Model UN Made Easy: How to Write a Resolution

by KFC on OCTOBER 26, 2011

Delegates writing resolutions

One of the most common questions I get from newer delegates and teachers is how to write a
resolution. A resolution contains all the proposed solutions to a topic. Learning to write a resolution
is very important because the ultimate goal of the committee sessions is for delegates to come up
with written solutions to the problems they are trying to solve. The primary authors of the resolution
will also be recognized as the leaders in the committee which distinguishes them from everyone else
for awards.

This Model UN Made Easy article will explain the basic “who, what, when, where, and why” of a
resolution. It will then show how a resolution looks like and explain how to write one. It will also
explain how to make amendments to a resolution. Finally, it will provide some tips to get started on
writing a resolution.

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. 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…”

Tips to Get Started

1. I recommend printing the page from UNA-USA’s website with all the pre-ambulatory and operative
phrases and putting that document in your Research Binder. This will make the phrases very easy to
reference to when delegates need to write them in committee. Most major conferences also provide
their own list in their conference program or website.

2. I also recommend practicing translating ideas into pre-ambulatory and operative clauses if you are
not used to it already. You can do this with your class — have someone mention an issue within their
topic and then have students come up with a pre-ambulatory clause for it or have someone propose
a solution and then have students come up with different operative clauses for it. Sooner or later,
you will become fluent in writing them and have memorized your favorite clauses so that you can
easily turn any statement into a clause.

3. If this is too basic, then read our article on How to Debate Resolutions or get our book How to Win
Awards in Model United Nations which has a chapter discussing strategies for resolutions.
ANOTHER SOURCE

MUN Resolution Format

A resolution always contains:

1. A concise and evocative title (or number)

2. A list of Signatories
3. The name of the committee or the General Assembly
4. A set of PREAMBULATORY CLAUSES punctuated by semicolons (;)
5. An address to the Member states or voting parties
6. A set of OPERATIVE CLAUSES punctuated by commas (,)
7. A concluding clause punctuated by a period (.)

Sample MUN Draft Resolution

What is a Clause?

A clause is a specific section within a written binding document (UN Resolution, Contract, Warranty,
Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), etc) that clearly defines the duties, rights and privileges of each
party under the terms specified in the document. Each clause addresses a specific aspect related to
the overall subject matter of the document.
In Model UN, a clause is a written instruction which will result in the practical application of the
policy we introduce in our MUN speeches and develop over through negotiation and lobbying.
Putting the ideas in writing lets the other delegates know exactly what they are voting on. Each
clause should cover a separate idea, or aspect, and use sub-clauses to give further detail of multiple
variables or steps are involved.

Preambulatory clauses

A preambulatory clause, as its name suggests, is a clause that comes before the actual resolution.
The sole purpose of these clauses is to give context to the operative clauses and remind the
committee of the mood and framework in which this resolution was produced.

A preambulatory clause always:

1. uses the substantive form of a verb (-ing): e.g. “recalling” in italics and ends
with a semicolon (;)
2. uses small letters as bullet points (e.g. a) b) c) etc…) for its sub-clauses
3. follows the title or the resolution and the committee name but precedes the
address to the voting parties and the operative clauses.

To give you a visual example, here is a real resolution adopted by the ITU (a United Nations Agency)
in 2014 during its Council.

Operative clauses
As the name indicates, an operative clause summarises a policy, something that the member states
present in this committee will be asked to enforce.

Operative clauses are a little trickier than preambulatory clauses, simply because not all committees
have the same prerogatives and the same amount of power. For instance, except for all-powerful
committees like the Security Council, the United Nations cannot give orders to member states, and
will therefore formulate its operative clauses likes guidelines or suggestions. However, there are
many UN bodies who do have resources and a budget but can only use it within the parameters of
their mandate. Therefore, the cautious use of a very specific vocabulary will be necessary in this
case. Do not worry, you can find a list of operative verbs at the end of this document.

