A resolution is a formal text adopted by a United Nations body, in particular the Security Council or the General Assembly. Resolutions can be non-binding (though GA resolutions can pass binding measures affecting the UN as an organisation), or they can be legally binding, depending on the wording used.
A typical resolution has a date, an alphabetical list of countries that have contributed to the draft (sponsors), and the name of the issuing body. Resolutions can also be numbered.
This resolution condemned M23 attacks against civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo and called on the Rwanda Defence Force to cease supporting the group and withdraw from DRC territory. It also renewed for six months the authority for member states, acting nationally or through regional organisations, to inspect ships on the high seas, bound to or from Libya, that they have reasonable grounds to believe are violating the arms embargo.
The Security Council has a long record on Israel-Palestine issues, but this resolution stands out for what it did not do: it did not recognise the Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian land, or refer to them as “illegal”. Instead it set out clear guidelines for negotiations and called for a return to the pre-1967 borders.
This resolution endorsed the 1975 International Women’s Year and recognised that women were disproportionately affected by war, poverty, violence and oppression. It also called for a universal moratorium on the death penalty with a view to eventual abolition and for respect of the rights of prisoners.
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