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Difficulty: HardUnited Nations Organisation (UNO): Organs, Functions, and Specialized Agencies

During a United Nations Security Council vote on a non-procedural resolution, all five permanent members vote in favor of the motion, while six non-permanent members vote against it. What is the status of this resolution?

  1. It fails because it did not achieve the required minimum of nine affirmative votes.Answer
  2. B
    It passes because unanimous support from the permanent members automatically overrides non-permanent opposition.
  3. C
    It is adopted provisionally pending a simple majority vote of confirmation by the General Assembly.
  4. D
    It fails because non-permanent members possess a collective veto power over non-procedural motions.

Answer

The resolution fails because it did not achieve the required minimum of nine affirmative votes.
The correct answer highlights that a Security Council decision on a substantive matter requires at least nine affirmative votes in total. Even though all five permanent members supported the resolution, five total votes do not meet the minimum requirement of nine, so the resolution fails.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the procedural voting rules for non-procedural matters in the UN Security Council.
A motion requires a minimum of nine affirmative votes out of 15 council members and no negative vote from any permanent member.
Article 27(3) of the United Nations Charter specifies the required numerical threshold and permanent member concurrence.
2
Count the affirmative votes in the given scenario.
Only five members (the P5) voted in favor, while six non-permanent members voted against.
The total count of affirmative votes stands at 5.
3
Evaluate the outcome against the constitutional voting requirements.
Although no permanent member vetoed the resolution, the total affirmative count of 5 falls short of the mandatory 9 affirmative votes.
A resolution cannot be adopted if it fails to hit the minimum nine-vote threshold, regardless of permanent member alignment.

Key Concept

UN Security Council voting rules and decision-making thresholds
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

United Nations Organisation (UNO): Organs, Functions, and Specialized Agencies

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