Beginning Delegate Booklet A guide through the MUN world Model United Nations THIMUN Rules of Procedure Universal Beginning Delegate Booklet
Table of contents Introduction 2 People at an MUN conference 3 Preparation 5 How to write a resolution 6 At the conference 9 Rules of Procedure Ⅰ 10 Rules of Procedure Ⅱ 13 Appendices 14 1
Introduction This Beginning Delegate Booklet will assist you in finding your way through the preparation for your (first) MUN conference. It may seem difficult to participate, but this guide will make things easier for you by giving step-by-step advice, divided into three main parts: an introduction, the preparation and the conference itself. An additional fourth part includes some sample documents and overviews to clarify the first three parts. This makes the booklet a good reference book as well. What is Model United Nations? Model UN is an academic simulation of the United Nations where students play the role of delegates from different countries and attempt to solve issues of international importance about the policies and perspectives of their assigned delegation. Delegation A few weeks before the conference, delegates are assigned a country or organisation to represent and a forum in which to represent it. They could for example be the delegate of the People s Republic of China in the Security Council. Once they know who they represent, it is important for delegates to find out the issues that will be discussed in their committee and whether their country plays an exceptional role in these matters. For example, if you are the delegate of China in the Security Council and one of the issues is the South China sea dispute, you should of course focus more on this issue than on the other ones. Research It is necessary for delegates to prepare thoroughly before attending a conference. You must learn all about the issues that will be debated, and find out your delegation s opinion on the matters that will be discussed. When a delegate has finished this research, he/she will write this opinion down in the form of a speech, this is then called a policy statement. Delegates must also learn the rules of procedure, to understand how the debate will be conducted. It is usual for delegates to write a policy statement before getting started on preparing a resolution. A policy statement is a brief explanation of their delegation s view regarding the issues. A resolution is a solution to the issues at hand in the form of a formal document. In the second part of this booklet these things will be further explained. Lobbying and the debate Before the actual debate begins, delegates lobby with each other and try to make sure everyone s clauses/resolutions become one resolution, as there won t be enough time to debate lots of different resolutions on the same topic. This process is also called merging, and it is often just as important as the debate itself: real diplomats spend months preparing and lobbying. In MUN, there are times that lobbying is not required, this will be explained further in the booklet. 2
In normal debate, you win by proving the other party wrong or convincing the others of your point of view. In (Model) United Nations, this is not enough. You must also propose new ways of tackling the problem. Delegates are expected to be productive rather than destructive. The goal of the debate is to change and pass the resolutions created during the lobbying process. It is possible to change parts of a resolution to make it more effective. This is called amending, which means you do not have reject a resolution that does not fully match your delegation s opinion, but you can attempt to change a clause. Voting At the end of the debate the forum votes on whether to pass the resolution. In most committees, a resolution passes when at least half of the committee is in favour, in some forums a 2/3 rd majority is needed. Guest speakers To emphasise the educational nature of MUN and raise the level of debate in the forums, guest speakers will address the delegates in the forum during the conference. The guest speakers are experts on topics, and will attempt to educate the delegates more about the issues on the agenda. Please note that not all conferences have guest speakers. People at an MUN conference Delegates The ones that are representing a delegation during the debate in a specific forum. Student Officers Also called Chairs/Presidents. Student Officers (StOff) lead the debate, write research reports and oversee the committee. Admins The Admins, officially called Administrative Staff, will pass notes in the committees and help delegates, StOff and Staff during the conference. Staff The students who organised the conference. Secretary-General The highest position in the Staff. Board of Directors (BoD) The teachers who helped to organise the conference and guide the Staff. MUN Directors and Student Advisors An MUN Director is a teacher from a school who will guide the school s delegates at the conference. A 3
Student Advisor is an experienced delegate from a school who will help delegates prepare for the conference and guide them during it. If a delegate has any questions the MUN Directors and Student Advisors are the ones to help him/her. Dress code To emphasise the serious and diplomatic atmosphere of the conference, all delegates must be dressed appropriately. This means a suit and tie for men, and for girls a dress or a skirt with blouse, without showing too much skin (shoulders/thighs). Keep in mind that appropriate shoes are a part of your outfit as well (so don't wear sneakers). Other aspects of the conference To accentuate the importance of diplomacy, delegates will apart from the fact that they are expected to attend the conference in formal attire all speak English. The overall atmosphere is much the same as a real United Nations world summit. Besides an educational experience, MUN also offers a great opportunity for social interaction. Delegates from all over the world do not only debate complex issues, but also have lunch together. This way students not only learn more about the issues, but can also learn about other topic from someone else s point of view. To offer some relaxation in-between the difficult debates, most MUNs organise a party, where delegates get to know each other a bit better and have fun. 4
