UN & Global Citizenship Grade 7: Model UN Writing Resolutions

Study Guide: Model UN – Writing Resolutions (Grade 7, UN & Global Citizenship)

1. The Driving Question

"If your school’s student council wrote a rule to fix lunchroom chaos, but half the kids ignored it because it didn’t say who was in charge or how to enforce it—how would you rewrite it so countries at the UN would actually follow it? What’s the secret formula for turning ‘we should do better’ into ‘here’s exactly how we’ll do it’?"

2. The Core Idea – Built, Not Listed

Imagine you’re at a Model UN conference representing Brazil on the topic of plastic pollution in the oceans. The room is full of delegates from China, Kenya, the U.S., and 20 other countries, all shouting ideas: "Ban plastic!" "Make companies pay!" "Give poor countries money to clean up!" But shouting isn’t a plan—it’s just noise. A resolution is the tool that turns chaos into action. It’s like a recipe for solving a global problem, with three key parts:

1. The Preamble – The "why" section. It’s like the backstory in a video game: "Recalling that 8 million tons of plastic enter the ocean every year…" This part doesn’t do anything—it just proves the problem exists and why your country cares.
2. Operative Clauses – The "how" section. These are the action steps, written as commands: "1. Urges all countries to ban single-use plastic bags by 2030… 2. Requests the UN Environment Programme to create a fund for coastal cleanups…" Each clause starts with a strong verb (e.g., urges, requests, demands) and includes who does what by when.
3. Sponsors & Signatories – The "who’s on board" section. Sponsors are the main authors (like the group project leaders), while signatories are countries that support the idea but didn’t help write it (like classmates who raise their hands to say, "I agree!").

Key Vocabulary: - Resolution – A formal document proposing solutions to a global problem, written in UN-style language. Example: The Paris Agreement (2015) is a resolution on climate change, with operative clauses like "Parties aim to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible." - Preambulatory Clause – A phrase that explains the problem’s background, starting with words like Alarmed by, Recognizing, Noting with concern. Example: "Deeply disturbed by the fact that 1 in 3 species of marine mammals have been found entangled in plastic waste…" - Operative Clause – A specific action step, starting with verbs like Urges, Calls upon, Encourages. Example: "Calls upon member states to implement a 5-cent tax on plastic bottles to fund recycling programs." - Sponsor – A country that helps draft and supports a resolution. Example: If Canada and Norway co-write a resolution on Arctic protection, they’re the sponsors.

(Note for high school/college: In real UN resolutions, operative clauses can be legally binding (e.g., Security Council resolutions under Chapter VII), while in Model UN, they’re symbolic. The language also becomes more nuanced—e.g., "strongly condemns" vs. "expresses concern.")

3. Assessment Translation

How This Appears in Classroom Assessments (Grade 7): - Formative Assessments: Exit tickets with prompts like "Write one preambulatory clause and one operative clause for a resolution on deforestation in the Amazon." - Summative Assessments: A full draft resolution (1–2 pages) on a given topic (e.g., refugee rights, cybersecurity), graded on: - Structure (preamble vs. operative clauses, proper formatting). - Clarity (specific actions, not vague ideas). - Persuasiveness (does it address the root cause? Are the steps realistic?). - State/Standardized Tests: Rare, but may appear in civics or ELA performance tasks (e.g., "Write a proposal to reduce food waste in your school, using formal language like a UN resolution.").

What a Proficient Response Looks Like: - Developing: "We should stop plastic pollution. Countries should work together." (Problem: No specific actions, no UN-style language.) - Proficient:

The General Assembly, Alarmed by the fact that plastic waste kills over 1 million seabirds annually, Noting with concern that only 9% of plastic is recycled globally,

1. Urges all member states to ban single-use plastic bags by 2025; 2. Requests the UN Environment Programme to create a $100 million fund to support plastic cleanup in developing nations; 3. Encourages corporations to develop biodegradable packaging by 2030. (Strengths: Specific timeline, funding amount, and responsible parties. Uses formal language.)

