If you’ve read our guide on what PP, OP, and Bis mean in drafting, you already know that PP stands for a preambulatory (or preceding) paragraph and OP stands for an operative paragraph. Knowing the definitions is one thing — actually sitting down to draft a resolution is another. The moment most delegates get stuck is staring at a blank line, unsure which word should open the clause.
This guide solves that problem. Below is a complete, organized reference of preambulatory and operative phrases, the formatting rules that govern how each clause is punctuated and numbered, and worked examples you can adapt for your own resolution.
A 30-Second Recap: PP vs. OP
A resolution has two halves. The preambulatory clauses come first and explain why the committee is acting — they cite precedent, prior resolutions, and the scale of the problem. The operative clauses come after and state what the committee will actually do — concrete, numbered actions the body is resolving to take.
Preambulatory clauses are italicized, open with a present-participle phrase (“Recognizing,” “Alarmed by”), and end in a comma. Operative clauses are numbered, italicized only in their opening word, open with a third-person-present verb (“Calls upon,” “Requests”), and end in a semicolon — except for the very last one, which ends in a period.
Preambulatory Clause Phrases, Grouped by Purpose
Rather than dump one long alphabetical list, it’s more useful to group phrases by what job they’re doing in your paragraph. Pick from whichever category matches your intent, and try not to reuse the same phrase twice in one resolution.
To reference past action or precedent:
Recalling, Reaffirming, Referring, Bearing in mind, Having considered, Noting, Taking into account, Guided by, Having examined, Keeping in mind.
To express concern or alarm:
Alarmed by, Deeply concerned, Deeply disturbed, Gravely concerned, Noting with regret, Noting with deep concern, Viewing with apprehension, Anxious.
To express approval, hope, or satisfaction:
Welcoming, Appreciating, Approving, Noting with satisfaction, Viewing with appreciation, Confident, Expecting.
To state a belief or conviction:
Believing, Convinced, Declaring, Affirming, Recognizing, Realizing, Acknowledging, Cognizant, Fully aware, Conscious.
To draw attention to facts or context:
Aware of, Observing, Considering, Emphasizing, Stressing, Underlining, Contemplating, Fulfilling the purposes of, Having received, Having heard.
Every preambulatory clause should read as a single sentence fragment that sets up the reasoning — never an instruction. If you find yourself writing “shall” or naming a specific deadline, that clause belongs in the operative section instead.
Operative Clause Phrases, Grouped by Purpose
Operative phrases split naturally into how strongly they compel action. Stronger verbs like “Demands” and “Deplores” are typically reserved for Security Council–level bodies in formal UN practice — check your conference’s rules of procedure before using them in a General Assembly committee.
To direct or instruct:
Calls upon, Urges, Requests, Directs, Authorizes, Instructs, Requires.
To recommend or suggest:
Recommends, Suggests, Encourages, Invites, Proposes, Advises.
To state a position or judgment:
Affirms, Declares, Condemns, Deplores, Regrets, Reiterates, Emphasizes, Stresses, Underscores.
To create, establish, or take note of something:
Establishes, Creates, Calls for the creation of, Designates, Takes note of, Draws attention to, Confirms, Endorses.
To express intent or hope:
Expresses its hope, Trusts, Expresses its appreciation, Further invites, Further requests, Further resolves, Further recommends.
To close or conclude a resolution:
Decides to remain seized of the matter — a standard closing phrase indicating the committee will keep monitoring the issue.
Formatting Rules That Actually Matter
Phrasing gets a resolution started, but formatting is what gets it accepted by the dais without a fight:
Preambulatory clauses are not numbered — they’re separated by commas and flow as one continuous introduction. Operative clauses, by contrast, are numbered sequentially (1, 2, 3…), and only the first word of each is italicized.
If an operative clause needs sub-points, introduce them with a colon, letter each sub-clause lowercase (a, b, c), and separate them with commas — except the final sub-clause, which takes a semicolon to match the parent clause’s punctuation. Sub-sub-clauses, if you need them, use lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii).
Every operative clause ends in a semicolon, except the last operative clause in the entire resolution, which ends in a period — signaling that the document is complete.
Conference rules vary slightly on these details, so treat this as the widely used standard rather than a universal rule.
Worked Example
Building on the renewable-energy example from our PP/OP/Bis article, here’s how a short excerpt would actually look once formatted:
Recognizing the urgent need for international cooperation on renewable energy infrastructure,
Alarmed by the widening gap in clean energy access between developed and developing nations,
Recalling previous resolutions on sustainable development adopted by this committee,
- Calls upon all member states to increase investment in renewable energy infrastructure by no less than 15 percent over the next five years;
- Requests the Secretary-General to establish a monitoring body to:
a. track progress toward the targets outlined in clause 1,
b. report annually to the General Assembly;- Encourages developed nations to provide technical assistance to developing nations seeking to expand clean energy capacity;
- Decides to remain seized of the matter.
Where “Bis” Comes Back In
During negotiation, delegates often can’t agree on the exact wording of an operative clause. Rather than delete a disputed clause outright, drafters sometimes submit a rival version alongside it — Operative Clause 4 and Operative Clause 4 bis — so the committee can debate both and vote on which one survives. This is the same “bis” convention used in treaty and legislative drafting: it lets two competing versions of a provision coexist on paper until one is chosen and the other is struck. If you’re formally proposing this kind of change through an amendment, it typically falls under a “strike and insert” or “amend” motion, and whether it needs unanimous sponsor approval (a friendly amendment) or a committee vote (an unfriendly amendment) depends on your conference’s procedure.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Reusing the same preambulatory or operative phrase more than once in a single resolution reads as lazy drafting — with dozens of options above, there’s no reason to repeat. Mixing tenses is another frequent error: preambulatory phrases must stay in the present participle (“-ing”) form, and operative phrases must stay in third-person present tense, never past or future. Finally, watch for operative clauses that don’t actually direct action — if a clause only describes a fact rather than calling for something to happen, it belongs in the preambulatory section instead.