An operative clause always:

1. Follows the address to the member states or voting parties

2. Starts with an operative verb in the operative form (e.g. “requests”) in italics

3. Starts with numbers as bullet points, and uses Roman numerals for subclasses

4. Is punctuated with a comma

Information on the specific case - Example

Relevant rights and justifications - Example

Citations affirming relevant treaties - Example

Precedents from similar situations, statements from officials and other - Example

Recalling its resolutions 1261 (1999) of 25 August 1999, 1265 (1999) of 17 September 1999, 1296
(2000) of 19 April 2000 and 1314 (2000) of 11 August 2000, as well as relevant statements of its
President, and recalling also the statement of its President to the press on the occasion of the United
Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace (International Women’s Day) of 8 March
2000 (SC/6816),

Welcoming the visit recently undertaken by the representative of the Mediator in Dakar for
consultations with the Government of Senegal,

Here is an example of an Operative Clause:

After the operative clauses have all been detailed, it is time to close this resolution, with a concluding
clause. This is the last clause of your resolution. In most committees, it will not have to follow a
particular rule, it can just be your last idea. However, it will need to be punctuated with a period.

Anatomy of a Clause

Now that we have seen the formatting of the resolution, it is time to take a closer look at the
contents. What makes a successful preambulatory clause? What makes a successful operative
clause? What mistakes are to be avoided? All the answers to your questions are in this chapter.
A. The successful preambulatory clause.

Preambulatory clauses are often disregarded as futile, because they do not actually prescribe or
recommend anything in a resolution, and yet they are one of the most crucial parts of resolution
writing.

– Why are preambulatory clauses important?

Preambulatory clauses have a pivotal role in a resolution. If they do not prescribe anything new, they
remind the committee voting upon the submitted resolution that the submitters have done their
“homework”. It reminds the committee of the potential existing work on the subject, describes the
perspective and the intentions with which this resolution was written, the general mood of the room,
or even the scale of the emergency. It sets the context and the scope for the prescriptions that will
follow.
As such, preambulatory clauses will have the role of “diagnosis”. Indeed, before prescribing anything
to a patient, a doctor will have to carefully examine the previous medical records, the general well-
being of the body, the temperature and so on, before being able to prescribe anything efficient.
Preambulatory clauses are as important as this diagnosis, so do not skip them under any
circumstances.

• What makes a successful preambulatory clause?

In MUN like in many academic fields, there are golden rules to include in your preambulatory
clauses: references, and data.
– The references can encompass any official document or publication the delegates based their
decisions and prescriptions upon. It can include anything from previous resolutions from the same
committee, resolutions adopted by different committees, academic articles and nonfictional pieces
of work, or scholarly articles. They are always referenced following Harvard standards.
– The data included in a preambulatory clause has to be sourced from a trustworthy source and
referenced following Harvard standards. They usually take the form of statistics, but can be any
demographics you deem necessary to include.

B. The successful operative clause.

• Why are operative clauses important?
Operative clauses, as previously mentioned, are calls to action. They prescribe and recommend
specific measures to respond to a problem. As such, they have the most pivotal role in conferences.
Not only do they conclude the debate (as you know, a debate is closed when a resolution is adopted
on the discussed topic), but they also summarise it. Operative clauses can be very revealing of the
committee’s dynamics and the delegates’ level.
• What makes a successful operative clause?
Operative clauses are the treatment prescribed by the delegates after hours of debate in response to
a specific type of diagnosis. As such, they ought to be as precise as possible. Again, think of the
doctor metaphor.
Would you want your doctor to simply tell you “Get a pill” when you’re ill? You would want to know
what want kind of pill, exactly how many you ought to take, when, and for how long. Think about
operative clauses the same way and you will always end up with a satisfying resolution.

When writing a set of operative clauses, here are some golden rules:

– Have a clear aim in mind. What is this particular clause trying to achieve?

