One state, one vote: how the UN General Assembly decides under Article 18 of the Charter

Background

Resolutions put to the United Nations General Assembly are decided under the voting rules in Chapter IV of the UN Charter. Article 18 provides that each member of the General Assembly shall have one vote. Decisions on important questions shall be made by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting; these questions include recommendations on the maintenance of international peace and security, the election of the non-permanent members of the Security Council, the election of the members of the Economic and Social Council, the admission of new Members to the United Nations, the suspension of the rights and privileges of membership, the expulsion of Members and budgetary questions. Decisions on other questions, including the determination of additional categories of questions to be decided by a two-thirds majority, are made by a majority of the members present and voting. Article 19 provides that a Member in arrears in its financial contributions shall have no vote in the General Assembly if the arrears equal or exceed the contributions due from it for the preceding two full years, though the Assembly may still permit it to vote if the failure to pay is due to conditions beyond the Member's control. Article 20 provides that the General Assembly meets in regular annual sessions and in such special sessions as occasion may require.