Guide to

Resolution Writing
EuroMUN 2018: Shaping the
Future from the Heart of Europe
May 10th to 13th, 2018
Maastricht, The Netherlands
 EuroMUN.org

EuroMUN 2018 is working under the patronage of the

European Parliament

The United Nations Student Association Maastricht is a registered non-for profit organization.
During office hours: +31 433 88 53 44
Student Services Centre; P.O. 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht

2
Introduction
The goal of each committee in a Model U.N. conference is to adopt a
resolution. This is a document, having force of law or not depending on
the committee, that expresses the position, expectations or demands
of an international organisation. The format of such a document follows
specific rules, that are laid out in this guide. We encourage you to read
the Rules of Procedure and the Guide thereto in advance of this one,
for you may not be familiar with some terms used here.

3
Resolutions: the basics
During the sessions, some Delegates will starting working on an early version of what
could become a resolution: a working paper. It is mainly intended to put in writing
the ideas expressed by the committee. While there is no specific format requirements
for a working paper as such, we encourage you to use the resolution format from the
start – it makes everyone’s life easier.

Once a working paper is properly formatted, spell-checked and has passed a legal
check, it is formally presented to the committee via a motion to introduce a written
proposal. It is then referred to as a draft resolution, and can only be changed by
formal amendments.

The authors of a working paper are called the sponsors. These are generally the Del-
egates who contributed the most to the draft, in terms of ideas or in terms of writing.
To be introduced as a draft resolution, a working paper needs at least four sponsors
(or 20% of the committe if there are less than 20 delegates). A sponsor is required to
vote in favour of his or her resolution, unless an unfriendly amendment passes.

Next to sponsors, a working paper can have signatories. There is not limit, upper or
lower, on the signatories – these are simply delegates that wish to show their support
for a particular draft resolution.

Once the draft resolution is introduced, it can only be changed via formal amend-
ments, which are friendly or unfriendly. Both have the same format, but only unfriend-
ly amendments are voted upon at the end.

Finally, once all amendments have been accepted or rejected, the draft resolution is
voted upon. If the committee decides to adopt it, it becomes a resolution. The for-
mat will then slightly change, but it will be taken care of by our legal office.

4
How to write a resolution
A resolution is essentially one very long sentence, broken down into small parts,
that describes why a committee wants to take action, and which actions it wants
to take. There are three main parts to a draft resolution: the heading, the preamble,
and the operative clauses.

The heading
It must include the names of the sponsors and signatories of the draft, and the topic
it attempts to address.

The Preamble
The pre-ambulatory clauses are the clauses that state the issues the committee
wants to resolve, but they do not contain substance and are not legally binding in
any committee. They include: past actions taken by U.N. bodies, past statements
by U.N. agencies, general information or facts about the topic, the significance of
the topic and previous efforts.
A pre-ambulatory clause starts with a pre-ambulatory phrase in italics, followed the
statement, ending with a semicolon. Useful pre-ambulatory phrases are listed be-
low.

Common Pre-Ambulatory Phrases

5
Operative clauses

Operative clauses contain all the solutions that the sponsor(s) of the resolutions pro-
pose. These clauses set out actual solutions and initiatives for the committee to un-
dertake. They implement new policies or make a statement. It is important that each
clause should aim to solve a specific aspect of the issue, and not be too broad. To
that effect, operative clauses can be broken down into smaller sub-clauses.

An operative clause starts with and italicised operative phrase, followed by the sub-
stance, and ends with a semicolon. The last operative clause finishes with a period. To
differentiate them with the pre-ambulatory clauses, operative clauses are numbered.
Generally speaking, a resolution should have more operative clauses than pre-am-
bulatory since the preamble states the problem, while the operative part proposes a
solution. The most common operative phrases are indicated in the list below.

Common Operative Phrases

6
Examples

Annex I to this guide contains a template for resolutions at EuroMUN. In Annex III,
you can find an actual resolution by the Security Council, resolution 1970 on the
Libyan crisis. Some of the language is specific to the Security Council; pursuant to
Articles 24 and 25 and Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter, the Council is the only organ
habilitated to take decisions that are legally binding on all Member States of the UN.
Thus, the words ‘decides’, ‘requests’ and ‘demands’ are appropriate, but a softer
vocabulary is in order in other committees.

We encourage you to look up actual resolutions adopted by your committee, to fa-

miliarise yourself with the way these are written.

How to write amendments

Another part of the process of writing a resolution is amendments. Their purpose is

to modify the draft resolution by changing the current operative clauses (pre-ambu-
latory clauses cannot be changed). An amendment can do one of three things: add
a clause, strike out a clause or change a clause. Annex II contains templates and
examples for each type of amendment.

7
Annex I: Draft Resolution Template

8
Annex II: Amendments

9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16