General Assembly resolutions contain decisions and recommendations adopted by the member nations of the General Assembly. These resolutions are not intended to be legally binding on the General Assembly's independent member nations. Consequently, a nation's own government must accept a General Assembly resolution before it can become binding upon that nation. Although General Assembly resolutions are not sources of law, they may contribute to the development of international law if they are supported by the General Assembly's member nations.Tracing a General Assembly Resolution1.An item is proposed by a nation or nations for inclusion in the provisional agenda of the General Assembly, or is held over from the previous year. 2.The item on the provisional agenda is approved by the General Committee of the General Assembly and assigned to one of the seven main committees of the General Assembly or to the Plenary; the General Assembly approves the recommendations of the General Committee. 3.One of the main committees or Plenary discusses the item. a.Each member nation gives its views in a general statement; b.A draft resolution is proposed; c.Amendments are proposed. 4.The Committee votes on the draft resolution and amendments. a.If the draft resolution, as amended, is passed, the committee reports to the General Assembly; b.If draft resolution is not passed, the item is dropped. 5.The General Assembly discusses the report of the committee and its recommendation (which is the draft resolution which has passed in the Committee). a.Further statements by member nations may be made; b.Further amendments may be proposed. 6.The General Assembly votes on draft resolution, as amended. A two-thirds majority is required on the most important questions (e.g., new member admission); all others require a simple majority. Security Council resolutions contain decisions and recommendations adopted by the member nations of the Security Council. Security C...