Distractor Patterns in Multiple Choice (if applicable): - Wrong verb tense: "The resolution is urging countries…" (Resolutions use present tense: "Urges.") - Vague actions: "Calls for better recycling." (Too broad—what’s "better"? Who does it?) - Mixing preamble/operative clauses: "Alarmed by the crisis, the UN should create a fund." (Preamble clauses don’t include actions.)

4. Mistake Taxonomy

Mistake 1: The "Wish List" Resolution - Prompt: "Write two operative clauses for a resolution on child labor." - Common Wrong Response:

"1. Countries should stop child labor.
2. Kids should go to school." - Why It Loses Credit: - No specific actions (who does what?). - No UN-style language (e.g., "Urges" instead of "should"). - No measurable goals (how? by when?). - Correct Approach: "1. Urges member states to enforce laws banning children under 15 from hazardous work by 2027;
2. Requests the International Labour Organization to provide $50 million in grants to support free primary education in low-income countries."

Mistake 2: The "Preamble Overload" - Prompt: "Write a preambulatory clause for a resolution on water scarcity." - Common Wrong Response:

"Water is important because people need it to live and some places don’t have enough and it’s a big problem." - Why It Loses Credit: - Too informal (resolutions use formal phrases like "Noting with deep concern"). - Repeats the obvious (no new information or urgency). - Correct Approach: "Deeply concerned that 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water, as reported by the World Health Organization in 2022…"

Mistake 3: The "Unenforceable Demand" - Prompt: "Write an operative clause for a resolution on nuclear disarmament." - Common Wrong Response:

"1. Demands that all countries destroy their nuclear weapons immediately." - Why It Loses Credit: - Unrealistic (no country would comply). - No steps or incentives (how? who verifies?). - Correct Approach: "1. Calls upon nuclear-armed states to reduce their arsenals by 50% by 2035, with verification by the International Atomic Energy Agency;
2. Encourages the UN to offer economic aid to countries that sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons."

5. Connection Layer

1. Within UN & Global Citizenship-Debate & Diplomacy Why it matters: Writing resolutions teaches you to compromise—just like in a Model UN debate, where you must combine ideas from 50 countries into one plan. The same skill applies to student government or family arguments (e.g., "We can’t just say ‘be nicer’—we need a rule like ‘no phones at dinner’ with consequences.").

2. Across Subjects-ELA: Persuasive Writing Why it matters: A UN resolution is persuasive writing in disguise. Both require:

3. Evidence (preambulatory clauses = your "reasons").
4. Clear commands (operative clauses = your "call to action").

5. Audience awareness (writing for countries, not just your teacher).

6. Outside School-Workplace Proposals Why it matters: The next time you see a petition (e.g., "Ban plastic straws!"), you’ll notice if it’s vague ("We demand change!") or specific ("We urge the city council to replace straws with paper by June 2025"). The same structure applies to business plans or grant applications—anytime you need to turn an idea into action.

6. The Stretch Question

"If a resolution passes in the UN General Assembly but the U.S. and China refuse to follow it, is it still ‘successful’? What’s the point of writing rules no one has to obey?"

Pointer Toward the Answer: The UN isn’t a world government—it’s more like a giant suggestion box. Resolutions in the General Assembly (where all 193 countries vote) are non-binding, meaning they’re moral pressure, not laws. But they can still work by: - Shaming countries (e.g., "Why is North Korea the only country not signing the human rights resolution?"). - Creating norms (e.g., the Universal Declaration of Human Rights started as a resolution and is now cited in courts). - Leading to treaties (e.g., the Paris Climate Accord began as a resolution).

The real power? Public opinion. If a resolution makes a country look bad, its leaders might change course—even without a legal threat. (Ask: Would you stop littering if your friends saw you, even if there was no fine?)