04-05 February 2019, Geneva, Switzerland - Resolutions constitute a fundamental outcome of meetings within the United Nations principal organs. The diplomat or representative in any multilateral posting must be able to manage the specialized nature and volume of work involved in such UN meetings. In this regard, the Division for Multilateral Diplomacy organized a workshop, which is a part the Executive Diploma in Diplomatic Practice, on the processes of Drafting, Negotiating and Adopting United Nations Resolutions.

The two-day workshop acquainted 19 participants with the topic at hand and enhanced their understanding of the various documents issued by the different organs of the United Nations. The training was delivered by Dr. Sameh Aboul-Enein, professor of International Security and Disarmament and Vice-Dean at the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations. During his extensive career, the professor has also led bilateral and multilateral negotiations in several International Forums on Nuclear Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Energy at the Conference on Disarmament, IAEA, UN First Committee, and NPT.

Dr. Aboul-Enein gave a brief introduction to the UN system, concentrating on General Assembly & Security Council Resolutions, which was followed by a session explaining the various negotiation stages and models. He further highlighted the importance of informal consultations and the process leading from negotiating to adopting resolutions. During the second day of the workshop, participants learnt the decision-making process and voting in the UN, which was followed by a briefing on foresight strategy for delegations in the pre-adoption stage. To give a first-hand experience to the participants, a simulation exercise on a “Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Free Zone in the Middle-East” was conducted. Each participant was assigned a role, for instance one participant acting as the President, while others as Secretary General and other international actors such as CTBTO, IAEA, Middle-East Coordinator, US, Russia, among others. After consulting and negotiating, participants adopted the resolution by majority vote.

By the end of the workshop, the participants were able to use the rules of multilateral conferences and work in teams, build confidence & cooperation in the process leading to resolution adoption. The participants were satisfied with their experience, as 94% of them felt that they met the course objectives and 95% of them agreeing that their awareness about the subject has increased. Benefits from the briefing were confirmed by post-training self-evaluations.