The Standard MUN Resolution Format

Your chair calls for draft resolutions. You have a page of clauses from the last unmoderated caucus, but you are not sure whether the heading block goes committee first or topic first, whether clauses end with commas or semicolons, or which verbs are allowed. The MUN resolution format is a fixed structure. Every chair, every dais, and every awards rubric expects it. Get it wrong and your resolution is returned unread. Get it right and your bloc has a document that can be debated, amended, and voted on. Two procedural families dominate: THIMUN and Harvard. They differ on every detail. Here is exactly what goes where, clause by clause.

The heading block identifies whose resolution this is and what it addresses.

THIMUN Heading Structure

In THIMUN procedure, the heading has three lines: Forum, Question of, and Submitted by. Forum is the committee name, for example, “Forum: General Assembly First Committee (DISEC).” Question of is the topic area, exactly as it appears in the study guide. Submitted by lists the main-submitter delegation first, followed by co-submitter delegations. No signatories are required. A working paper becomes a draft resolution when it receives a document number from the secretariat.

Harvard Heading Structure

In Harvard procedure, the heading block is four lines: Committee, Topic, Sponsors, and Signatories. Committee and Topic match the study guide. Sponsors are the delegations who wrote the resolution, two to four, and their names appear first. Signatories are delegations that support debate on the resolution without endorsing its content. The signatory requirement varies by conference. A resolution without enough signatories cannot be introduced.

The heading block is the first thing a chair sees. If the committee name is wrong, or the topic phrase differs from the study guide by a single word, the resolution can be rejected on procedural grounds. Every delegate pack includes the exact committee and topic wording. Use that, not your notes.

Preambulatory clauses explain why the committee is acting. Each clause begins with a present or past participle, “Recognizing,” “Noting with concern,” “Recalling”, and ends with a comma. The preambulatory section never contains a full stop until the last comma before the operative section begins. In both THIMUN and Harvard format, preambulatory clauses are not numbered. Only operative clauses receive numbers.

Each preambulatory clause cites a source of authority: a UN resolution, a treaty, a report, or a principle from the UN Charter. The clause is a single sentence. A preambulatory clause that runs over forty words signals poor drafting. The THIMUN official handbook lists fifty-three standard preambulatory phrases. The NMUN Delegate Preparation Guide lists forty-eight. Do not invent your own verbs. Use the approved phrases from your conference’s rules document.

Example preambulatory clause: “Recognizing the importance of international cooperation in addressing climate change,”. The format is identical in both families. The difference emerges in the operative section.

Operative clauses state what the committee decides to do. Each begins with a present-tense verb in the third person singular, “Decides,” “Calls upon,” “Urges,” “Requests”, and ends with a semicolon. The final operative clause ends with a period. In THIMUN format, operative clauses are not numbered. In Harvard format, they are numbered consecutively starting at one. Sub-clauses are indented and lettered, with lower-case Roman numerals or letters, and each sub-clause ends with a semicolon except the last, which ends with a full stop.

The THIMUN handbook lists ninety-seven operative phrases. The NMUN guide lists eighty-six. You must use an approved verb. “Demands” and “Condemns” carry specific power under the UN Charter and are reserved for committees with enforcement authority, such as the Security Council. A General Assembly committee cannot demand action from member states; it can only recommend. Using the wrong verb signals that you do not understand the committee’s jurisdiction.

Example operative clause in Harvard format: “1. Calls upon all member states to allocate at least one percent of their national budget to climate adaptation programs;”. The number, the verb, the semi-colon. In THIMUN format the same clause appears without the number.

Element	THIMUN	Harvard	NMUN
Heading lines	Forum, Question of, Submitted by	Committee, Topic, Sponsors, Signatories	Committee, Topic, Sponsors, Signatories
Signatory requirement	None	20% of committee or fixed number	20% of committee as sponsors or signatories
Preambulatory clauses	Not numbered, end with comma	Not numbered, end with comma	Not numbered, end with comma
Operative clause numbering	Not numbered	Numbered 1, 2, 3...	Numbered 1, 2, 3...
Clause ending	Preambulatory: comma. Operative: semi-colon. Final: period	Same	Same
Sponsor count	One main-submitter, unlimited co-submitters	2-4 sponsors	Minimum 20% of committee
Document numbering	Secretariat assigns (e.g. GA/1/1)	Dais assigns (e.g. Draft Resolution A)	Committee staff assigns (e.g. A/1/DR.1)

The structural differences reflect different philosophies of debate.

