Resolutions are formal expressions of the opinion or will of UN organs.
Security Council, General Assembly, Economic and Social Council and Human Rights Council resolutions are issued as individual documents. The resolutions of the principal organs are also issued in annual or sessional compilations.
Resolutions of other UN bodies are usually published in the report of the body to its parent organ.
Resolutions generally consist of two parts:
In some cases, resolutions may have annexes with additional texts, such as the text of a convention.
Decisions are another type of formal action taken by UN bodies. Decisions often concern procedural matters such as elections, appointments, time and place of future sessions. They are sometimes also used to record the adoption of a text representing the consensus of the members of a given organ.
Both resolutions and decisions are usually numbered, with the year or session and a number assigned in order of adoption.
Resolutions and decisions of the principal organs are:
Resolutions and decisions of subsidiary bodies usually appear in the report of the body to its parent organ.
Detailed information about the specific patterns of documentation for the resolutions and decisions of each of the principal organs is available in the research guide for the body.
The process by which a resolution or decision is adopted depends on the rules of procedure of the body adopting the text. In general, draft proposals follow similar path and share similar characteristics.
Draft resolutions and decisions are usually presented for adoption in an open formal meeting; they may be introduced to the body by a sponsor, co-sponsor or an official of the body, such as the Chair or President.
Draft proposals may be
The sponsors of draft proposals are usually listed in the document that transmits the draft to the adopting body; additional sponsors sometimes are added when the draft is introduced in the meeting. Sometimes the draft does not include information about sponsors. Sponsors may include:
Depending on the rules of procedure of the body and its established practices, draft proposals may be adopted by consensus or may be voted on.