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The informal combining of two or more draft resolutions into a single consolidated text, usually negotiated between sponsor blocs before voting procedure.
A draft resolution merge happens when two or more sponsor blocs combine their separate draft resolutions into a single document before voting procedure begins. Merges are almost always informal: they take place during unmoderated caucuses, suspensions of the meeting, or between committee sessions, not as a formal motion on the floor.
The mechanics vary by conference, but the typical flow is:
Merges are strategic tools. A bloc holding a draft that lacks the votes to pass may merge with a stronger competitor to guarantee at least some of its language survives. Conversely, a leading bloc may absorb a rival draft to consolidate a supermajority and pre-empt hostile amendments. In large GA-style committees, chairs sometimes encourage merges to reduce the number of drafts on the floor; in crisis or Security Council simulations, merges are rarer because drafts are shorter and blocs more entrenched.
Procedurally, conferences differ on whether a merged draft counts as a new submission (requiring fresh approval by the dais and re-circulation) or as an amended version of an existing draft. THIMUN-style conferences, which use a single working paper approach, treat consolidation as the default rather than the exception. Harvard-style and NMUN-style committees, which allow multiple competing drafts, treat merges as a discrete event.
Delegates should distinguish a merge from a friendly amendment (which alters one clause with sponsor consent) and from withdrawal (where a draft is simply pulled). A merge produces a new composite text; the originals are usually withdrawn once the merged version is accepted by the dais.
No. Merges are negotiated informally between sponsors during caucuses. The dais only becomes involved when the consolidated draft is submitted for approval and the original drafts are withdrawn.
Not automatically. Sponsorship of the merged text is renegotiated, though in practice most original sponsors of both drafts sign on. Signatory lists are usually combined and deduplicated.
Generally no. Once the committee moves into voting procedure, the floor is closed to negotiation and new submissions. Merges must be completed and approved by the dais beforehand.