Clause Numbering

In a Model UN draft resolution, clause numbering refers to the practice of giving each operative clause a sequential Arabic numeral (1, 2, 3…) while leaving preambular clauses unnumbered. This mirrors the formatting used by the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council, where operative paragraphs in adopted resolutions are numbered and preambular paragraphs are set off only by italicized opening participles (e.g., Recalling, Noting with concern).

The numbering serves several practical functions during debate:

• Reference in amendments. Delegates submitting a friendly or unfriendly amendment specify the clause by number — for example, "strike operative clause 4" or "insert a new clause between OC 6 and OC 7."
• Division of the question. When a motion to divide is entertained, the chair separates the resolution by clause number so each portion can be voted on independently.
• Speeches and notes. Delegates routinely cite clauses by number ("my delegation supports OC 3 but opposes OC 5") rather than quoting full text.

Conventions most committees follow:

1. Preambular clauses are listed in order but not numbered; they end in commas.
2. Operative clauses are numbered consecutively and end in semicolons, with the final clause ending in a period.
3. Sub-clauses use lowercase letters (a, b, c), and sub-sub-clauses use lowercase roman numerals (i, ii, iii), matching UN drafting style.
4. When a clause is added by amendment mid-debate, some committees renumber immediately; others keep the original numbering and append the new clause at the end or label it "4 bis" to preserve references already on the record.

Rules of procedure vary by conference — THIMUN, NMUN, and Harvard WorldMUN each publish slightly different drafting guides — so delegates should check the specific handbook before submission.