A UN resolution is a formal expression of the opinion or will of the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council or another organ of the United Nations. Resolutions are often non-binding on member states but some have binding effects such as approving budgets, or may set out procedures for UN bodies to follow, for example the Trusteeship Council.
In addition to resolutions, the General Assembly and the Security Council also adopt decisions. Decisions usually concern procedural matters like elections, appointments or the time and place of future sessions.
The Security Council, which was established in the aftermath of World War II, addresses threats to global security and has veto power for its five permanent members. It fosters negotiations, imposes sanctions and authorizes peacekeeping operations. Its members use their vetoes with varying frequency, with Russia (which used to be the Soviet Union) the most frequent user with ninety-three vetoes since its founding in 1945. The US has used its ninety-three vetoes on a range of issues from supporting the Israeli occupation of Gaza to opposing Iranian nuclear development, and has criticized the use of the veto by other members as impeding the effectiveness of the Security Council.
The earliest of the Security Council’s Resolutions dealt with outer space, followed by resolutions that ratified treaties and conventions and created various bodies. Other notable resolutions include Resolution 1962: Establishing the International Commission on the Limits of Outer Space; Resolution 253: Adopting a charter for UNESCO; Resolution 242: Condemning the Israeli military offensive in Gaza; Resolution 446: Proclaiming that Israeli settlements in Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967 have no legal validity and obstruct the achievement of peace in the region, and that Israel must withdraw from these areas; Resolution 3379: Denouncing Zionism as a form of racism and racial discrimination and requiring its elimination; and Resolution 46/86, which revoked Resolution 3379.