Resolution Header

In Model UN, the resolution header is the formatted block at the top of a draft resolution that identifies the document before delegates reach the substantive clauses. While exact formatting varies by conference, a standard header typically contains four elements:

• Committee: the body considering the resolution (e.g., General Assembly Third Committee, UN Security Council, ECOSOC).
• Topic: the agenda item under debate, usually written verbatim as it appears in the background guide.
• Sponsors: the delegations that authored the draft and actively support its passage. Sponsors are generally expected to vote in favor and may be required to defend the document during Q&A.
• Signatories: delegations that wish to see the draft debated on the floor but take no position on its content. Signatories are not bound to vote yes.

Some conferences add a draft resolution number (e.g., "Draft Resolution 1.1") assigned by the dais after submission, and occasionally a date or session number mirroring real UN document conventions.

The header is procedural, not substantive: it contains no preambular or operative language and is not amended on the floor. Sponsorship lists, however, can change before submission through merging, and signatory counts must meet a minimum threshold set by the chair (often around 20% of the committee) before a draft can be introduced.

Real UN documents follow a stricter convention. An actual General Assembly resolution header includes the session number, agenda item number, distribution code (e.g., A/RES/76/...), and date of adoption, rather than sponsors and signatories in the MUN sense. MUN headers borrow the visual style of UN documents but adapt the content to reflect the conference's procedural rules.

Delegates should always check their conference's rules of procedure or rules packet, since header requirements—particularly minimum signatory counts and whether co-sponsors must be listed separately—differ between THIMUN, Harvard, NMUN, and collegiate circuits.