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International Relations & Diplomacy vocabulary · International Organisations

Resolution

Meaning in international relations & diplomacy, with examples

/ˌrezəˈluːʃən/nounCore term

In international relations & diplomacy, resolution means: A formal decision or statement adopted by vote or consensus in a body such as the UN Security Council or General Assembly, expressing a position or requiring action.

In Turkish: karar, karar metni

How it is used

Resolutions are drafted, tabled, co-sponsored, adopted or rejected, and they are numbered ('Resolution 1325'). A text before the vote is a 'draft resolution'. The wording moves from mild to strong: 'encourages', 'calls upon', 'demands', 'decides'.

Example sentences

  1. The council adopted the resolution unanimously.

  2. Ten countries co-sponsored the draft resolution on water security.

  3. The resolution calls upon all parties to allow humanitarian access.

Common collocations

  • adopt a resolution
  • draft resolution
  • pass a resolution
  • UN resolution
  • co-sponsor a resolution
  • Security CouncilThe UN organ with primary responsibility for international peace and security. It has 15 members and can take decisions, such as sanctions, that all UN member states must carry out.
  • General AssemblyThe main body of the United Nations in which all 193 member states are represented, each with one vote; it discusses global issues and adopts resolutions and the UN budget.
  • vetoThe power of one member to block a decision even when the others support it; at the UN, the right of the five permanent Security Council members to stop a draft resolution.
  • consensusGeneral agreement among all participants, often reached without a formal vote because no one objects to a proposal.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: International Organisations

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