Resolutions Remember The goal of any committee is

Resolutions

Remember… The goal of any committee is to pass AT LEAST one resolution Most committees will pass more than one resolution *Crisis Committees do not usually pass resolutions, but more on that later*

What is a resolution? Resolution- a written collaboration of ideas, research and compromises as agreed upon by a group of delegates It’s basically a proposed solution to whatever issue is being debated Resolutions are the outcome of several committee sessions; they are not passed in the first few sessions and pre-written resolutions are not permitted

The Process A resolution starts as a working paper, which is a rough draft of a potential resolution Working papers are usually combined mid-conference to form draft resolutions, which are submitted to the Dais and put to vote The Dais usually sets a maximum number of draft resolutions they will accept They encourage delegates to combine as many working papers as possible It is a GOOD thing to combine working papers; the Dais likes to see draft resolutions that come from about three working papers

The Process (continued) Once draft resolutions are submitted to the Dais, they are printed and distributed to the committee The sponsors of each draft resolution read their work and answer questions posed by the committee There can be amendments to a draft resolution after it is submitted to the Dais Friendly amendment- an amendment agreed upon by all the sponsors of the draft resolution; does not require a vote from the committee to be added to a draft resolution Unfriendly amendment- an amendment that is not approved by all sponsors; needs a majority rule vote for the COMMITTEE (not just the sponsors) to be added to a draft resolution

The Process (continued) After all the draft resolutions have been presented there will be a motion to move into voting procedure Assuming the committee votes to move into voting procedure, the delegates vote on each draft resolution If you don’t remember the nuances of voting and voting procedure, go back to the parliamentary procedure powerpoint, but basically it takes a simple majority to pass a draft resolution If a draft resolution passes, it becomes a resolution

Sponsors & Signatories All draft resolutions must have sponsors and signatories Sponsor- a country that helped write a draft resolution Signatory- a country that just wants to see a draft resolution debated, not necessarily passed Usually a working paper needs about 20% of the committee to be signatories to become a draft resolution Being a sponsor is competitive; most Chairs will have a maximum amount of sponsors allowed; you have to be a leader if you want to be a sponsor This is why combining working papers is so hard; if one working paper with five sponsors combines with another working paper with six sponsors, but the Chair allows only eight sponsors per draft resolution, three countries are cut off the sponsor list

How to Write Resolutions

The Parts of Resolutions are the combined efforts of several delegates; no individual delegate writes the entire document There are two parts of draft resolutions: Preambulatory Clauses Operative Clauses

Preambulatory Clauses Preambulatory clauses recount the issue and summarize how the world has tried (and/or failed) to address the issue Written as sentence fragments Begin with phrases/words such as: Affirming, expecting, alarmed by, fully aware, observing, recognizing, deeply concerned by, reaffirming Conferences will give all delegates an extensive list of suggested opening phrases

Preambulatory Clause Examples Taken from a real draft resolution: Deeply concerned by the increase in utensil-related accidents, Observing the need for immediate attention and relief to all those suffering from utensil trauma, Recognizing the national sovereignty of all countries when dealing with the punishment of offending utensils, There don’t need to be many preambulatory clauses

Operative Clauses This is the important stuff. This is where the real proposal is laid out. All plans are explained here; there are lots of acronyms and pneumonic devices to help distinguish each draft resolution. The three E plan, the ABC initiative, etc. These clauses start with “statement” verbs, not “ordering” verbs; the Model UN (nor the real UN for that matter) can’t order anyone to do anything. Proposes, affirms, encourages, emphasizes, reminds, requests

Operative Clause Examples 1. Recommends the implementation of the Triple P Plan which will: a. Provide relief to those already afflicted by utensil-related tragedies, b. Protect those threatened by dangerous utensils, c. Prevent further utensil-related injuries; 2. Suggests the establishment of the Silverware Protection Organization for Oppressed People (SPOON) to: a. Create standards for the maintenance and handling of all utensils, b. Monitor areas with a history of violence by utensil; 3. Urges all nations to accept the standards as set by SPOON;

More Questions? If you have more questions NAIMUN has a sort of “training guide” with all the rules and a full example draft resolution. Go to: http: //naimun. modelun. org/images/Documents/A%20 Guide%20 to%20 Model%20 UN. pdf Or Google “NAIMUN training guide, ” click the link for “Parliamentary Procedure” and click the “NAIMUN training guide” link

Crisis Committees

Crisis Committees If you are on a crisis committee, forget everything we just discussed. Crisis committees move at a much faster pace; their debates are centered on new crises as they are presented to the delegates Because of the pace, there are no resolutions, but directives

What is a Directive? A directive is almost a sort of mini-resolution; it is much shorter and less formal than a resolution and does not require the same complicated voting procedure Directives address specific issues, so they need specific purposes An individual delegate or a group of delegates may submit a directive (this depends on the committee) Directives are subject to friendly and unfriendly amendments Delegates typically vote on directives at the end of committee sessions, but again, this depends on the committee

Example Directive Committee: John F. Kennedy’s National Security Council during the Cuban Missile Crisis o Scenario: President Kennedy has just been informed that the CIA has gathered images of Soviet missile installations at San Cristóbal, NW Cuba. After a moderated caucus on how to initially respond to this new threat, Secretary of Defense Robert Mc. Namara submits this proposed directive:

§�Directive: Operation “Inteligencia” • Seeing as we only have preliminary intelligence regarding these new Soviet military installations: • The CIA will recruit 5 Cuban emigres in Miami, Florida, and prepare them to infiltrate Cuba • The agents are to be trained in an expedited program • Once prepared, send the agents to a country to be designated by the CIA that still has commercialbound flights to Havana, Cuba. • The agents are to rendezvous with Cuban dissidents to set up operations, and will covertly move to San Cristóbal to gather human intelligence and relay it back to us

Crisis Notes Crisis notes are different than directives A crisis note is a suggestion or action submitted to the Dais by an individual delegate Crisis notes are used to introduce a new crisis or change the dynamic of the committee Assassinations, movement of troops, sending spies, etc. Delegates must be very aware of their powers as stated in their character’s power portfolio; they can only do what their powers allow

Example Crisis Note o Committee: John F. Kennedy’s National Security Council during the Cuban Missile Crisis o Scenario: President Kennedy has just been informed that the CIA has gathered images of Soviet missile installations at San Cristóbal, NW Cuba. o During debate, CIA Director John Mc. Cone decides to take matters into his own hands. In an attempt to distract the Soviets, he decides to undertake operations in East Berlin.

§� Portfolio Power: Sabotage • Objective: Suspicious of KGB involvement in Cuba, look to distract the KGB by attacking their assets in East Berlin • Direct CIA assets in East Berlin to begin compiling list of known KGB assets in the area. • Covert ops assets, armed with silenced compact sub-machine guns, will look to track and take down at least 5 KGB agents.

Communiques and Press Releases Communique- a note sent to someone who does not exist in the committee. These are given to the Chair and sent and answered by the Crisis Staff. These are good ways to set up meetings outside of committees. Press Release- a general statement to the world regarding an individual delegate’s position, condition, etc. Press Releases about the committee as a whole must be approved by the committee. These aren’t particularly useful, unless a delegate needs to do damage control about a rumor or provide information to the public about a crisis

More Questions? Once again, the NAIMUN training guide includes all the rules and nuances of crisis committees. A lot of the rules of crisis committees depend on the committees themselves; delegates in crisis committees need to do individual research and be ready for flexibility.