At the November 18 Model UN Sessions & the December 2 session students decide what issues to talk about by submitting resolutions in advance. We’re going to explain a bit about resolutions here and how you can submit them.
A resolution is a document used by the United Nations. It explains an issue and then offers an action plan for the UN to implement. Most resolutions are only 1-2 pages long. To look at resolutions from previous years, check out our archive. Resolutions shouldn’t be overly complicated or time consuming either. Most students can write one in about 1-2 hours, depending on how much research is required. To view our blank resolution template, click here.
Model UN resolutions contain 2 main parts. A preamble (the top part of the page that talks about the problem) and the operative clauses (the lower part which contains the suggested solutions.) The preamble has 2-3 facts that provide clear information about an issue. Often it will also contain a pertinent clause from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For example, if you were writing a resolution on child brides, you might list Article 16 because it’s about marriage and consent. This year we are also asking students to pick & mention a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) that is connected to their topic. SDGs that apply to this topic could be #5 Gender Equality or #4 Quality Education, because most child brides are not allowed to go to school.
The operative clauses are a bit more complicated. Instead of facts and research, this is where delegates can be creative and brainstorm solutions. A strong operative clause generally has 4 parts; an action plan, funding, evaluation, and a timeline.
If this sounds complicated, you can check out the delegate handbook or the resources page of our website which has tons of useful templates, samples, and helpful links.
Once a student has written a resolution, they need to submit it to Civitas for review/online posting before the General Assembly. The deadline for resolutions is Tuesday, November 14th for the November sessions and Tuesday, November 28, for the December session.
Resolutions should be emailed to [email protected]. A few quick notes though:
- Resolutions can be sent as an attachment in either Word, Google Doc, or PDF format
- You can copy and paste a resolution into an email and send it to [email protected]
- If you are writing & sharing a resolution via Google Drive, you must give Civitas permission to view it (Share it with [email protected]!)
- A reminder that resolutions will not be accepted the day of the Model UN Session
- Frivolous resolutions will not be accepted
- The resolution cannot go against your country’s government (For example, Saudi Arabia generally doesn’t write resolutions on women’s rights)
- Resolutions for the sessions will be posted online in advance for other delegates to view
