The United Nations has no single decision-maker. Each main body has its own voting rules, and those rules decide who can pass a decision and who can block it. This guide explains those rules in plain English and separates documented facts from common myths. It uses the latest information available as of 28 September 2026.
The short version
- The General Assembly gives every member state one vote. Most of its decisions are recommendations, not laws. [1, 4]
- The Security Council has 15 members. Five of them hold a veto, and only this body can adopt decisions that bind governments. [6, 9]
- Money decisions go through the Assembly’s budget committee, and unpaid dues are now a major pressure on the UN. [21, 22, 23]
- The next Secretary-General is being chosen right now through a partly secret process. [17, 18]
The General Assembly: one country, one vote
The General Assembly is the UN’s main discussion body. It has 193 member states, and each has one vote, whether it is very large or very small. [1, 2]
Most questions need a simple majority of members present and voting. “Important questions” need a two-thirds majority. The Charter lists these as peace and security recommendations, elections to the Security Council, admitting or expelling members, and budget matters. [2, 3]
Decisions can be adopted with a vote or without one. Votes can be recorded, unrecorded or by roll call. [4] Most detailed work happens first in six main committees, which send draft texts to the full Assembly. [5]
A state that owes the UN too much money can lose its vote. This happens when its unpaid dues equal or exceed the dues of the previous two full years. The Assembly can allow a state to keep voting if the failure to pay is beyond its control. [2]
What Assembly decisions can and cannot do
Assembly resolutions are recommendations. They carry political and moral weight but have no legally binding force for governments. [4]
The Assembly does control the UN’s regular budget, which gives it real influence over how the organization runs. [1] Its rules on its own internal procedure and budgets also bind the Assembly itself. [4]
The Security Council: nine votes and no veto
The Security Council has 15 members: five permanent and ten elected. The permanent five are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. [7, 12]
On substantive matters, a draft needs at least nine yes votes, including the “concurring votes” of all five permanent members. [6] In practice, one no vote from a permanent member stops the draft. This is the veto. [8]
Some details matter here:
- Procedural votes, such as setting the agenda, need nine votes and cannot be vetoed. [7]
- A permanent member that abstains or is absent does not block a decision. [7]
- In talks about peaceful settlement of a dispute, a party to that dispute must abstain. [6]
The first veto was cast on 16 February 1946. Security Council Report, an independent monitoring group, counts 293 recorded vetoes since then. [8]
Where Security Council decisions are really made
The formal vote is usually the last step. Draft texts are negotiated in private consultations first, and France, the United Kingdom and the United States often submit the drafts. [10]
Council decisions can bind governments. Article 25 of the Charter says members agree to accept and carry out the Council’s decisions. [9] This is why Council votes on sanctions, peacekeeping and ceasefires matter so much to countries in every region.
Is the Council getting less united?
The recent numbers show more division:
- The Council adopted 44 resolutions in 2025, the fifth yearly fall in a row and the lowest total since 1991. [11]
- About 61.4 percent of those resolutions had the support of all 15 members. That compares with 65.2 percent in 2024 and 83.9 percent for the years 2014 to 2023 combined. [11]
- Four vetoes were cast in 2025. Two were on Gaza draft resolutions. Two were on amendments to a Ukraine text. [11]
- The Council did not adopt a formal response on the civil war in Myanmar in 2025, and its only formal Sudan outcome was renewing an expert panel. [11]
Most resolutions still pass, so the Council is not frozen. But the hardest crises are where it struggles most. [11, 12]
How the wider UN pushes back on the veto
In April 2022, the General Assembly adopted resolution 76/262 by consensus. It is known as the veto initiative. [14] It requires the Assembly to hold a debate within 10 working days after any veto in the Council. [13]
The initiative does not cancel vetoes. One review found it has improved transparency and lets states outside the Council, including those most affected, state their concerns. [15] The President of the General Assembly has called it a useful tool, while also regretting that it is needed so often. [13]
An older tool is the 1950 “Uniting for Peace” resolution. It says that if the Council fails to act because the permanent members disagree, the Assembly can consider the matter at once. It can then recommend collective measures to members, including force when necessary. [16] These are still recommendations, not binding orders. [4]
How the Secretary-General is chosen in 2026
The Charter says the Assembly appoints the Secretary-General on the Council’s recommendation. [18] The process has two stages, and the second is the least open.