– Be specific. Model United Nations, by its nature as a simulation, is prone to be taken

less seriously. But do not forget that you are walking in the shoes of real-life diplomats, and learning
skills that will last you a lifetime. Therefore, in international politics like many other things in life,
precision is key. The more precision you add, the less loopholes are gonna be found by your
opponents, so do yourself a huge favor and add numbers, names, countries, data, maps, whatever
you deem necessary, and make good use of appendixes and annexes.

– Organize your resolution logically. Since it is all about convincing your audience (or the member
states), to adopt your resolution, a seemingly logical construction will be your best ally. An argument
is always more convincing when its development seems logical, because the conclusion reached will
feel more natural. It can be chronological, consequential (one clause triggering another), hierarchies,
etc…

– Think of the “W” rule: Who, What, When, Why, hoW? When writing a clause, much like
when writing an article, always ask yourself “does this follow the W rule”? If it does, and all these W
questions have been answered, you can proceed onto the next golden rule.

– There are never enough numbers. This rule cannot be stressed enough. When writing a clause,
whether it is operative or preambulatory, it needs to be backed up with data. Is your aim to allocate
funds to a cause? Write down how much money, its source, and the currency. Repeat as many times
as necessary, without moderation.

– Subclauses are a thing, use them! Paragraph clauses are dull and messy, use sub
clauses as bullet points to make your argument clearer. Ask yourself if what you are about to write is
thorough, original, concise yet satisfying enough to be its own clause, or would it be better off as a
sub-clause in another, similar clause? Using subclauses will also make your resolution look more
precise, more organized, clearer in its aim, and will allow the committee to discuss each point
individually.

– Write as many preambulatory or operative clauses as you need. There is no rule that says you
need more perambulatory or operative clauses. You need the right balance, depending on what you
are discussing. Sometimes a few perambulatory clauses can lead to many operative clauses.
Sometimes many perambulatory clauses can lead to a single course of action.(You can find an
example of many preambles for one operative here. Scroll to “How to build a principled case:
Example 1.”)

The Power Of Verbs

As previously mentioned, the majority of MUN committees do no hold sufficient executive power to
coerce or force countries into doing something. They can usually only recommend actions to
countries. The funds and forces at their command usually involve United nations resources, or those
of partners and subcontractors. These little differences in executive power can seem tenuous, but
they will be very important when writing a resolution, as you will not be allowed to use some verbs
deemed too “authoritarian”. You can find the full list of preambulatory and operative verbs here.

Here is a small cheat sheet of verbs that are appropriate in most committees.

– Preambulatory: Alarmed by, Approving, Aware of, Believing, Bearing in mind, Confident,
Convinced, Declaring, Deeply concerned, Deeply convinced, Deeply disturbed, Deeply regretting,
Desiring, Emphasising, Expecting, Fulfilling, Fully aware, Fully alarmed, Fully believing, Further
deploring, Guided by, Having adopted, Having considered, Having examined, Having studied, Having
heard, Having received, Keeping in mind, Noting with regret, Noting further, Noting with
appreciation, Noting with approval, Noting with deep concern, Noting with regret, Noting with
satisfaction, Observing, Pointing out, Reaffirming, Realising, Recalling, Recognising, Referring,
Reminding, Seeking, Taking into account, Taking into consideration, Taking note, Viewing with
appreciation, Welcoming.

– Operative: Accepts, Affirms, Approves, Authorises, Calls, Calls upon, Condemns, Congratulates,
Confirms, Considers, Declares accordingly, Deplores, Draws the attention, Designates, Emphasises,
Encourages, Endorses, Expresses its appreciation, Expresses its hope, Further invites, Further
proclaims, Further reminds, Further recommends, Further resolves, Further requests, Have resolved,
Notes, Proclaims, Reaffirms, Recommends, Reminds Regrets, Requests, Solemnly affirms, Strongly
condemns, Supports, Takes note of, Transmits, Urges.

