How Decisions are Made at the UN

HOW DECISIONS ARE MADE AT THE UN

The annual GA session opens every year on the third Tuesday of September and runs for a year. The GA’s work follows a cycle of (1) debate, (2) negotiation, (3) decision, (4) implementation, and (5) reporting. Most Model UN conferences focus exclusively on the first three phases of the cycle.

There are three general components to the decision-making process that are crucial for anyone participating in a Model UN conference to understand: debating, negotiating, and decision-making. This section will provide an overview of these three components and highlight what aspects are important to include in Model UN conferences. In addition, it will highlight what gets lost in most Model UN conferences when the implementation phase is neglected.

Setting the GA Agenda

At the beginning of each new GA session, the GA plenary and its six Main Committees are allocated agenda items to consider. The items on the UN agenda represent the UN’s priority issues. The main goal of each GA session is to take action on each agenda item that has been allocated to the GA for its consideration. “Considering” an agenda item involves first discussing the item, and then adopting one or more resolutions on that item.

According to Article 10 of the UN Charter, which defines the functions and powers of the GA, “The General Assembly may discuss any questions or any matters within the scope of the present Charter or relating to the powers and functions of any organs provided for in the present Charter, and … may make recommendations to the Members of the United Nations or the SC or to both on any such questions or matters.” In other words, resolutions adopted by the GA on agenda items are considered to be recommendations. They are not legally binding on the Member States. The only resolutions that have the potential to be legally binding are those adopted by the SC.

Why Consensus is so Important

Member States consider it very important to adopt a resolution that has the widest possible agreement among Member States. Before taking action on a draft resolution, Member States spend hours discussing every word in the resolution to reach agreement on the text. When consensus on the text is reached, in the General Assembly all Member States agree to adopt the draft resolution without taking a vote. Adopting a draft without a vote is the most basic definition of what consensus means. If 192 Member States agree on the text, but just one Member State requests a vote, then consensus is not reached.

If a GA resolution is not legally binding, then the best way to encourage all Member States to implement the recommendations expressed in a resolution is to get them to agree on the same text. When a resolution is adopted by a simple majority, Member States that did not vote in favour of a resolution on a particular agenda item will be less likely to implement the actions on an agenda item.

When the UN was created in 1945, there were only 51 Member States, and resolutions were adopted by a vote. Today, there are 193 Member States, and roughly 80% of the GA resolutions are adopted by consensus.

When you adopt resolutions by a vote, you only need to get a majority to agree on the text of a resolution. You do not need to care about or try to understand the perspectives of the minority who disagree. This process is divisive.

When you adopt resolutions by consensus, you have to be concerned about the viewpoint of everyone, and engage in negotiations that often result in compromises, so that different points of view are taken into consideration. This process is inclusive.

Given the dramatic increase in Member States over time, reaching the widest possible agreement is more vital today than ever. Because the GA’s resolutions are recommendations and not legally binding, reaching consensus has helped ensure the widest possible implementation of GA decisions.

In some Model UN conferences, delegates do not even consider implementation. Therefore, delegates do not learn the value of reaching consensus over voting. Most resolutions at a Model UN conference are adopted by a vote. This way of operating does not reflect how the UN has changed. Moreover, by valuing voting over reaching consensus, most conferences do not model the negotiation process that is required to reach consensus. You cannot truly understand the UN as an institution without understanding its decision-making process. This Guide aims to assist organizers in modifying their GA conferences so that they reflect these changes.

As mentioned above, consensus is reached when all Member States have agreed to adopt the text of a draft resolution without taking a vote. However, reaching consensus is not the same thing as being unanimous. It is important to note that consensus does not mean that all Member States agree on every word or paragraph in the draft resolution. Member States can agree to adopt a draft resolution without a vote but still have reservations. The important point is that there is nothing so disagreeable in the resolution that Member States feel it must be put to a vote.

When Member States have reservations about elements of a draft resolution that they have agreed to adopt by consensus, those who are not sponsors of the resolution have the opportunity to explain their position.