Suchergebnisse

The concept of consensus has been given a particular meaning in discussions of international organizations: a practice designed to elaborate texts by negotiation, & to have them approved without a vote being taken. In such negotiations, the principle of the sovereign equality of states is maintained, as a doctrine analogous to that of the equality of citizens. Consensus first appeared in the United Nations General Assembly in 1964, in response to a crisis of finance. Consensus differs from unanimity in being reached through negotiation from a basis of disagreement. This procedure breaks down when a few powerful states oppose a position; but a vote taken in this case would also be useless against such states. The primary necessity is a willingness to engage in dialogue. W. H. Stoddard.