Resolution Writing

Resolutions, for the most part, are the formal recommendations of UN bodies and become the focal point of discussions in committee and plenary sessions. Resolutions can simply register an opinion or recommend action be taken by a UN organ or related agency. Resolutions have many capacities, keep the following points in mind when drafting a resolution:

• Once a resolution is passed it is the official policy of the body that passed it.
• While most resolutions are a statement of policy, some may include an entire treaty, declaration or convention.
• Resolutions can be either general statements or directives to specific organizations, UN bodies, or States.
• Resolutions can condemn actions of states, call for collective actions, or as is the case of the Security Council, require economic or military sanctions.

For a resolution to ultimately be successful, a majority of the body must vote to pass it. To achieve this end, certain steps should be taken on the part of the delegations sponsoring the resolution. In most cases, a working paper (a preliminary draft resolution) must be written first and the views and ideas of a number of other delegations should be incorporated into this. Ideally, the ideas of members from as many different caucusing blocs as possible should be included in reviewing the working paper so as to increase the support from as many blocs as possible. Working papers are used as a tool for discussion and resolution formulation and they are not put to a vote. To become resolutions, draft papers must be approved by the Director of the committee and must have a certain number of signatories above and beyond the sponsors of the resolution.

Being a signatory to a resolution only means that delegates want to see it put on the floor; it does not indicate sponsorship or support and the signatory has no further obligations. Sponsors are generally the countries who have written the draft document. They are also those countries who not only agree to see the draft resolution be put to a vote but also commit themselves to supporting it. Signatories on the other hand only wish to see the draft resolution debated and so do not commit themselves to necessarily supporting it. For instance, you might be against a draft resolution but might want to see it debated to be able to convince other countries to find new avenues of compromise.

When drafting a resolution, delegates should keep in mind that the wording of the resolution will inevitably influence its appeal. It should be clear, concise and specific; vague resolutions that do not really say or propose much may be seen as documents created by delegates who did not prepare themselves a great deal for the simulation. The substance of the resolution must be well-researched and in the character of the sponsoring nations. However, the language used must be carefully selected in order to allow as many countries as possible to support the resolution.

A resolution is one long sentence, with commas and semi-colons used to separate the ideas and a period at the very end of the document. They should be single-spaced, with each line numbered in the left-hand margin. Resolutions consist of three main parts:

1. The Heading

The heading includes the topic of the resolution, the committee in which it is introduced and the sponsoring nations. A document number will be given to the resolution as part of the heading and it will be referred to by this number for the remainder of the simulation.

2. The Preambulatory Clauses

Within the preamble of a resolution, one will not find clauses proposing action or making substantive statements. The preambulatory clauses explain the purpose of the resolution and state the main reasons for the suggestions to follow. This is where previous UN resolutions are referred to and relevant precedents of international law are cited. Preambulatory clauses should specifically refer to factual situations or incidents regarding the topic at hand. The preamble may also include altruistic appeals to the common sense or humanitarian instincts of members with reference to the Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, etc. Each clause begins with an italicized participle and is followed by a comma. Please refer to the chart below for examples.

3. The Operative Clauses

The operative clauses list the recommendations for action, or state a favorable or unfavorable opinion regarding the existing situation. These clauses may request action by member states, by the Secretariat, or by any UN bodies or agencies. These actions can be as vague as a denunciation of a certain situation or a call for negotiations, or as specific as a call for a cease-fire or a monetary commitment for a particular project. Remember that only Security Council resolutions are binding on member states, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council can only make recommendations. Operative clauses begin with an active, present tense, verb and are followed by a semi-colon. The first word in each operative clause underlined (please refer to the chart below for examples). Resolutions should not be seen as complete solutions to the problem. Your prior research should have revealed alternative proposals that failed, but hopefully, through imagination and study, delegates will be able to produce new and ingenious solutions to problems that before had seemed unsolvable. Remember, compromise is the key to successful diplomatic relations but a delegate should never lose sight of his/her country's position on the agenda topic at hand. In essence, a delegate is a salesperson and must try to sell his/her country's views and resolutions, to delegates from other countries.

Amendments

An amendment is a change or a clarification made to a draft-resolution after it has been formally submitted to the committee. An amendment can be friendly or unfriendly. A friendly amendment is proposed when all the sponsors of the resolution agree on the change that is to be made, thereby making a vote from the committee unnecessary for the inclusion of it into the draft resolution. A vote is needed in the case of an unfriendly amendment, where not all of the sponsors agree on the change. Both can be proposed by any member of the committee, the only difference lies in who supports the change. An unfriendly amendment must be submitted to the chair with the appropriate amount of signatures (number depends on the committee and the conference), and will be voted on before the vote on the resolution.

There are acceptable amendments and then there are unacceptable ones. Amendments are unacceptable when they change the intent of the resolution, i.e. going from condemning an action to supporting it. Those that are acceptable include: Amending by addition, adding a word or a phrase, amending by deletion, deleting a word or phrase.

Concluding: The Process

Resolutions are the desired outcome of a committee and are the foundation of substantive debates and negotiations. Once sponsors have submitted a working paper which has been approved and signed by 20% of the committee called signatories, the Director of the committee can than be in the position of reviewing it. The Director will approve the document once satisfied with its content and format. The document is distributed to the entire committee and can now be referred to as a draft-resolution. At this stage, amendments can be passed. Once the committee moves to the voting phase, the committee will vote on these draft resolutions and any document that passes will then be considered a Resolution.