Preparation The second part of this booklet focuses on aspects before the conference. Success in a Model United Nations conference requires proper preparation. Lacking preparation results into a situation in which debates seem dull and tedious. However, with a proper preparation these debates are very interesting and educative. Research Once you have been assigned a country or organisation, you can start doing your research. First, it is important to know something about the United Nations in general and the committee you are part of in specific. Second, you are going to research the delegation you are a delegate of. This is called country research or organisation research, which will be further explained in the next paragraph. The third step is to read the Research Reports. These are documents made by your chairs, in which the issue is explained. You can find them at the website of the conference you are attending. In a Research Report you will also find a timeline, the involved countries, possible solutions, useful links for further issue research and the definitions of key terms. To further research an issue you can look at previous resolutions of the UN, in which you can for example find the focus of the UN on the issue or aspects of the issue you had not thought of before. The Internet is of course a huge source of information, but be aware that not all sources are trustworthy. The best way to gain information is to find organisations that are involved in the issue. It can be the case that a delegate needs to hold an opening speech at the Opening Ceremony of the conference. If so, the delegate must prepare a general speech about their country and their country s view on some topics of the conference. An MUN-director or an experienced delegate can easily help with writing such a speech. Country/organisation research As stated before, a delegate can represent either a country or an organisation. You should understand the country or organisation as if you were one of its diplomats. You must identify yourself with the delegation you represent and set aside your personal beliefs. Furthermore, a general understanding of the history, economy, culture, geography and foreign relations of the country you represent will help you understand the political viewpoints of your country. If you will represent an organisation, a clear overview of the history, power and role of your organisation are most important. To help you get to know your country here are some questions to answer: What is your country s official name? What region of the world is your country located in? How big is your country? Who are your country s neighbours? How would you describe your country s physical features and climate? When was your country founded? What type of government does your country have? 5
Who are your country s allies? Enemies? What is your country s capital? What is your country s population? What is your country s ethnic composition? What is your country s official language? How would you describe the quality of life in your country? What is your country s total Gross Domestic Product? What are some of your country s natural resources? What are your country s major imports and exports? What are your country s biggest trading partners? To help you get to know your organisation here are some questions to answer: Is your organisation a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) or an International Governmental Organisation (IGO)? Who are your main investors and financial funders? (if applicable to your organisation) Who are your organisation's main trading partners? What are comparable NGOs seen as partner or competitor? What is the main goal of your organisation? What are your organisation s previous achievements? What is the location of your organisation s headquarters? Policy statement When you know most important things about your delegation and you have read the research reports, you should have an idea of your delegation s opinion on the issue. Now you can start to make a policy statement. A policy statement is a short text which summarises your knowledge of the topic and briefly explains the policy of your country. It includes the background of your country s position, its current position and what it hopes to achieve regarding the topic discussed. If a chair randomly picks you to speak during the debate, you can just read your policy statement as a speech. How to write a resolution What is a resolution? A resolution is a solution to the issues at hand in the form of a formal document. The content is divided into two main parts: preambulatory clauses and operative clauses. Preambulatory clauses explain the problem and why we want to solve it, operative clauses state how we want to solve the issue. Structure and format Aside from a heading, which only covers some references, all parts of a resolution together form one long sentence. This sentence consists of several similar units called clauses. Heading The very first part, before the long sentence, is the heading. In this heading the forum in which the issue 6
