MUNEMA 2009.
Mexican American School.

A resolution is a formal document that must follow a very strict format with specific guidelines. A well-written resolution is essential. The committee may have an excellent debate and wonderful delegates, but if such talk is not followed by concrete plans for action, the simulation will not be productive. Therefore, the Secretariat encourages delegates to understand the resolution format and use it properly so MUNEMA committees produce solutions worthy of consideration.

A resolution has several important requirements. First, it should display the delegate’s knowledge and the topic. Then background information and past domestic and United Nations actions should be mentioned and acknowledged. Furthermore the resolution should describe the problem and explain why it is important to discuss it at the United Nations. It should also inform readers why the actions are being recommended. After all of this is mentioned and discussed, the resolution should then explain the solutions that the committee proposes to solve the problem.

A resolution has four important parts: the heading, the opening, the preamble, and the operative clauses.

The heading of a resolution identifies it. It tells readers what committee proposes the resolution, the topic that the resolution addresses, and gives a synthesized version of what the resolution states. The heading is in the upper left-hand corner of the resolution. Remember that the heading has subtitles that inform readers of what bit of information will follow.

Subtitles should employ proper capitalization rules and should be followed by a colon. After each subtitle and colon, fill in the appropriate information for the topic and committee. The following is an example of a proper resolution heading.

• Committee Name: The Sixth Committee (Legal Committee)
• Topic Title: Education
• Sponsors: United States, Austria, Italy
• Signatories: Greece, Tajikistan, Japan

The committee name is the name of the committee that is submitting the resolution. It is not the name of the main United Nations organ that the resolution is submitted to. Rather, it is the specific name of the committee that debated and wrote the resolution. Sponsors are the countries that wrote the resolution, proposed it and agree with its content. Sponsors control the resolution, and only they can accept amendments. Signatories are countries that may or may not agree with the content of the resolution. Regardless of their opinions, they want to bring the working paper to the floor so that they can debate and amend it. The topic title is a one or two word phrase indicating the overall topic of the resolution.

The opening tells the reader WHOM the resolution is being submitted to. Remember that the opening should state the name of the United Nations ORGAN that will ultimately receive the resolution and carry out the actions proposed in it. The opening DOES NOT state the name of the committee that wrote the resolution. Instead, it says the name of the organ that monitors the work of that committee. The six General Assembly committees submit resolutions to The General Assembly while any ECOSOC subsidiary bodies submit resolution to The Economic and Social Council. The opening should never be abbreviated. The opening should have proper capitalization. It should be two lines below the heading and followed by a comma. The following is an example.

• Proper capitalization, followed by a comma:
• The General Assembly,
• The Economic and Social Council,
• The Security Council,

The preamble is the first half of the resolution. It describes the problem that the resolution addresses, explaining the purpose of the resolution and acknowledges past solutions proposed to solve the problem. It also gives a brief background to the addressed issue. Remember that one of the requirements of a good resolution is knowledge of the topic. The preamble should include background information about the topic at hand. Referring to specific United Nations documents and resolutions and mentioning accurate statistics and bits of information will make the resolution more credible. Remember that the preamble is the WHY of the resolution, for it states the reasons for the proposals mentioned in the operative clauses. The preamble begins one line below the opening. Every perambulatory clause must begin with one of the perambulatory phrases provided in the list. This phrase should be italicized. The preamble is divided into clauses. A comma follows each perambulatory clause. The preamble sets up the operative clauses, which follow directly after.

The operative clauses are the WHAT of the resolution and propose the ACTION to be taken by the United Nations. The operative clauses are the solutions to the problem. They state how the Member States have agreed to resolve the issue that was discussed in the committee.

Every operative clause must begin with an operative phrase. This phrase must begin with a capital letter and should be italicized. Every operative clause ends with a semicolon, and the final clause ends with a period. All operative clauses must be numbered.

1. Urges the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural organization (UNESCO) and other organizations that deal with education to launch a scholarships sponsor project;
2. Designates that its purpose will be to allow students to receive university scholarships through an accumulating bank fund;
3. Suggests that basic training be provided to students with extremely limited resources in order to allow them to make a living and provide a chance to children who don’t have an opportunity for higher education to learn basic skills for better access to future job opportunities.
4. Supports several countries´ plans to lower the costs of school materials and tuition for those with less money.
5. Recommends the remodeling of educational facilities in order to bring about a less stressful environment for learning;
6. Commends all organizations, countries, and ministries of education that contribute to these solutions;
7. Expresses the hope that someday, all of the world’s children will take part in the collaborating effort of education.