UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION OF SERBIA BELGRADE INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS BIMUN Simulation Guide THE SECURITY COUNCIL RULES OF PROCEDURE

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1 UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION OF SERBIA BELGRADE INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS BIMUN 2017 Simulation Guide THE SECURITY COUNCIL RULES OF PROCEDURE CONTENTS I GENERAL PROVISIONS 3 Rule 1.1. Language 3 Rule 1.2. Diplomatic Courtesy 3 Rule 1.3. United Nations Charter 3 II SECRETARIAT STAFF 3 Rule 2.1. Security Council Officers 3 Rule 2.2. President of the Security Council 3 Rule Absence of the Council President 4 Rule 2.3. Secretary-General 4 III PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE 4 Rule 3.1. Roll Call 4 Rule 3.2. Quorum 4 Rule 3.3. Participation of Non-Council Member Nations 4 Rule 3.4. Agenda Topic 4 Rule 3.5. Procedural Matters 4 Rule 3.6. Substantive Matters 4 Rule 3.7. Adjournment of the Meeting 5 IV CONDUCT OF DEBATE 5 Rule 4.1. Opening Speech 5 Rule 4.2. Opening the List of Speakers 5 Rule 4.3. Speeches 5 Rule Time Limit on Speeches 5 Rule Yields 5 Rule 4.4. Closing the List of Speakers 6 Rule 4.5. Formal Debate 6 Rule 4.6. Informal Debate 6 Rule 4.7. Written Communication Between Delegations 6 V POINTS DURING DEBATE 6 Rule 5.1. Point of Order 6 Rule 5.2. Point of Personal Privilege 6 Rule 5.3. Point of Inquiry - Question or Short Comment 6 Rule 5.4. Point of Information 7 Rule 5.5. Right of Reply 7 1

2 VI MOTIONS DURING DEBATE 7 Rule 6.1. General Rules on Procedural Matters 7 Rule 6.2. Motion for Informal Debate 7 Rule 6.3. Motion for Caucusing Break 7 Rule 6.4. Motion to Extend Debate 7 Rule 6.5. Motion to Close Debate 7 Rule 6.6. Withdrawal of Motions 7 VII DRAFT RESOLUTION 8 Rule 7.1. Draft Resolution 8 Rule Format 8 Rule Sponsors 8 Rule Signatories 8 Rule 7.2. Introduction of a Draft Resolution 8 Rule 7.3. Debate on Draft Resolutions 8 Rule 7.4. Withdrawal of a Resolution 8 VIII AMENDMENTS 8 Rule 8.1. Amendment 8 Rule 8.2. Consideration of Amendments 9 Rule 8.3. Friendly Amendments 9 Rule 8.4. Unfriendly Amendments 9 Rule 8.5. Non-Substantive Amendments 9 XI VOTING 9 Rule 9.1. Voting Rights 9 Rule 9.2. Votes Required 9 Rule 9.3. Method of Voting by Roll Call 9 Rule 9.4. Passing 9 X MUN AGENDA 10 2

