Basics of a Resolution

Who: Who writes a resolution? Any delegate in the committee can write a resolution
(although in rare instances an observer state is not allowed to directly write a resolution).
The author of a resolution is called a sponsor. Most resolutions have multiple sponsors
because it takes a group of countries to share good ideas and to come to a consensus. Some
conferences allow delegates to sponsor multiple resolutions for each topic while others only
allow delegates to sponsor one per topic.

What: What is a resolution? A resolution is a document that contains all the issues that the
committee wants to solve and the proposed solutions to that issue. It’s called a resolution
because that’s what the United Nations calls the documents they produce (here are
some real UN General Assembly resolutions). Technically, the resolution should be called a
draft resolution before it is voted upon and then called a resolution after it is successfully
passed during voting bloc.

When/Where: When and where are resolutions written? Most conferences require
students to write resolutions during the conference. Specifically, resolutions are usually
written during unmoderated caucus (sometimes called informal caucus) where delegates
are free to roam around the committee to collaborate on ideas with each other, and
sometimes students work outside in hallways or computer labs as well. Resolution-writing
becomes more focused during the latter sessions of committee when different country
policies are clear and different ideas have been mentioned already. These conferences will
not allow any pre-written resolutions. A few conferences have “docket-style” debate. This
is when students are required to submit resolutions to the conference in advance and the
chairs pick the best ones and put them into a docket. The delegates focus only on the
resolutions in the docket when they get to the conference and work on amending them.

Why: The ultimate purpose of a committee session is to pass a resolution. All the speeches,
debate, negotiation, and teamwork is supposed to lead up to a resolution which contains all
the proposed solutions to the issue. The resolution(s) that the majority of the committee
agrees upon will be passed during voting bloc and the sponsors will be informally
commended for building consensus on good ideas. Most conferences allow multiple
resolutions to pass as long as they do not contradict each other, but a few conferences allow
only one resolution to pass.
 
How to Write a Resolution
How: how do I write a resolution and what does the format look like? First, here is an
example of how a resolution looks like from UNA-USA’s website:

Sample Resolution
A resolution is actually really simple to write. It has three main parts: the heading,
the pre-ambulatory clauses, and the operative clauses. We’ll break down the example
above into these three parts below.

1. Heading
The heading contains four pieces of information: the committee name, the sponsors, the
signatories, and the topic (not necessarily in that order depending on each individual
conference’s rules).
 Resolution heading
The committee name and topic should be self-explanatory. The sponsors are the authors of
the resolution. The signatories are other delegates in the committee who do not necessarily
agree with the resolution but would like to see it debated. Most conferences require a
minimum number or percentage of sponsors and signatories (or a combination of both)
before a resolution can be presented —  this encourages consensus-building. You will also
notice some numbering (on the top right corner in the example). This is usually provided by
the committee chair and is just a way to number the different resolutions — usually by the
order they are received or approved — so that delegates can easily differentiate or reference
them.

2. Pre-ambulatory clauses
The pre-ambulatory clauses states all the issues that the committee wants to resolve on this
issue. It may state reasons why the committee is working on this issue and highlight
previous international actions on the issue. Pre-ambulatory clauses can include:

 Past UN resolutions, treaties, or conventions related to the topic

 Past regional, non-governmental, or national efforts in resolving this topic
 References to the UN Charter or other international frameworks and laws
 Statements made by the Secretary-General or a relevant UN body or agency
 General background info formation or facts about the topic, its significance, and its
impact.

Resolution pre-ambulatory clauses

It’s very simple to write a pre-ambulatory clauses. First, take a statement that you want to
write about (perhaps an issue you want to solve or a specific fact from one of the five bullet
points above). You then take that statement, combine it with an underlined pre-ambulatory
phrase, and end it with a comma. Here are some example pre-ambulatory phrases
from UNA-USA’s website that you can choose from:
 Pre-ambulatory clauses
For example, my country wants to address the issue of how HIV/AIDS has spread rapidly in
sub-Saharan Africa. I pick a pre-ambulatory phrase from above — I’ll use “Alarmed by” —
and then I combine it to say:
Alarmed by the 17% increase in HIV/AIDS contraction among sub-Saharan African
countries in the past five years,
Strategy Tip: In general, you want fewer pre-ambulatory clauses than operative clauses.
More operative clauses convey that you have more solutions than you have problems.

3. Operative clauses
Operative clauses state the solutions that the sponsors of the resolution proposes to resolve
the issues. The operative clauses should address the issues specifically mentioned in the pre-
ambulatory clauses above it.
 Resolution operative clauses

It’s very simple to write an operative clause. First, take a solution that you want to include in
the draft resolution. You then take that solution, combine it with an underlined operative
phrase, and end it with a semicolon (the last operative clause ends with a period). Operative
clauses are also numbered. This differentiates them from pre-ambulatory clauses, helps
show logical progression in the resolution, and makes the operative clauses easy to refer to
in speeches and comments. Here are some example operative phrases from UNA-USA’s
website that you can choose from:

Operative clauses
For example, my first solution is to distribute low-cost medicines for HIV/AIDS to sub-
Saharan African countries. I pick an operative phrase from above — I’ll use “Calls upon” —
and then I combine it and number it to say:
 1. Calls upon the developed countries and major pharmaceutical countries to provide
low-cost, generic medicines for HIV/AIDS to sub-Saharan African countries;

Strategy Tip: Usually more details in an operative clause will make it stronger or at least
make the idea more clear to other delegates. A simple way to strengthen each operative
clause is to answer the “who, what, when, where, why, and how” of each resolution. These
details can actually be broken down into sub-operative clauses underneath the main
operative clause.

Amendments
UNA-USA’s website already provides a great explanation of what amendments are, so I will
copy it below:
Approved draft resolutions are modified through amendments. An amendment is a written
statement that adds, deletes or changes an operative clause in a draft resolution. The
amendment process is used to strengthen consensus on a resolution by allowing delegates to
change the operative clauses (the pre-ambulatory clauses can not be modified). There are
two types of amendments:

1. A friendly amendment is a change to the draft resolution that all sponsors agree
with. After the amendment is signed by all of the draft resolution’s sponsors and
approved by the committee chair, it will be automatically incorporated into the
resolution.

2. An unfriendly amendment is a change that some or all of the draft resolution’s

sponsors do not support and must be voted upon by the committee. This also refers
to delegates who did not write this resolution at all but see potential in it as long as
several changes are made to it. The sponsors of the amendment will need to obtain a
required number of signatories in order to introduce it. Prior to voting on the draft
resolution, the committee votes on all unfriendly amendments.

Writing an amendment is very simple. All you have to do is make an operative clause that
adds, deletes, or changes an operative clause in a draft resolution. Examples include:

 Adds an operative clause that reads “14. Encourages all Latin American countries

to…”
 Deletes operative clause 9.
 Changes operative clause 1 to read “1. Calls upon the Red Cross to provide low-cost
medicines…”

Credit to: bestdelegate.com