1. Introduction to Writing Resolutions
Purpose - Points - Guidelines

PURPOSE OF A RESOLUTION
Resolutions usually state a policy that the UN will undertake, but they also may be in the form of treaties, conventions and declarations in some bodies. They range from very general to very specific in content.

They may call for or suggest a course of action, condemn an action, and require action or sanctions on the part of the member states.

It should be noted that no body other than the Security Council may require action or set sanctions on member nations. However, other committees may suggest, condemn, proclaim, recommend or regret (see complete list in Operative Clauses).

POINTS TO CONSIDER IN WRITING RESOLUTIONS
The following list includes important points to consider when writing a resolution. This is by no means an exclusive list, but should provide a good starting point to make your resolutions as realistic as possible.

1. In the preambulatory clauses, describe the recent history of the situation and the issue
· Reference past United Nations actions, when available;
· Reference previous UN resolutions passed on the topic, when available

2. In the operative clauses, describe what you want
· Include actions which will solve the problem, not just make a statement;
· Don't be blatantly political in the content of the resolution
· Take into account the points of view of other nations whenever possible;
· Write resolution from your country's side of the "international" or "UN" perspective, not just from your country's individual point of view;
· Don't create new Committees/Commissions/Working Groups/etc., without checking to see if these groups or similar bodies already exist;
· Always consider previous UN resolutions on the topic -- don't duplicate what other resolutions have done without referencing them.

RESOLUTION GUIDELINES
* Each draft resolution should be written as a single sentence, with commas and semicolons separating the various parts (see "Sample Resolution" for specifics).
* State the country name, the name of the Committee/Council to which it will be presented, and the topic of the resolution at the top of the document
* Following the "heading" section, resolutions are split into preambulatory and operative clauses.
* Preambulatory clauses are listed first, and they are used to justify action, denote past authorizations and precedents for action, and/or denote the purpose for an action.
* Operative clauses are the statement of policy in a resolution. They are numbered, begin with a verb to denote an action (or suggested action), and each clause usually addresses no more than one specific aspect of the action to be taken.