3 I GENERAL PROVISIONS Rule 1.1. Language English shell be the both official and working language of the BIMUN Conference. Rule 1.2. Diplomatic Courtesy During Council sessions, Delegates are expected to exercise diplomatic courtesy when addressing members of the Council. Delegates must address each other as well as the Council officers by using third person singular or plural. Any Delegate who, after being advised by the President, persists in an obvious attempt to divert the meeting from its intended purpose, or who otherwise attempts to disrupt the proceedings, shall be subject to disciplinary action and expulsion from the Council by the President. Decision of the President on diplomatic courtesy is not appealable. Rule 1.3. United Nations Charter Delegations should, at all times, act in accordance with the articles and principles of the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. II SECRETARIAT STAFF Rule 2.1. Security Council Officers The Secretariat shall appoint the President, two Vice-Presidents of the Security Council and a Recording Secretary and shall select any other positions necessary to help conduct the sessions of BIMUN. Rule 2.2. President of the Security Council The Security Council President shall be the chairperson at all Council sessions. In addition to exercising the powers conferred upon him/her elsewhere in these rules, the President shall: - Set the agenda for the Security Council session; - Declare the opening and closing of each meeting; - Decide on the order in which resolutions are debated and direct discussions; - Ensure the observance of the rules, accord the right to speak, put questions to vote and announce decisions; - Advise delegates on the possible course of debate, if needed; - Rule on points of order and subject to these rules; - Have complete control over the proceedings at any meeting and over the order of maintenance at formal meetings; - Propose limitations of debated time, a limitation on the number of times each Delegate may speak on any question and on the closure of debate; - In the interest of debate, or in order to work towards consensus, the President may call upon a particular Delegation to speak, even if they have not requested the floor. The President may also, for the same purposes, restrict the speaking time of an individual Delegate. Only the President is empowered to call recesses or adjournments or to suspend the rules. 3

4 Appeals on a decision of the President is not debatable. Such appeals will be put directly to vote. Nine votes against the President's decision are required for such an appeal to be upheld. Rule Absence of Council President If the Council President should find it necessary to be absent during any part of Council session, he/she will designate an individual, normally the Vice President, to chair the Council session and assume authority. Rule 2.3. Secretary-General The Secretary-General may be appointed by the Security Council, as rapporteur for a specified question. The Secretary-General, or any member of the Secretariat may make verbal or written statements to the Security Council at any time. III PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE Rule 3.1. Roll Call After the opening of the session the President will begin with a roll call. During this procedure the President will call all nations in alphabetical order to declare their presence. Delegates shall establish their presence in either of the two following manners: - "Present and Voting" A Delegate that is declared "Present and voting" shall vote in favour, against or abstain on any substantive matter; - "Present and not voting" A Delegate that is declared "Present and not voting" shall have debating privileges, but not the right to vote. This is related only to Non- Council Member Nations. The Council members shall declare their presence by raising placards. Rule 3.2. Quorum To begin a Council session three-quarter majority of Delegations must be present. In order to move to the voting procedure on a draft resolution, a three-quarter majority is needed as well. Rule 3.3. Participation by Non-Council Member Nations Participation by a non-council member includes debating privileges, but not the right to vote. A non-council UN member nation may submit draft resolutions or amendments, but may not move these to the floor or vote at any time. Rule 3.4. Agenda Topic After a roll call, the President will set the Agenda. Only topics set on the Provisional Agenda provided by BIMUN shall be considered by the Council. Rule 3.5. Procedural Matters Procedural matters are those matters relating to the structure of the Council session as defined in these Rules of Procedure. The voting method by Roll Call is not in order for procedural matters. Rule 3.6. Substantive Matters Substantive matters are defined as those matters relating to the specific topic at hand. 4

5 Delegates that have established their presence at the initial role call as set out in Rule 3.1. shall act accordingly. The voting method by Roll Call on substantive matters is in order following voting procedure as set in Rule 9.3. Rule 3.7. Adjournment of the meeting The motion of adjournment means that all the business of the Council has been completed, and that the Council will not reconvene until the next annual session. A motion to adjourn by President is not debatable. IV CONDUCT OF DEBATE Rule 4.1. Opening Speech After the Agenda has been set by the President, each Delegation will be expected to give a short Opening Speech in duration of two minutes, outlining the Delegation's position on the topic. Non-Council Member Nations will be accorded the right to speak only when all Delegations have spoken. There will be no Right of Reply on Opening Speech. Rule 4.2. Opening the List of Speakers After the Opening Speeches, the President will make a motion to open the List of Speakers. Those that wish to be put on the List of Speakers shall raise their Placards. It is not necessary that all Delegates who want to be put on the List of Speakers do that at this time. If they desire to do that later, they could make motion to be added to the List of Speakers for the first time. It is not allowed for one Speaker to yield the floor two times, one after another. The List of Speakers is to be established for the purpose of Formal Debate as set in Rule 4.5. which will be the default style of debate. Rule 4.3. Speeches Delegations wishing to speak on an item before the Council will signify this by raising their placards. No Delegate may address the Council without having previously obtained the permission from the President. The President shall call upon Speakers in the order in which they show their desire to speak and recognize them. The President may call a Speaker to order (to obey the rules of the formal meeting) if his/her remarks are not relevant to the subject under discussion. Rule Time Limit on Speeches Speakers must keep their remarks germane to the subject under discussion. Speeches are limited to 3 minutes per speaker. This time limit may be changed at the discretion of the President. The floor can be yielded as set in Rule When a Delegate exceeds his/her allotted time, the President shall call him to order immediately. Rule Yields A Delegate who was granted the right to speak and has finished speaking before his/her time elapsed, may yield the remaining time in one of the following manners: - Yield to the President - The Delegate may yield the time back to the President. If the Delegate says he is open for questions, the President will recognize Delegates who have raised Point of Inquiry and allow two questions and one short 5