is discussed, the issue itself, the main-submitter and the co-submitters are mentioned. While making a draft resolution in the committee, the delegates must choose a main submitter. Co-submitters can be filled out in the committee. Use the official names of states and organizations. A resolution will look as followed: FORUM: QUESTION OF: MAIN SUBMITTER: CO-SUBMITTERS: GA4 Improving the fair participation of African countries in protected markets Kenya Indonesia, The Netherlands, Ireland, Philippines, Germany, Paraguay, Libya, Congo, Canada, Japan, India, Austria, South Korea, Mali. Subject After the header, again write down the name of your forum, but this time in capitals and followed by a comma. It will be the subject of one long sentence, which is the resolution. For an example, see below: THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, Preambulatory clauses When you have a heading and subject, you write the preambulatory clauses. Every preambulatory clause starts with one of the preambulatory phrases, which can be found at the end of this booklet. Every preambulatory clause starts with a capital letter. A preambulatory clause always ends with a comma. The preambulatory clauses are a motivation of the actions that will be exposed in the part of the operative clauses. See example below. Concerned by the lack of access of most African countries to global markets for goods and services, Operative clauses After the preambulatory clauses, the most important part of a resolution comes: the operative clauses. Every operative clause must be numbered and starts with one of the operative phrases, which can be found at the end of the booklet. The operative phrases are always underlined and every operative clause ends with a semicolon, except for the last operative clause, which ends with a period. The last clause makes the end of the resolution and thus the end of the sentence. See example below. 7
6.) Encourages regional integration among the African countries to reduce barriers and foster intraregional trade; Enumeration Operative clauses can have sub-clauses or sub-sub-clauses. Sub-clauses and sub-sub-clauses do not start with a capital or with specific phrases. They end with a comma, except for the last one, which ends with a semicolon. Clauses with only one sub-clause should be rephrased into one clause without sub-clauses. And sub-clauses with only one sub-sub-clause should be rephrased into one sub-clause. 1) *clause 1* a) Sub-clause a, b) Sub-clause b, i) Sub-sub-clause i, ii) Sub-sub-clause ii; Abbreviations Abbreviations may only be used when the concept, organisation or body referred to is fully written out at least when it first appears. The abbreviation should then be put in brackets directly after the full term. From this point on, the abbreviation may be used. For an example resolution, see the image below. 8
At the conference General flow of debate 1. Each committee is led by a main Chair/President and one (or more) Deputy Chair/Deputy President that facilitate the discussion for the committee. The committee will start with the Student Officers (Chairs) taking roll call, meaning checking attendance. 2. The committee will enter the Lobbying procedure and submit the final resolutions. 3. Each submitted resolution will be debated one at a time (after being approved by the Approval Panel, see explanation below). 4. Amendments may be submitted by the delegates. 5. Delegates will vote on the amendments after time has elapsed for discussing each one, and delegates will vote on the resolution after time has elapsed on discussing the resolution. The committee will repeat the process for the next resolution until all of them have been discussed. Approval Panel Once a delegate has finished his/her resolution, has checked it on spelling and grammar and has found enough co-submitters, the delegate and his/her chair must send it to the Approval Panel. The resolution will be checked (mostly on format) by the Approval Panel. A resolution can be rejected or approved. In case it is rejected, the delegate must correct it (with help of the chair) and then send it to the Approval Panel again. If the resolution is approved, it is ready for the debate. 9
Rules of Procedure Ⅰ In this chapter the rules of procedure for lobbying committees are explained. In the Introduction is mentioned that there are committees that don t have to lobby before commencing debate, the rules of procedure for these committees are explained in Rules of Procedure Ⅱ. Informal debate This is called lobbying as well and is previously explained in this booklet. The only difference in meaning between informal debate and lobbying is that informal debate can be anytime during the conference, while lobbying (most of the time) is at the beginning. Informal debate is a moment for the delegates to speak to other members of the committee and discuss certain points with them. Often delegates use informal debate time to write clauses or speeches on the issue at hand. If it is necessary for a delegate to leave the committee, this is the time to go, of course with approval of the chair. Formal debate After the official opening by the Chair, the resolutions made by the members of the committee will be discussed. This starts with the main submitter reading out the operative clauses. Then, the chair will set open debate time for this resolution. Open debate means that both supporters and opponents of the resolution can get the floor at any time the floor is open. After debate time has been set, the main submitter of the resolution has the floor (the right to speech) to give a speech in which he or she will explain the resolution and defends it. When the main submitter has finished this speech, the chair will