THIMUN: One Merged Resolution

THIMUN procedure produces one merged resolution per topic. During the lobbying phase, delegates merge their working papers into a single document. The committee debates that one resolution, amends it, and votes on it. If the resolution fails, the committee produces no output. The goal is consensus.

Harvard: Multiple Competing Resolutions

Harvard procedure produces multiple competing resolutions. Delegates submit working papers, the chair approves them as draft resolutions, and the committee debates them one at a time. Amendments are frequent. The committee can pass more than one resolution per topic. The goal is competition, and awards go to the bloc whose resolution passes and whose delegates performed best during debate.

This affects formatting expectations. In THIMUN, the heading block has no signatories because there is no need to demonstrate support for debate; the resolution is assumed to represent the committee. In Harvard, the signatory requirement forces blocs to build support before they can introduce their document. If your conference uses Harvard procedure and your working paper lacks enough signatories, it will not receive a draft resolution number.

The heading format is the most common place for procedural errors. In THIMUN, the forum line must match the committee name in the delegate pack exactly. “General Assembly First Committee” is not the same as “GA1.” The question of line must match the topic as stated in the study guide, not your rephrasing of it. The submitted by line lists the main-submitter first. All co-submitter delegations are listed in alphabetical order by country name.

In Harvard, the sponsors line lists the delegations that wrote the resolution. The signatories line lists delegations that support debate. Signatories do not need to agree with the content. A delegate who signs a resolution to get it debated is not committing to vote for it. First-time delegates misunderstand this distinction. They assume signing is an endorsement required to vote for it later. It is not.

Preambulatory and operative clause format is identical across every major conference on one point: preambulatory clauses end with a comma, operative clauses end with a semi-colon, and the final operative clause ends with a period. This is non-negotiable. Submit a resolution with periods inside the preambulatory section and it will be returned for reformatting.

Sub-clause indentation follows a standard hierarchy. The operative clause is numbered. Sub-clause A is indented and begins with a verb or a phrase. Sub-clause i is further indented. Each level ends with a semi-colon except the final one of that clause. The chair will reject a resolution whose indentation is inconsistent. If a delegate cannot point to the exact sub-clause being amended, the amendment cannot be processed.

Writing your first resolution? Use this template. It works for both THIMUN and Harvard with one adjustment: add numbers to operative clauses for Harvard, leave them out for THIMUN.

Heading block:
Forum: [Committee name from study guide]
Question of: [Topic from study guide]
Submitted by: [Main-submitter], [Co-submitter 1], [Co-submitter 2]

Preambulatory section:
Recognizing [source of authority],
Noting with concern [fact or problem],
Recalling [previous resolution or treaty],

Operative section:
Decides [action 1];
Calls upon [action 2];
Urges [action 3];

Final clause:
Requests [action 4].

This bare structure gets through the chair’s initial review. Add sub-clauses and references as your bloc expands the resolution during debate.

Every operative clause must sit within the committee’s mandate. A General Assembly body cannot demand sanctions. A Security Council body cannot recommend budget allocations. The study guide for your committee states its mandate explicitly. If your resolution includes clauses that exceed that mandate, the chair can rule them out of order.

The most common failure: writing operative clauses that address domestic policy of member states. A resolution that “Calls upon member states to increase their domestic military spending by ten percent” is within mandate for most committees. A resolution that “Establishes a UN monitoring body with compulsory inspections” is not, unless the committee has enforcement authority. Check the study guide. If it says your committee only makes recommendations, every operative clause must use recommending verbs.

Open your conference delegate pack. Find the rules of procedure document. Look for the section on draft resolution format. Copy the example heading exactly. Write five preambulatory clauses using approved verbs from the list in that document. Write five operative clauses, each with one action, each ending with a semi-colon. Check every clause against the committee mandate. If any clause exceeds that mandate, rewrite it. Compare your draft against the example in the rules document. If they match, you are ready to submit.