6 comment (30 sec), (see Rule 5.4.). The comment and questions must pertain to the preceding speech. If there are no Points of Inquiry, the President will simply move on to the next Speaker on he List of Speakers; - Yield to another Delegate - If the Delegate accepts the yield, the President will recognize him/her for the remaining time. That Delegate may not, however make any further yields. Only one yield to another Delegate is possible within the time limit of one speaker. Rule 4.4. Closing the List of Speakers During the course of a debate, the President may announce the List of Speakers and declare the list closed. The President may accord the Right of Reply to any member if a speech, delivered after he has declared the list closed, makes this desirable. The President has the right to re-open the List of Speakers, if he/she finds it necessary. Rule 4.5. Formal Debate The Formal debate is the default style of debate and its main feature is the List of Speakers and limitation of replies and comments. The List of Speakers shall be followed except where superseded by procedural or substantive motions or points. Rule 4.6. Informal Debate During Formal Debate the delegate or President may make a motion to move to Informal Debate, if the delegates or the President determine that this process will better facilitate the discussion. Main features are the lack of the List of speakers as well as no limitations for replies and comments per speaking delegate. This motion must include the amount of time that such a session demands to be effective. Rule 4.7. Written Communication Between Delegations All written communication transmitted through the Administrative Staff must be written on identifiable notepaper. Messages must bear clear FROM and TO designations at the top of the paper. Messages not fulfilling the above requirements will not be transmitted. V POINTS DURING DEBATE Rule 5.1. Point of Order During the discussion of any matter, a Delegate may raise to a Point of Order if he/she believes that the Council is proceeding in a manner contrary to the Rules of Procedure. A Delegate will be recognized and the Point of Order shall be immediately decided by the President in accordance to the Rules of Procedure. A Delegate rising to a Point of Order may not speak on the substance of the matter under discussion. A Point of Order may not interrupt a Speaker. Rule 5.2. Point of Personal Privilege A Delegate may raise a Point of Personal Privilege in order to inform the President of a physical discomfort he or she is experiencing, which impairs his/her ability to participate in the proceedings, such as high room temperature, or inability to hear the Speaker. Point of Personal Privilege may interrupt a Speaker, if unavoidably necessary. Delegates should use this power with utmost discretion. Rule 5.3. Point of Inquiry- Question or Short Comment A Point of Inquiry is raised in order to pose a question or short comment to a Speaker during debate. 6