The Art Of Signing

Once your resolution is beautifully written with surgical precision, and once you’re done double-
checking all that was mentioned previously, comes the most confusing time for the delegates, no
matter their level or the conference they chose to attend.

“Where should I put my name?”

“I want to be a sponsor of the resolution!”

John Smith - MUNer

Indeed, the abundance of titles to refer to countries who sign a resolution can be confusing. What is
the difference between sponsors, co-signatories, signatories, and what do I do if I do not agree with
this resolution?

Although the jargon can seem a little confusing, the signing in Model UN is actually fairly simple, and
it all depends on your intentions regarding this resolution and your participation to writing it. It can
all be summarised in this alignment chart:

You do not have to sponsor everything, all the time, and have the name of your country at the top of
every single resolution in the room. Ultimately, the resolution will affect every single member state
present if adopted, and by the time the list of sponsors and signatories is produced, the chairs have
already decided on their awards policy. So if your name is not on a resolution, do not worry about it,
the debate is the most important part.
N.B. If there is a limit to how many sponsors and signatories can appear on the resolution, you can
still refer to this chart and compare your contributions with your colleagues.

How Amendments Work

To amend is to make minor changes (in a text) in order to bring about a desired outcome. In MUN,
amendments are specifically changes made to a draft resolution. These changes to clauses can either
strengthen consensus or force countries to vote against it. Amendments are a strategic tool and an
important part of the final stage of every MUN simulation.

The three types of amendments: CAR

Changing the text of a clause / sub clause

Adding a new clause / sub clause
Removing a clause / sub clause

Your CAR will drive change in the resolution!

Amendments are included in this resolution writing article because they follow the same rules for
writing as clauses for a draft resolution. The only difference is that amendments are added
individually after a draft has been officially recognized and need to be voted into the draft to become
part of it.
Amendments require a certain number of delegates to sign them before they can be submitted to
the chair for review. Amendments can be submitted at any point in time after a draft resolution is
recognized until it is voted upon. If amendments are voted on before or after closure of debate
depends on each conferences specific rules of procedure.

MUN amendments divide into friendly amendments and unfriendly amendments.

Friendly amendments are a change to the draft resolution that all sponsors agree with. If the
amendment is also approved by the chair no vote is required and it automatically becomes part of
the draft resolution.

Unfriendly amendments are when one, or more, of the sponsors do not agree with the change.
Unfriendly amendments can both strengthen or weaken a resolution, resulting in more or less votes
and can even force sponsors to vote against the document they drafted. Unfriendly amendments are
typically voted on in order of severity (the order of voting is usually established by the Chair).
Once the debate is closed the committee moves into formal voting procedure. At this point
unfriendly amendments, if any, are voted upon followed by the draft resolutions.

Once the debate is closed the committee moves into formal voting procedure. At this point unfriendly
amendments, if any, are voted upon followed by the draft resolutions.

Other Types of MUN Resolutions

Advisory vs Executive Committees

As we wrote before, different MUN committees have different scopes of operations. Many
committees HAVE NO EXECUTIVE POWER and thus can’t commit to actions. These committees can
only recommend courses of action in their resolutions. One such example is the Human Rights
Council.
Some committees have budgets and can operate within a certain scopem such as the United Nations
Development Program (UNDP) or the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The
Security Council is the most powerful executive committee with the power place sanctions and even
condemn other states.

Committee Specific Resolution Formats

– Not all resolutions have Preambulatory clauses (clarify with the type of committee)
– Some committees have a very specific purpose and their resolutions are written accordingly (for
example, a resolution in the Legal Committee will be focused on international law rather than
humanitarian aid or direct conflict resolution)

Directives – Some committees can also write directives (shorter “emergency” operative clauses).
Directives are common in crisis committees but are also used by non-crisis committees at some MUN
conferences.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even when you know how to write a resolution mistakes can happen. Let’s be honest for a minute
here. No delegate is perfect, and you will eventually make some mistakes in your MUN career, and
that is fine! However, a resolution is something you will have spent countless hours drafting and
negotiating and discussing, so you might as well keep in mind some tips to avoid jeopardising your
entire work.

