A resolution is the document a committee debates and votes on. It says what the problem is and what should be done about it.
The heading. The committee it is submitted to, the question it addresses, the main submitter and the co-submitters.
Preambulatory clauses. These come first. They set out the context and the reasoning. They explain why the committee is acting. They do not commit anyone to anything.
Operative clauses. These come second. They are the actions. Each one says what is to be done, by whom.
Every clause opens with a starting phrase and then carries a body. Clauses can have sub-clauses under them, and sub-clauses can have sub-sub-clauses under them.
In MEDIMUN, resolutions are written and submitted in MediBook, and the format is checked before a resolution can reach the chairs. It needs at least one preambulatory clause and at least one operative clause. Every clause needs a starting phrase and a body. A list of sub-clauses must have at least two items, never exactly one, and the same is true of sub-sub-clauses. If any of that is wrong the resolution is not sent. See Resolution format.
SCREENSHOT: /medibook/sessions/22/committees/ga1/resolutions - a resolution open, showing the heading, the preambulatory clauses and the operative clauses
The main submitter is the delegate whose name the resolution carries. They speak first on it and defend it in debate. Co-submitters are the delegates who support it enough to put their names to it.
In MEDIMUN, a resolution needs 10 co-submitters.
MediBook allows up to 15 co-submitters on one resolution. See Main submitter and co-submitters.
The chair sets a reading time before debate begins. You will not have long. Read it three times, for a different thing each time.
First pass. What it does. Read the operative clauses only. Ignore the preamble. Write one sentence saying what the resolution changes in the real world.
Second pass. What your country thinks of it. Go clause by clause and mark each one as support, oppose or do not mind. Your vote and your speech both come out of that list.
Third pass. What you would change. The clauses you marked "oppose" are where your amendments come from. Note the clause numbers now, because you will not find them again quickly once debate starts. See Writing and moving an amendment.
While you read, write down the questions you want to ask the main submitter. That is what reading time is for. See Asking your first point of information.
Clauses that promise nothing. An operative clause that only encourages or recommends commits no one. That may be all a committee can do, or it may be a weakness worth pointing out.
Clauses with no cost and no funding. If a clause creates a fund, a body or a programme, ask who pays.
Clauses beyond the committee's mandate. A General Assembly cannot impose sanctions or deploy troops. A resolution that demands either invites a motion to refer it to another forum. This can usually be fixed during lobbying by rewording, for example changing "Demands" to "Strongly urges the Security Council to demand". See Motion to refer to another forum.
Clauses that repeat each other. Two clauses doing the same job are an easy amendment.
A spelling or grammar mistake. These are not debated. The chair makes the change directly and tells the house. Do not write an amendment for a typing error.
Each resolution is debated in a vacuum. If one resolution on a topic passes, that does not discredit another resolution on the same topic. Read the next one on its own merits.
If you are unsure what a clause means, ask the main submitter a point of information when they have the floor. A clause the house cannot understand is a clause the house should not pass.
The Security Council debates clause by clause rather than resolution by resolution. The operative clauses are taken in order. The preambulatory clauses are then debated as a whole and voted on as a bloc. Only after that is the resolution voted on as a whole. See Clause by clause debate.
If the preambulatory bloc fails. The preambulatory clauses are voted on together. The resolution fails with them, unless the house resolves the problem first. See Preambulatory clauses en bloc.
If a clause has already been voted on. The Council does not return to it. Ask for the debate time to be extended, or ask to table the clause until the end of debate on that issue. Do it before the vote, not after.
Decide three things before debate opens. Whether your delegation will vote for it as it stands, which clause you will speak about, and which amendment you will move. Write all three down.