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HOW TO MAKE A RESOLUTION 

WHAT IS IT ...

The draft resolution is a document which includes proposed measures in order to

solve the issue. You have to acknowledge facts and measures already taken and

propose new. The resolution has a very specific format which you must follow:

FORUM: (your Committee, e.g. Legal Committee)

QUESTION OF: (the topic, e.g. Human Cloning)

SUBMITTED BY: (your country, e.g. United States of America)

Pre-ambulatory clauses

These clauses are the introduction of the resolution. They contain the background and the argumentation to the issue you have chosen (such as historic background,important treaties, past UN resolutions, etc). Each clause begins with a preambulatory phrase and ends with a comma. These clauses do not take any action,since they are not debatable.

Operative clauses

Those are your suggested solutions and the measures that should be taken. Each

operative clause should be numbered, and should end with a semi-colon (;). The last operative clause should be followed by a period (.). Don’t forget that those

solutions must be similar to your country’s policy.

RESOLUTION ALWAYS CONTAIN :

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 (.)

 

Once you write the resolution, save the document on a USB stick and print it or send it to your Advisor via e-mail. Don ’t forget to bring the USB to the Conference.

– 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.

 

Sample Resolution

1.Heading

In upper case

Font: Arial, Bold

Size: 12

2.Pre-amb clauses

Font: Arial, Italic

Size: 12

3.Operative clauses

Font: Arial,

Underline

Size: 12

Each operative clause must be numbered

Notes & Tips

  • All perambulatory clauses must end in commas (,)

  • All operative clauses must end in semi-colons (;)

  • All operative clauses must be underlined and numbered

  • Sub-operative clauses must be lettered; sub-sub operatives clauses must be in Roman Numerals

  • Leave 5 lines space between pre-ambulatory clauses and 1 line between every operative clause

All acronyms must be fully written out before appearing in the abbreviated form;

you only need to write them out once, and then refer to the abbreviated form

 

Delegates Manual| PS-MUN Conference

Pre-ambulatory clauses

Acknowledging           Expecting                                  Noting with appreciation

Affirming                    Expressing its appreciation        Noting with approval

Alarmed by                Expressing its satisfaction           Noting with deep concern

Approving                Fulfilling                                       Noting with regret

Aware of Fully alarmed                                                Noting with satisfaction

Believing                       Fully aware                                          Observing

Bearing in mid              Fully believing                                    Pointing out

Confident                     Further deploring                               Reaffirming

Congratulating            Further recalling                                  Realizing

Convinced                    Guided by Recalling

Declaring                     Having adopted                                   Recognising

Deeply concerned        Having considered                               Referring

Deeply conscious         Having devoted attention                   Reminding

Deeply disturbed        Having examined                                 Seeking

Deeply regretting        Having received                                  Taking into account

Deploring                   Having studied                               Taking into consideration

Desiring                    Keeping in mind                              Viewing with appreciation

Emphasizing             Noting further                                  Welcoming

Any of these clauses can be reused by adding “further” or “deeply” in front of it

All operatives clauses in bold can only be used by the Security Council

 

Operatives clauses

 

Accepts                         Deplores                                 Requests

Affirms                        Designates                               Resolves

Approves                  Encourages                                 Seeks

Asks                        Endorses                                      Strongly affirms

Authorizes            Expresses its satisfaction                Strongly co

Calls for                Expresses its hope                          Strongly urg

Calls upon              Further recommends                   Suggests

Condemns            Hopes                                            Supports

Congratulates        Invites                                          Trusts

Confirms               Proclaims                                     Transmits

Decides                Proposes                                       Urges

Declares accordingly                                                 Recommends

Demands              Regrets

 

 

 

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.”)

 

 

AMENDMENT

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.

 

 

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.

© 2016 Δημιουργήθηκε απο την υπεύθυνη καθηγήτρια του ομίλου, Κοτρώτσου Μαρία

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