1. If you have enemies, you’re in the right direction. The strongest resolutions, because they are so
specific, so original and so thorough, will automatically attract some contradicting spirits in the room.
Your aim is the majority, not unanimity. A resolution that pleases everyone is usually a resolution
that achieves nothing at all.

2. Sic Semper Tyrannis. Literally in Latin “Thus always to tyrants”. We all know that ego plays a huge
role in Model United Nations, and this environment nurtures the inevitable battle of wits. But being
bossy instead of being a leader will not get you anywhere. If your resolution’s adoption is your
priority, always learn to listen and compromise. Making people around you feel heard and valued is
the quickest way to their vote.

3. Nothing is personal. Model UN is a simulation, where everyone plays a designated role, and is
evaluated on their ability to upkeep that role throughout the conference. Do not let your emotions
guide you through the MUN process, especially in resolution writing. If you, representing the United
States, spend 3 hours trying to convince your best friend, representing North Korea, to join in on
your resolution, you are wasting your time and everybody else’s. People in MUN will always be and
should always be different people inside and outside of the committee room.

4. Reading is fundamental. Be sure to read your work again, and again, and again before submitting
it. Check for spelling mistakes, formatting errors and, above all else, inconsistencies. Avoid including
clauses that contradict each other, the most common case being the promotion of peace in one
clause while another one prescribes to send thousands of soldiers on the field.

5. Be prepared, but don’t plagiarise. If there is one thing the chairs hate the most, it’s not
chatterboxes, but clauses and resolutions that were written before even entering the committee
room, and yes, they can always tell. Some MUNers, usually pushed by their schools or societies,
come to the conference with a set of ready-made clauses before the debate even starts. Since the
resolution should be a product of the debate, and since the figures you will include in your resolution
are likely to be made up on the spot, a resolution prepared in advance will always be a terrible
resolution. Enter your MUN conference confidently with a killer position paper, but always write your
resolutions inside the room.

MUN Resolution Tips

Strength of Resolution is Inverse to Number of Votes

The strongest resolutions would have 51% of the countries voting in favor, the weakest ones have
100% voting on them. A good resolution will often not have every country on it because with some
topics progress for one country can mean setback for another.

There is no obligation to be on every resolution, and a lot of credit can be given to a country who is
not willing to give up their principles when the majority of the room is working against its interests.
Early on you should have an idea of which clauses can coexist with yours. Is you see you will need to
stay diplomatically relevant without a majority plan your steps accordingly.

Merge or Justify

The only way to justify not merging with another block is if you have a clause that says the opposite
of theirs. Otherwise, it looks like ego is the only reasons you aren’t joining them. This looks bad to
both chairs and other delegates. This means you need a direct clash with the opposing block.

Example 1
Resolution 1.1: Calls for an increase in the number of peacekeepers between country X and country
Y.
Resolution 1.2: Authorises reinforcements for the peacekeepers serving on the border of country X
and country y.

As we can see, these two clauses call for the same thing in different words. Even if the troop
numbers different, it is unlikely to hold weight.

Example 2
Resolution 1.1: Calls for the increase in the number of refugees into country Z by at least 30% this
year.
Resolution 1.2: Demands the number of refugees in country Z be reduced by 20% within the
following year.

It is not enough for clauses in separate resolutions to say completely different things. Clauses that do
not directly contradict can coexist on the same resolution. Blocks often write entire documents with
“obvious” clauses that don’t commit to anything significant. These same blocks are later are
surprised that the spent hours writing practically the same thing. When the documents are
compared, the only clauses that will get air time and be spoken about are the ones with differences.

