How do I WRITE a resolution?

When drafting a UN resolution there are certain convention that have to be followed. This page offers a simplified guide for the purposes of the PGS MUN conference. It will be at the discretion of the sub-committee chairs whether draft resolutions are accepted but on the whole a lenient approach will be taken. Do note however that real draft resolutions have been rejected because of there failure to follow these conventions. Begin with to whom the draft resolution is submitted, its sponsor(s) and what it is about. For example: To: Economic and social sub-committee Sponsor: USA Re: Mitigating the negative social impact of the global financial crisis The resolution is then address to: The general assmebly, (OR The security council,) General All lines should be after 'The general assembly,' or 'The security council,' should be numbered (this helps debates and the ammendment procedure). A resolution has two part a preamble and then the operative clauses. Gramtically a resolution should take the form of a very long sentence. Each clause must start with the present participle of a verb (examples left and right right) and be separated by a comma in in the preamble and a semi-comma if operative (see below). Preambulatory Clauses The preamble of a draft resolution states the reasons for which the committee is addressing the topic and highlights past international action on the issue. Nobody ever really reads this bit so you can get away with saying some controversial stuff in here. Each clause begins with a present participle (called a preambulatory phrase) and ends with a comma. Preambulatory clauses can include: References to the UN Charter; Citations of past UN resolutions or treaties on the topic under discussion; Mentions of statements made by the Secretary-General or a relevant UN body or agency; Recognition of the efforts of regional or nongovernmental organizations in dealing with the issue; and General statements on the topic, its significance and its impact. Operative Clauses Operative clauses identify the actions or recommendations made in a resolution. Each operative clause begins with a verb (called an operative phrase) and ends with a semicolon. Operative clauses should be organized in a logical progression, with each containing a single idea or proposal, and are always numbered. If a clause requires further explanation, bulleted lists set off by letters or roman numerals can also be used. After the last operative clause, the resolution ends with a full stop.

THE PORTSMOUTH GRAMMAR SCHOOL MODEL UNITED NATIONS