7 Questions must be directed through the President and may be made only after the speaker has concluded his/her remarks. The Speaker chooses whether or not to yield his/her time to Points of Inquiry. During the Formal debate the number of Points of Inquiry is limited to two questions and one comment per each speaking delegate. If a Delegate estimates that a number of questions/comment is insufficient, he/she may make a motion to extend the number of questions/comments. Delegates may not interrupt a Speaker on Points of Inquiry. Rule 5.4. Point of Information A Point of Information is raised to the President if a Delegate wishes to obtain a clarification of procedure or a statement of the matters before the Council. Delegates may not interrupt a Speaker on a Point of Information. Rule 5.5. Right of Reply The President may accord a Right of Reply to any Delegate if a speech by another Delegate contains language clearly insulting to their personal or national dignity. The Right of Reply is limited to 2 minutes. The President's decision is not subject to appeal. There shall be no Right of Reply to Reply VI MOTIONS DURING DEBATE Rule 6.1. General Rules for Procedural Motions Motions may be raised during Formal debate at any time when the floor is open, prior to the Closure of Debate. Motions may not interrupt a speaker. The Motion needs second approval and in the case of any objections it is necessary to vote on the matter. A motion must receive a vote of nine Council members to pass. The President reserves the right to rule any motion out of order at any given time. Rule 6.2. Motion for Informal Debate A Delegate who wishes to move for Informal Debate (also known as Moderated Caucus) must specify the total time limit which must not exceed 10 minutes and speaking time per Delegation which must not exceed 2 minutes. The time limit is subject to the President's approval. If the motion passes, the Council will enter informal debate whereby the President will recognize Delegates who raise their placards to speak about the issue at hand. Rule 6.3. Motion for Caucusing Break A Delegate who moves for Caucusing break (also known as Unmoderated Caucus) must specify a time limit for the caucus, which must not exceed 20 minutes. The time limit is subject to the President's approval. If the motion passes, the Council shall depart from formal debate and speakers shall be free to move about the committee chambers. Rule 6.4. Motion to Extend Debate During the discussion of any matter, a Delegate may move for the prolonging of the debate on the item under discussion. The Delegate proposing the motion must explain its purpose and propose a time limit. The President may limit the time to be allowed to speakers under this rule. Rule 6.5. Motion to Close Debate 7

8 At any time, a Delegate may move the closure of the debate in order to end debate on a substantive issue whereby the Council will enter into voting procedure on all amendments and Draft Resolutions presented to the floor. If the Council is in favour of the closure, the President shall declare the closure of the debate. If the President rules this motion out of order, his/her decision is not appealable. Rule 6.6. Withdrawal of Motions A motion may be withdrawn by its proposer at any time before voting on it has commenced. A motion thus withdrawn may be reintroduced by any member. VII DRAFT RESOLUTION Rule 7.1. Draft Resolution A Draft Resolution is a proposal consisting of at least one preambular and one operative clause. The Draft Resolution will be approved by the President if they are legible, organized in content and flow, and in the proper format. (see Rule ) Once approved, Draft Resolution will be distributed to all Delegates. Rule Format Draft Resolutions must be properly formatted as per the guidelines found in the BIMUN Simulation Guide (Resolution Writing document). Rule Sponsors Sponsors (submitters) are recognized as the principal authors of the Draft Resolution. Sponsors must agree to support a Resolution unless major changes have been introduced through the amendment process. Rule Signatories Signatories (co-submitters) are recognized as the supporters of the Draft Resolution. At least 5 delegations must be Signatories of the Draft Resolution. Rule 7.2. Introduction of a Draft Resolution Once a Draft Resolution has been approved, copied and distributed to all members of the Council, the President will call one of the Sponsors to introduce the Draft Resolution. The introduction of the Draft Resolution will be limited to reading the operative clauses of the Draft Resolution. Rule 7.3. Debate on Draft Resolutions Once the Draft Resolution has been introduced, the submitter will answer questions of clarification. The President will set the debate time: 20 minutes open debate or 10 minutes for and 10 minutes against. When the debating time for the Resolution has been exhausted, the President declares the floor to the members of the house who wish to speak against the Resolution. When the speaking time for both in favor and against has been exhausted, the President can propose expansion of the debate time or go into voting procedure. Rule 7.4. Withdrawal of a Resolution A Draft Resolution may be withdrawn by its Sponsors at any time before voting on it has commenced. A Draft Resolution may not be withdrawn if an Unfriendly Amendment to it is on the floor. 8

