# How the UN Security Council passes (or blocks) a resolution

> A process map exported from forks.world (https://forks.world). Author: Brian. Source: https://forks.world/p/cmv0kpmzi002ujn064bfrpjel
> It describes who does what, in what order, and with which technology. Read the plain-language sections first; the JSON at the end is the exact, complete data.

## Summary

- 12 steps across 1 layer
- Persona: A member state, The five permanent members, The ten rotating members, The General Assembly, The world

## Pain points

Where this process hurts, worst first:

- **The veto blocks it, even with nine yes votes** (How the UN Security Council passes (or blocks) a resolution; critical): Debated: the veto can freeze the Council in the very crises it was built for

## How to read this file

- A process is made of **layers**. The main layer is the top level; any step of kind `subprocess` opens a detail layer with its own lanes and steps.
- **Lanes** are either persona (people/roles) or technology (systems). Each step belongs to one lane; `using` lists tools a person uses for that step.
- Step kinds: `start`, `task`, `decision` (its arrows carry the answer as a label), `subprocess`, `end`.

## How the UN Security Council passes (or blocks) a resolution

Lanes:
- A member state: person / role (id `member`)
- The five permanent members: person / role (id `p5`)
- The ten rotating members: person / role (id `ten`)
- The General Assembly: person / role (id `ga`)
- The world: person / role (id `world`)

Steps, in the order they run:

1. **A crisis: a conflict, a nuclear test, a humanitarian emergency** [start; A member state; id `u1`]
   - then A country drafts a resolution
2. **A country drafts a resolution** [task; A member state; id `u2`]
   - then Negotiations over wording, sanctions and authority
3. **Negotiations over wording, sanctions and authority** [task; The ten rotating members; id `u3`]
   - then It is put to a vote
4. **It is put to a vote** [task; A member state; id `u4`]
   - then Do at least nine of the 15 members vote yes?
5. **Do at least nine of the 15 members vote yes?** [decision; The ten rotating members; id `u5`]
   - if "Yes" go to Does any permanent member vote no (a veto)?; if "No" go to The resolution fails
6. **Does any permanent member vote no (a veto)?** [decision; The five permanent members; id `u6`]
   - if "Yes" go to The veto blocks it, even with nine yes votes; if "No" go to The resolution passes and is binding
7. **The veto blocks it, even with nine yes votes** [task; The five permanent members; id `u7`] ⚠ PAIN POINT (critical): Debated: the veto can freeze the Council in the very crises it was built for
   - then The General Assembly meets to debate the veto
8. **The General Assembly meets to debate the veto** [task; The General Assembly; id `u9`]
   - then It can debate, but its resolutions are not binding
9. **It can debate, but its resolutions are not binding** [end; The General Assembly; id `u11`]
10. **The resolution passes and is binding** [task; The world; id `u8`]
   - then Enforcement depends on members: sanctions, missions
11. **Enforcement depends on members: sanctions, missions** [end; The world; id `u10`]
12. **The resolution fails** [task; A member state; id `u5a`]
   - then The General Assembly meets to debate the veto

```mermaid
flowchart LR
  subgraph l_member["A member state"]
    n_u1(["A crisis: a conflict, a nuclear test, a humanitarian emergency"])
    n_u2["A country drafts a resolution"]
    n_u4["It is put to a vote"]
    n_u5a["The resolution fails"]
  end
  subgraph l_p5["The five permanent members"]
    n_u6{"Does any permanent member vote no (a veto)?"}
    n_u7["The veto blocks it, even with nine yes votes"]
  end
  subgraph l_ten["The ten rotating members"]
    n_u3["Negotiations over wording, sanctions and authority"]
    n_u5{"Do at least nine of the 15 members vote yes?"}
  end
  subgraph l_ga["The General Assembly"]
    n_u9["The General Assembly meets to debate the veto"]
    n_u11(["It can debate, but its resolutions are not binding"])
  end
  subgraph l_world["The world"]
    n_u8["The resolution passes and is binding"]
    n_u10(["Enforcement depends on members: sanctions, missions"])
  end
  n_u1 --> n_u2
  n_u2 --> n_u3
  n_u3 --> n_u4
  n_u4 --> n_u5
  n_u5 -->|"Yes"| n_u6
  n_u5 -->|"No"| n_u5a
  n_u5a --> n_u9
  n_u6 -->|"Yes"| n_u7
  n_u6 -->|"No"| n_u8
  n_u7 --> n_u9
  n_u8 --> n_u10
  n_u9 --> n_u11
```

