition resolution' regarding the British Mandate of Palestine.
- Resolution 177: International Law Commission was directed to "formulate the principles of international law recognized in the Charter of the Nuremberg Tribunal and in the judgment of the Tribunal." This resulted in the creation of the Nuremberg Principles
- 1948
- Resolution 194: Recommends the "Right of returnRight of returnThe term right of return refers to a principle of international law, codified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, giving any person the right to return to, and re-enter, his or her country of origin...
" for Palestinian refugeePalestinian refugeePalestinian refugees or Palestine refugees are the people and their descendants, predominantly Palestinian Arabic-speakers, who fled or were expelled from their homes during and after the 1948 Palestine War, within that part of the British Mandate of Palestine, that after that war became the...
s and for Jewish refugeesJewish exodus from Arab landsThe Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries was a mass departure, flight and expulsion of Jews, primarily of Sephardi and Mizrahi background, from Arab and Muslim countries, from 1948 until the early 1970s...
. - Resolution 260: Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
- Resolution 194: Recommends the "Right of return
- 1949
- Resolution 273United Nations General Assembly Resolution 273United Nations General Assembly Resolution 273 was passed on May 11, 1949 to admit the State of Israel to membership in the United Nations. Admission was made conditional upon implementation of Resolutions 181 of November 29, 1947 and 194 of December 11, 1948 .-Full text:Having received the report...
: Admits the State of IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
to membership in the United Nations. - Resolution 289: On the Question of the disposal of the former Italian colonies: recommending that LibyaLibyaLibya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
should be independent not later than January 1, 1952
- Resolution 273
- 1950
- Resolution 377 A: The "Uniting for Peace" Resolution
- 1952
- Resolution 505: Threats to the political independence and territorial integrity of ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(Republic of ChinaRepublic of ChinaThe Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
) and to the peace of the Far EastFar EastThe Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
, resulting from SovietSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
violations of the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance of 14 August 1945 and from Soviet violations of the Charter of the United Nations
- Resolution 505: Threats to the political independence and territorial integrity of China
- 1960
- Resolution 1514: Declaration on the granting of independence to colonialColonialismColonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
countries and peoples. - Resolution 1541: United Nations definition of what a colonyColonyIn politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
is, and what self-determinationSelf-determinationSelf-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
is. Principles which should guide Members in determining whether or not an obligation exists to transmit the information called for under Article 73 e of the Charter.
- Resolution 1514: Declaration on the granting of independence to colonial
- 1962
- Resolution 1761: Recommended sanctions against South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in response to the governments policy of apartheid.
- Resolution 1761: Recommended sanctions against South Africa
- 1963
- Resolution 1962: One of the earliest resolutions governing Outer spaceOuter spaceOuter space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
. - Resolution 1991United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1991United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1991 was a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on 17 December 1963. The resolution made provisions for amending the United Nations Charter in order to increase membership of the Security Council to fifteen member states and membership of the...
: Amended the UN Charter, enlarging the Security CouncilUnited Nations Security CouncilThe United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
to fifteen members.
- Resolution 1962: One of the earliest resolutions governing Outer space
- 1971
- Resolution 2758: Expelled the Republic of ChinaRepublic of ChinaThe Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
and replaced it with the People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. It also recognized the PRC as the sole legal authority of ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. (See China and the United NationsChina and the United NationsChina's seat in the United Nations and membership of the United Nations Security Council was originally occupied by the Republic of China since October 24, 1945. During the Chinese Civil War, the Communist Party of China repelled the government of the ROC from Mainland China to the island of...
)
- Resolution 2758: Expelled the Republic of China
- 1973
- Resolution 3068: International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid adopted and opened for signature, and ratification by Resolution 3068, 30 November 1973, and entered into force on 18 July 1976.
- 1974
- Resolution 3314: Defined aggressionWar of aggressionA war of aggression, sometimes also war of conquest, is a military conflict waged without the justification of self-defense usually for territorial gain and subjugation. The phrase is distinctly modern and diametrically opposed to the prior legal international standard of "might makes right", under...
.
- Resolution 3314: Defined aggression
- 1975
- Resolution 3379: ZionismZionismZionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
is a form of racism and racial discrimination; revoked by Resolution 46/86.
- Resolution 3379: Zionism
- 1989
- Resolution 44/34: The UN MercenaryMercenaryA mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
Convention
- Resolution 44/34: The UN Mercenary
- 1991
- Resolution 46/86: revoked Resolution 3379.
- 1993
- Resolution 47/121: condemned ethnic cleansingEthnic cleansingEthnic cleansing is a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic orreligious group from certain geographic areas....
of the Bosnian Muslims by the Bosnian Serbs as genocide, (fourteen year later the International Court of JusticeInternational Court of JusticeThe International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
ruled in the Bosnian Genocide Case of 2007, that ethnic cleansing was not enough in itself to be genocide, but that there must also be intent to kill a substantial part of the targeted group by the perpetrators). - Resolution 48/114 — Emergency international assistance to refugees and displaced persons in Azerbaijan.
- Resolution 47/121: condemned ethnic cleansing
- 2000
- United Nations General Assembly Resolution 55/56: Introduced a process to certify the origin of rough diamonds from sources that are conflict-free
- 2006
- Resolution 60/285 — The situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
- 2007
- Resolution 61/295: Establishes the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous PeoplesDeclaration on the Rights of Indigenous PeoplesThe United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly during its 62nd session at UN Headquarters in New York City on 13 September 2007....
. - Resolution 61/255: Condemned without any reservation any denial of the HolocaustHolocaust denialHolocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
- United Nations General Assembly Resolution 62/149UN moratorium on the death penaltyThe UN moratorium on the death penalty were two proposals by Italy and Chile supported by several countries and NGOs before the General Assembly of the United Nations that called for general suspension of capital punishment throughout the world...
: Called for a universal moratoriumMoratorium (law)A moratorium is a delay or suspension of an activity or a law. In a legal context, it may refer to the temporary suspension of a law to allow a legal challenge to be carried out....
on Capital PunishmentCapital punishmentCapital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
with a view to total abolition, and in the meantime, respect for the rights of those on death row. Calls on states which have abolished the death penalty not to reintroduce it.
- Resolution 61/295: Establishes the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
- 2008
- Resolution 62/243United Nations General Assembly Resolution 62/243United Nations General Assembly Resolution 62/243, titled "The Situation in the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan", is a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly about the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, which was adopted on March 14, 2008 at the 62nd session of the General Assembly...
— The situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
- Resolution 62/243