9 VIII AMENDMENTS Rule 8.1. Amendment An amendment to a Draft Resolution is a written motion that adds to, deletes from, or revises any part of the Draft Resolution. The words strike, replace, erase, add and insert are often used. Do not forget to mention the line number in which amendment should be made and put the quoted and the new text in inverted commas. A separate sheet must be used for each amendment. All amendments must be submitted on an official amendment form to the Vice President for approval. Amendments will be approved if they are legible, organized in content and flow, and in the proper format. Rule 8.2. Consideration of Amendments When an amendment is moved to a proposal, the amendment shall be voted on first. An amendment to the amendment to the amendment will not be in order! Sponsors of the Draft Resolution have a right to mark a certain amendment as a friendly (see Rule 8.3.) or unfriendly (see Rule 8.4.) one. Rule 8.3. Friendly Amendments An amendment will be considered "friendly" if all Sponsors agree with the proposed amendment and if it does not fundamentally change the intent of the Draft Resolution as a whole. No vote is required to add a friendly amendment to a Draft Resolution. Rule 8.4. Unfriendly Amendments An amendment, which is not supported by all the Sponsors of a Draft Resolution, is considered "unfriendly". Unfriendly amendments will be put directly into voting procedure and they will require two thirds majority, including the concurring votes of the five permanent members, in order to be incorporated into the Draft Resolution. Amendments to unfriendly amendments are out of order. An Unfriendly Amendment may be withdrawn by its Sponsors at any time before voting on it has commenced. Rule 8.5. Non-substantive Amendments Non-substantive amendments correct errors in spelling or format, and will be incorporated as part of the original Draft Resolution without a vote. IX VOTING Rule 9.1. Voting Rights Each member of the Council shall have one vote on both substantive and procedural matters. No Delegation may cast a vote on behalf of another country. Non-Council Member Nations and Observers shall not have voting rights. Rule 9.2. Votes Required Decisions on procedural matters in the Council require nine affirmative votes for adoption. 9

10 Decisions on substantive matters (i.e. voting on Draft resolution or amendments) in the Council require affirmative votes from nine Members, including the concurring votes of the five permanent members. Rule 9.3. Method of Voting by Roll Call Voting shall begin upon the President's declaration "we are in voting procedure," and end when the results of the vote are announced. After the President has announced the beginning of voting, no representative shall interrupt the voting except on a Point of Order in connection with the actual conduct of the voting. A roll-call shall be taken for voting on the final document of the Council session, following the English alphabetical order of the names of the members. The name of each member shall be called in the roll-call, and its representative shall reply with "yes", "no" or "abstention". Members who abstain from voting do not count as present and voting. Rule 9.5. Method of Voting Clause-by-clause Before the voting procedure the president may raise a motion to make a vote clauseby-clause. In this case, general rule regarding motions applies. Each operative clause is voted on separately. In order to be adopted, each clause requires 9 affirmative votes, including the concurring votes of the five permanent members. After the clauses have been adopted and incorporated into the draft resolution, a vote upon the entire resolution is cast. Rule 9.6. Passing During a roll call vote, a Delegate may choose to pass. The President will place the Delegate at the bottom of the voting list. A Delegate who has passed once during a voting sequence may not pass again but must ascertain their vote. X MUN AGENDA INTRODUCTION 1. Opening by the President (Greetings, brief rules of procedure) 2. Roll call 3. Agenda setting GENERAL DEBATE 4. Opening Speeches 5. Opening the speaker's list 6. Formal/Informal debate - Speeches; points and motions can be made during the debate 7. Closure of the General debate SUBSTANTIVE DEBATE 8. Draft Resolution - reading out the Operative Clauses 9. Speaking time in favor and against 10. Amendments 11. Voting on the Resolution 12. Adjournment of the meeting by the President 10