In the open stage, candidates face all member states. A “UN Town Hall” with candidates took place on 23 July 2026. [17] Candidates also appeared before the Assembly in April 2026. [19]
In the closed stage, the Council holds informal “straw polls”. Each member gets a ballot for each candidate with three options: “encouraged”, “discouraged” or “no opinion expressed”. No UN staff attend, no official results are kept, and the ballots are shredded. [18] The goal is to find someone with wide support and no veto from a permanent member. [19]
As of the latest reporting I found, the Council had held three straw polls, on 30 July, 21 August and 18 September, with eight candidates in the third. [18] Results are not official, but PassBlue reported that the third poll showed no consensus. Every candidate received at least one “discouraged” vote, and the report could not say whether any came from veto holders. [20] The current Secretary-General’s term ends on 31 December 2026. [19]
Money decisions: the budget and the cash squeeze
The regular UN budget is paid for by assessed contributions from member states. The Assembly’s Fifth Committee, its budget body, decides how to spend it based on a proposal from the Secretary-General. [22]
For 2026 the Assembly adopted a $3.45 billion budget. It reflects a 15 percent cut in financial resources and a nearly 19 percent cut in staffing under the UN80 reform initiative. [21] UN80 aims to improve efficiency, reduce duplication and align resources with mandates. [21]
Late and unpaid dues are a central problem. The UN ended 2024 with $760 million in arrears. As of 1 December 2025, $709 million of that was still outstanding, and $877 million of 2025 dues had not arrived. [23] In mid-2026, budget negotiators approved a financial rules reform meant to ease the cash crisis. [24] The UN’s own communications say the crisis is limiting what the organization can deliver. [23]
Myth or documented fact?
- Myth: One country can block any UN decision.
Documented: The veto applies to substantive Security Council decisions only. It does not apply to procedural votes or to General Assembly votes, where each country has one vote. [2, 7] - Myth: All UN resolutions are binding.
Documented: Assembly resolutions are recommendations. Security Council decisions can bind members under Article 25. [4, 9] - Myth: The Security Council never agrees on anything.
Documented: About 61 percent of its 2025 resolutions had all 15 votes. Agreement is falling, but it has not disappeared. [11] - Myth: The Secretary-General’s selection results are public and official.
Documented: Straw poll results are not officially released and no record is kept. Any numbers you see come from leaks reported by journalists. [18, 20]
Why this matters in Africa, Asia and beyond
Every region depends on these rules. Recent Council members included Algeria, Sierra Leone and Somalia from Africa, and Pakistan and the Republic of Korea from Asia. [12] In 2025 the Council also sent a visiting mission to the African Union headquarters. [12]
Some smaller and mid-sized states have pushed for change. A cross-regional group of 27 states called ACT works on Council working methods, including voluntary limits on the veto in mass atrocity cases. [8] The veto initiative also gave states outside the Council a formal platform to speak after a veto. [15]
Disclaimer
This article summarizes public sources as of 28 September 2026. The Secretary-General selection is ongoing, so details may change quickly. Straw poll figures are unofficial and come from press reports. This is general information, not legal or diplomatic advice. If you spot an error or want to give feedback, please contact us and we will review and correct it.
References
- [1] What Is the UN General Assembly?, Council on Foreign Relations
- [2] Chapter IV: The General Assembly (Articles 9-22), United Nations
- [3] Plenary Meetings, Rules of Procedure, UN General Assembly
- [4] UN General Assembly, Refworld
- [5] Functions and powers of the General Assembly, United Nations
- [6] Voting System, UN Security Council
- [7] United Nations Security Council veto power, Wikipedia
- [8] The Veto, Security Council Report
- [9] Security Council Action Under Chapter VII: Myths and Realities, Security Council Report
- [10] Resolutions and the veto, Dag Hammarskjöld Library
- [11] In Hindsight: The Security Council in 2025 and the Year Ahead, Security Council Report
- [12] Highlights of Security Council Practice 2025, United Nations
- [13] General Assembly Debate on Security Council Veto of Resolution on Gaza Ceasefire, UN Meetings Coverage
- [14] Veto Report 2026, Security Council Report
- [15] The Veto Initiative (UNGA Resolution 76/262), Osorin
- [16] United Nations General Assembly Resolution 377 (V), Wikipedia
- [17] Selection and Appointment of the Next Secretary-General, United Nations
- [18] Third Security Council Straw Poll on UN Secretary-General Candidates, Security Council Report
- [19] UN Secretary-General Selection 2026, GlobalSecurity.org
- [20] Third Straw Poll for UN Secretary-General Race Shows No Consensus, PassBlue
- [21] General Assembly Adopts $3.45 Billion United Nations Budget for 2026, UN Meetings Coverage
- [22] UN80 Reform: States endorse slashing of human rights budget, International Service for Human Rights
- [23] Fifth Committee Approves $3.45 Billion Proposed Budget for 2026, UN Meetings Coverage
- [24] Governments approve major financial reform to alleviate UN cash crisis, International Service for Human Rights
