Journey of a Security Council Resolution – Global Issues

The 15-member Council is charged with issuing resolutions and decisions on threats to international peace and security. However, it sometimes faces multiple obstacles in turning a draft into a legally binding document for the UN’s 193 member states.

For example, since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, Council members have drafted, negotiated and adopted several related resolutions, while several other drafts and amendments were rejected because they lacked the required nine votes or were vetoed, a privilege enjoyed by the five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Vetoes were indeed used.

Sometimes a few words, verbs or adjectives can slow down the process as countries try to maintain their position. In the case of some proposals for Gaza, some wanted a ceasefire, others wanted an end to hostilities.

If the Council cannot reach an agreement, a new mechanism was introduced in 2022 allowing Member States to request the General Assembly to hold a meeting or emergency special session to investigate every veto.

However, the process of drafting resolutions has remained largely unchanged since the Council adopted its first resolution in 1946 establish a UN military staff committeeFrom an idea to a legally binding document for all 193 UN member states, we followed the journey of a draft resolution.

Getting Started

The first step is to draw up an initial draft, which can be supported by one or more members of the Council.

According to Nikolai Galkin, a senior political affairs official at the UN Secretariat, the drafting of an initial draft for a crisis like Gaza can be extensive and extend far beyond the 15 member states. Security Council Department of Affairs.

The process typically begins with advisors from the member’s permanent mission to the UN in New York who are experts in the issue. These experts may consult with regional groups, the country in question and other key stakeholders, as well as counterparts in delegations of Council members.

The goal is to unanimously or by a majority adopt a resolution calling for action to end a conflict, authorize a peace mission, impose sanctions, or refer a case to the International Court of Justice (IGH), all of which form part of the Council’s mandate under the UN Charter.

At this stage, the concept sponsor, or pen holder, will often try to include as many voices as possible.

A ‘zero design’

The original idea is then revised into a ‘zero design’.

That means it’s “not even a real design,” Mr. Galkin said.

This is a literal draft text prepared for the comments of the Council members, which the penholder would, if he so wished, have incorporated by his experts into a further revised version.

Once the zero draft is ready, it is distributed, usually via email. The penholder then asks for further input from the council members, which he collects via email, in person or informally via WhatsApp.

Negotiations and compromises

There are differences of opinion. For the Gaza Zero draft drafted by the United Arab Emirates in December, there was much disagreement over the term “ceasefire,” which was reflected in the reporting of the process.

Some delegations had indicated that they would support (or not) the inclusion of that term.

Negotiations are generally held to iron out differences. They are usually held off-site and only rarely do members book a formal ‘informal’ meeting in the Consultations Room, across the corridor from the Council Chamber.

Sometimes comments on drafts aren’t even given in New York, but instead travel back to the capitals of the members’ home countries.

What belongs ‘in blue’?

After one or more rounds of back-and-forth discussions, the penholder circulates a final draft. In the case of the UAE, the final Gaza draft was sent to the wider UN membership, as sometimes happens. Within 24 hours, 97 UN member states had co-sponsored it.

At this point, a revised draft version is given a document number and the text is formatted and published in blue so that it can be emailed to Council members.

For the COVID-19 pandemic, drafts were printed in blue ink and distributed at each council member’s seat and at the Chamber counter. In order to become more environmentally friendly, drafts are no longer printed, but sent to council members by email, still in blue.

Why blue? The decades-old reason came coincidentally from a copy machine in the corner of the Security Council office. It was printing out small batches of drafts for its 15 members, and the only ink available was blue.

Once it is ‘in the blue’ it usually means that the Council is ready to take action, which usually happens within 24 hours when a formal meeting is called.

Voting and veto

During a scheduled formal public meeting, members gather around the iconic horseshoe-shaped table of the Security Council Chamber. The monthly gavels open the session and call for a vote. Some may make statements before the vote, expressing their delegation’s views or concerns. Some may even propose amendments to the draft.

Then it’s time for action.

“Everyone in favor, raise their hand,” said the President of the Council.

A show of hands around the table indicates for, against and abstentions. A minimum of nine votes is needed to adopt a draft, unless vetoed, a prerogative of the Council’s five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The President reads the final vote and the bill is either adopted or rejected.

From blue to black

The final step is to produce and distribute the final document, which will be translated into the six official UN languages ​​– Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish – and published in black.

All designs, rejected or accepted, are numbered and placed in the UN Document System.

For those looking for past drafts, Mr Galkin said new measures are in the works in the coming months to make it easier to find all drafts, rejected or adopted, on the UN Security Council website.