Abstract
Although UNESCO’s Constitution provides for majority voting, the organisation has historically favoured consensus to preserve its moral and intellectual authority. However, consensus was formally introduced in 1976 not as an ideal but as a crisis-management tool, following divisive issues such as Israel’s regional exclusion, budget arrears, disagreements over the New International Economic Order, and internal secretariat tensions. The practice reveals that consensus, far from being a natural expression of unity, emerged from political necessity and carries inherent limits. It reflects the tension between UNESCO’s humanistic aspirations and the pragmatic constraints of member-state diplomacy.
Recommended Citation
NEFZAOUI, Abderrazak
(1989)
"The Limits of Consensus in the Practice of an International Organisation: The Example of UNESCO,"
Revue Marocaine de Droit, d'Economie et de Gestion (Moroccan Journal of Law, Economics and Management): Vol. 8:
Iss.
1, Article 7.
https://doi.org/10.66499/2665-7112.1546
Available at:
https://scholarhub.univh2c.ma/remadeg/vol8/iss1/7
DOI
10.66499/2665-7112.1546