The first step to avoid the trap of multiple identical resolutions, be award of the ideas on the other
side. Find something to disagree on and get it into the text early on. Chairs do not look favorably on
blocks that won’t join because of the egos of the sponsors. Credit is only given to ideological
differences and will justified reasons for not being able to work together. A clause which does the
exact opposite of an important clause in your document is the strongest justification to not join
forces and ideas.

Review Before You Submit

Nothing wastes time and reduces your credibility like clauses that repeat themselves, or worse,
contradict themselves. This is why reviewing the document after you spent hours writing, and are
exhausted, is so important. Sometimes editing one clause can solve the problem. Sometimes you
need to amend many clauses. Sometimes, extra clauses without a clear contribution can even
weaken your resolution. The worst case is when clause actually contradict, for example:

6. Requests the Security Council triple the number of peacekeepers in Liberia;

And further down in the resolution

13. Calls upon the Security Council to remove all peacekeepers and personnel from Liberia;

These things happen more often than we would like.

One way to avoid this is to put your clauses in order of importance. If each step has its place, it will
be much easier to avoid duplication. Also, with a clause about peacekeepers, the clauses about
increase and decreasing would be of similar importance so both find their way to the top where the
contradiction can be discovered and resolved.

Take some time to think before the rush towards writing a resolution. We improve each time and the
balance for speech writing, delivery, and Model UN in general can be found with patience, diligence,
practice and a willingness to learn.

Find Those In The Same Boat

If someone is too controlling on the draft resolution, you are likely not the only one who is
disenfranchised. Find other delegates who feel like you do. They can be frustrated from working with
other intransigent delegates or with the same one who turns you off to work with their block.

Once you have a few of those, work on your own clauses and if you come with a sufficiently sized
voting block. This will give you have more bargaining power in the later discussion than if you let
someone else write all the clauses. Do not let the writer dictate everything!

The secret to overcoming inflexible power delegates is realizing that resolution writing isn’t scary. It
can seem so at first, but it is really taking the CIA concept and turning it into legal jargon with a
preambulatory or operative phrase at the beginning of the sentence. Once the idea is in writing, the
debate continues and you continue to fight to get your idea passed with a majority.

Write Out Test Clauses At Home

Practice is important in every discipline, MUN notwithstanding. Getting practice at home with writing
clauses is as helpful as reading draft resolutions, and for many even more so. We are not advocating
to bring pre-written clauses. It is in bad form to do so at any conference that does not allow pre-
written clauses.

The value of writing clauses at home if it helps you a) organize your thoughts and b) get used to
formal clause writing. Your clause drafts will help you understand where to put sub-clauses, what
parts are overdeveloped and what order the parts should be in. If you happen to be lucky and the
committee discusses exactly what you wrote at home you will have a faster time writing it in
committee.
Once you have experience writing draft resolutions you will likely not need the stage of practicing at
home. However, until that point extra practice writing clauses is a good way to break the ice with
yourself and get over your fear of writing.

Conclusion

Writing a good MUN resolution paper is a critical part of guiding your idea from opening speech to a
successfully voted on resolution. The clauses are the policies from your speeches written form.
Resolution writing is a critical part of guiding your idea from opening speech to a successfully voted
on resolution. The clauses are the policy you speak in written form.

Remember:
– Preambulatory clauses – Why we’re doing it
– Operative clauses – What we’re going to do

Clauses should be written:

– – Without emotion
– – Straight forward instructions (to be carried out by bureaucrats)
– – Preferably with little wiggle room (unless that is the goal)

Especially for MUN rooms with other advanced delegates, make sure your operative clauses are
backed by preambs, the clauses are presented in order of importance and you have at least one
clause which justifies why you are not merging with another block.

To help you get started, we’ve provided a free “Model UN Resolution Template” that you can
download and use as a guide for structuring your resolution.
Hopefully, this guide shed some light on how to write a draft resolution. Now that you have a better
understanding, the next step is to practice. After all, there is no teacher like experience. Good luck!