## Full data (JSON)

```json
{
  "title": "How the UN Security Council passes (or blocks) a resolution",
  "maps": {
    "m_root": {
      "id": "m_root",
      "lanes": [
        {
          "id": "member",
          "name": "A member state",
          "type": "person"
        },
        {
          "id": "p5",
          "name": "The five permanent members",
          "type": "person"
        },
        {
          "id": "ten",
          "name": "The ten rotating members",
          "type": "person"
        },
        {
          "id": "ga",
          "name": "The General Assembly",
          "type": "person"
        },
        {
          "id": "world",
          "name": "The world",
          "type": "person"
        }
      ],
      "steps": [
        {
          "id": "u1",
          "kind": "start",
          "lane": "member",
          "next": [
            {
              "to": "u2"
            }
          ],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "A crisis: a conflict, a nuclear test, a humanitarian emergency"
        },
        {
          "id": "u2",
          "kind": "task",
          "lane": "member",
          "next": [
            {
              "to": "u3"
            }
          ],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "A country drafts a resolution"
        },
        {
          "id": "u3",
          "kind": "task",
          "lane": "ten",
          "next": [
            {
              "to": "u4"
            }
          ],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "Negotiations over wording, sanctions and authority"
        },
        {
          "id": "u4",
          "kind": "task",
          "lane": "member",
          "next": [
            {
              "to": "u5"
            }
          ],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "It is put to a vote"
        },
        {
          "id": "u5",
          "kind": "decision",
          "lane": "ten",
          "next": [
            {
              "to": "u6",
              "label": "Yes"
            },
            {
              "to": "u5a",
              "label": "No"
            }
          ],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "Do at least nine of the 15 members vote yes?"
        },
        {
          "id": "u5a",
          "kind": "task",
          "lane": "member",
          "next": [
            {
              "to": "u9"
            }
          ],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "The resolution fails"
        },
        {
          "id": "u6",
          "kind": "decision",
          "lane": "p5",
          "next": [
            {
              "to": "u7",
              "label": "Yes"
            },
            {
              "to": "u8",
              "label": "No"
            }
          ],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "Does any permanent member vote no (a veto)?"
        },
        {
          "id": "u7",
          "kind": "task",
          "lane": "p5",
          "next": [
            {
              "to": "u9"
            }
          ],
          "pain": {
            "note": "Debated: the veto can freeze the Council in the very crises it was built for",
            "level": 3
          },
          "uses": [],
          "label": "The veto blocks it, even with nine yes votes"
        },
        {
          "id": "u8",
          "kind": "task",
          "lane": "world",
          "next": [
            {
              "to": "u10"
            }
          ],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "The resolution passes and is binding"
        },
        {
          "id": "u9",
          "kind": "task",
          "lane": "ga",
          "next": [
            {
              "to": "u11"
            }
          ],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "The General Assembly meets to debate the veto"
        },
        {
          "id": "u10",
          "kind": "end",
          "lane": "world",
          "next": [],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "Enforcement depends on members: sanctions, missions"
        },
        {
          "id": "u11",
          "kind": "end",
          "lane": "ga",
          "next": [],
          "uses": [],
          "label": "It can debate, but its resolutions are not binding"
        }
      ],
      "title": "How the UN Security Council passes (or blocks) a resolution",
      "parent": null
    }
  }
}
```