Working+with+Resolutions+at+the+Conference


 * The following is adapted from the AST TAIMUN Training Handbook **
 * and //Uniting the Nations Through Model United Nations// by D. Williams and I. Stein **

This page describes:
 * Merging Resolutions
 * Seeking Consensus
 * Lobbying and Negotiating to Merge Resolutions
 * The Purpose of Lobbying
 * Co-submitting and Co-Sponsoring
 * The Approval Panel
 * Formal Debate of Resolutions
 * Amendments

MERGING RESOLUTIONS: ** Resolutions should not be viewed as documents written in isolation, or as the personal property of the original author. They are simply a basis for discussion. They must be drafted and “tested” through discussion with fellow delegates and teachers prior to the conference and with allies during the lobbying process.
 * 

The resolution the delegate brings to the lobby should be seen only as a draft document, which is to serve as a basis for negotiation. In the lobby, the delegates will exchange views on the issues, negotiate, compare resolutions and merge. The main aim should be to formulate a resolution that both sustains the country’s position and attracts the support of others. A delegate should never disregard his country’s position in the process of negotiation, but neither should he/she be uncompromising if the end-result is mutually beneficial to the negotiating parties. Delegates should expect their resolution to be merged with others as long as national interests and security are not undermined. For example, debt-burdened countries are not about to support a solution to the debt problem if it obliges them to limit their GDP. Such a solution would work counter to the long term potential for debt repayment and growth in the particular country. There are some dangers, however, in the merging process. Delegates who seek to merge the largest possible number of resolutions, in order to create the largest lobby bloc for committee strength, may in fact create an illogical, unrealistic or inherently contradictory resolution to be debated in the committee. It is essential that students recognize this point and seek to create resolutions that are representative of the policies and that make realistic recommendations for actions to be taken in dealing with the issues.

Resolutions should, on the whole, be conciliatory and rarely condemnatory in nature. Resolution writing should not be viewed as an opportunity to make a rhetorical or an ideological statement. Resolutions should draw parties together into dialogue and stimulate mutual interest in negotiation and compromise for the greater good. The condemnation of any party often leads to alienation and decreases the chance of success in achieving peaceful solutions to world problems.
 * Seeking consensus **

The lobbying process is an informal, but nevertheless complicated, activity that takes up much of the conference time both officially and unofficially. Many students are unaware of the significance of this process in the work of both the committee and the General Assembly until they experience the direct results of lobbying efforts during the formal debates in the later stages of the conference.
 * Lobbying and Negotiating to Merge Resolutions **

Interest groups within a committee should develop resolutions that represent their common policy interests, representing a solution that is beneficial to all of the members of the group or organization. Members of these groups should be able to speak on the special terms contained in the resolution, on the background to the issue, and on the reasons for the operative clauses.
 * The Purpose of Lobbying **

Many opportunities are available to individual nations not directly involved in issues or contentious resolution items. For example, small neutral states might be able to offer recommendations to larger states at odds over economic or environmental policies, or states mutually acceptable to both sides might be able to offer recommendations to nations in dispute.

Delegates should be aware of the different ways in which their country may become attached to a resolution. The author of the resolution shall be called its submitter. Co-submitters may be accepted at the discretion of the original submitter. A co-submitted resolution has been mutually developed. Delegates may also sponsor (or co-sponsor if more than one) any completed resolutions. Delegations wishing to co-sponsor may add their names at the end of the resolution or on a separate sheet of paper attached to the resolution. When voting in Committee or General Assembly, co-submitters and co-sponsors must vote for their resolution unless they have formally withdrawn their support. This should not be done in a frivolous manner.
 * Submitting, Co-Submitting, and (Co-)Sponsoring a Resolution **

When mergers have been agreed, the delegates must take the resolutions to the Approval Panel. The Approval Panel will determine whether it is to be formally debated. If the resolution is not approved for formal debate, the students will have to correct it according to the Approval Panel’s instructions and submit it again. No resolution can be formally debated unless the Approval Panel has approved it.
 * THE APPROVAL PANEL: **

The criteria for approval of a resolution will be: - Format (see sample resolution); - Language (grammar, lexis, orthography, punctuation); - Logical consistency. The Panel will not presume to make judgments about the content of the resolutions, nor does “approval” imply that the resolution is “in order” according to the rules and procedures of the particular forum. The Approval Panel will function as follows:

• <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Delegates must come to the lobbying time period with both the resolutions on USB and hard copies. There will be lap tops available for finalizing resolutions during this time period. Only two delegates per resolution may work at a computer loaned by TAS. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msobidifontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">• <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Each committee room will have an Approval Panel of 2-3 teachers. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msobidifontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">• <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Resolutions will be immediately rejected if they do not have at least six submitters, if they exceed two pages (unless it is vital for the resolution to be longer) and if they are not in the correct UN format. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msobidifontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">• <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Only resolutions approved by the Approval Panel will be formally debated. The official resolutions will be printed out, photocopied and distributed for debate.

Steps to follow for the approval of a resolution: <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msobidifontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">• <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Bring one hard copy of the resolution to the approval panel; <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msobidifontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">• <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Leave the resolution with the Approval Panel members who will assign it a letter; <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msobidifontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">• <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Be prepared to discuss the resolution with an Approval Panel member immediately – or you may be asked to return at a specific time to discuss/edit the resolution as indicated by an Approval Panel member <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msobidifontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">• <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">If the resolution needs corrections, make the necessary corrections; <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msobidifontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">• <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Bring the corrected resolution and the original copy back to the front desk of the approval panel; <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msobidifontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">• <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Come back to the front desk about 30 minutes later to see if the corrected resolution has been read and approved. If it needs more corrections, take it to the computer lab. If it has been approved, it will remain with the Approval Panel. It will be photocopied and distributed to the delegates for the formal debate stage of the conference; <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msobidifontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman'; msolist: Ignore;">• <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Closing time for the approval panel is _, by which time all corrected drafts must have been submitted for final approval.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">The discussions that will take place later at the conference will focus on the meaning of the resolution’s key terms, and its usefulness in solving the problem in a way that is most acceptable to the parties involved and to the international community, which must support the solution. Thus, all resolutions that have come before the Committee will have been brought to the attention of the delegates in the lobbying process and through the efforts of the chair in calling ad hoc meetings to facilitate the merger process. The goal of the discussion should be to achieve consensus so that the version finally adopted represents the opinion or will of the vast majority of the delegates in the forum.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">FORMAL DEBATE OF RESOLUTIONS: **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">All amendments must be submitted to the Chair, at the appropriate time during formal debate, on an Amendment Sheet of the approved format. A separate Amendment Sheet must be used for each amendment or amendment to an amendment.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">AMENDMENTS: **

All amendments must state clearly: - the line or lines in which the amendment is to be made; - the clauses which are affected by the amendment; - the kind of amendment, e.g. strike, insert, strike and insert, add.

Amendments may be handwritten but must be legible. Illegible or untidy amendments will be ruled out of order.