Passed Resolution

In Model UN, a passed resolution is a draft resolution that has successfully cleared voting procedure and is formally adopted by the committee. Once passed, the document is no longer a "draft" — it represents the committee's official outcome on the agenda topic and is typically the final deliverable judged by the dais.

The threshold for passage depends on the committee's rules of procedure. Most General Assembly–style committees at conferences modeled on UNA-USA or THIMUN rules require a simple majority of voting members (more yes votes than no, with abstentions not counted toward the total). Security Council simulations typically require nine affirmative votes out of fifteen, with no veto from any of the five permanent members (P5) — mirroring Article 27 of the UN Charter. Some specialized or historical committees use a two-thirds threshold for "important questions," echoing Article 18 of the Charter.

The voting process generally proceeds in stages:

• Closure of debate is moved and adopted, ending speeches on the topic.
• The dais reads out any friendly amendments already incorporated and conducts separate votes on unfriendly amendments.
• Delegates may motion to divide the question, voting on operative clauses separately.
• The committee then votes on the resolution as a whole, sometimes by roll call if requested.

A committee may pass more than one resolution on the same topic if the documents are not mutually exclusive, though this is more common in GA-style bodies than in the Security Council. After passage, the resolution is archived by the conference secretariat and often published in the final report.

Outside MUN, the same term applies to real UN organs: a passed General Assembly resolution is non-binding under the Charter, while a passed Security Council resolution under Chapter VII is binding on all member states. Delegates should remember that in-committee passage is a procedural outcome, not necessarily a sign of the strongest substantive paper — chairs frequently award based on diplomacy and writing quality rather than vote count alone.