ask if he/she is open to any points of information (questions asked by the delegates in the committee). There are now three options: 1. The delegate is open to any at all points of information 2. The delegate is open to a certain number of points of information 3. The delegate is not open to points of information In the first option the delegate simply answers all the questions there are. If there are too many, the chair decides when there have been enough. In the second option the delegate could, for instance, say he/she is open to three points of information. In this case the chair will choose three points of information for the delegate to answer. This can be useful if you do not want to answer many questions, but still want to show that you do endure some critical questions. In the third option the debate will move on. Please note that if you say that you re not open to points of information, you might look a bit unprofessional. However, when you ve only made a short statement and are quite sure that everyone understood what you meant, it may also look good when you do it. When all questions have been answered, the delegate will have to yield (give away) the floor to someone else: either to the chair or to the delegate of another country. Most of the time this will be to the chair, if it is yielded to another delegate the chair will ask of the delegates accepts this yield and then the delegates will have the floor depending on their answer. When the floor is yielded to the chair he/she can then choose the next speaker. The chair will do this by asking the delegates to raise their placard if they wish to have the floor. It is also possible for the Chair to call on a delegate who has not 10
requested the floor, most of the time this is a delegate that hasn t spoken much. This delegate will often accept the floor and speak in the interest of debate. Accepting the floor in this case is not obligated. When a speaker has been chosen, the whole process of giving a speech, answering questions and yielding the floor will be repeated. A simplified overview of the course of debate can be found in the appendices at the end of the booklet. Amendments During formal debate, delegates can submit amendments, proposed changes to the text of the resolution. All amendments must be submitted to the Chair. The intention of an amendment should be constructive, meaning it should improve the resolution. A separate amendment sheet must be used for each amendment or amendment to an amendment, which is also called an amendment to the second degree. You can ask an Admin for an amendment sheet. When you fill out your amendment sheet you can strike, add, replace or change a clause. Once you have submitted your amendment to the Chair and you want it to be debated, you have to request the floor and state that you have submitted an amendment. The Chair will then confirm that an amendment has been submitted and read out the text of the amendment. After the delegate has given a speech about his/her amendment, answered questions and has yielded the floor, the chair will set closed debate time for this amendment. Closed debate time consists of time in favour and time against. During time in favour, only speeches supporting this amendment will be in order and the opposite is true during time against. After time in favour and against has passed or if there are no more delegates wishing to speak, the committee will move into voting procedure. Voting procedure will be explained in the next paragraph. Voting procedure After all delegates had made their speech or time has run out, the committee will move into voting procedure. During voting procedure no notes may be passed to one another and every delegate must be present in the committee. The chair will first ask all delegates that are in favour of the previous discussed subject (resolution, amendment etc.) to raise their placards. The Admins will now count the number of votes in favour. After that, the chair will ask all delegates that are against the previous discussed subject to raise their placards and the Admins will count again. If the committee is voting on a resolution as a whole, delegates are also allowed to abstain. This means to vote neither in favour or against. After all votes have been counted the chair will see if the discussed subject has passed or not, depending on the number of votes in favour. In most committees, if the majority of the delegates has voted in favour the discussed subject passes. In some committees however, a 2/3 rd majority or even a unanimous vote is needed to pass a subject. Points and motions Motions A motion is a specific action made by delegates to direct the debate in a certain direction. To pass a motion, there must be no objections and a second will be needed, a second means another delegate agrees with the motion and says so. Every point and motion must be directed to the chair. Please note 11
that most motions can be overruled by the chair and that a motion may never interrupt a speaker. Motion to move the previous question: this motion can be used when debating time has not yet expired, but delegates feel that there is nothing left to say and thus want to move to the next stage of the debate. In case of a closed debate, time in favour will become time against and time against will become voting procedure. Motion to appeal from a decision made by the chair: this is used when delegates do not agree with the chair s decision and thus want to do something else. Please note that the chair can still overrule this motion. Motion to do a revote: this motion can be used when delegates believe something went wrong during the voting procedure or when they believe they have voted incorrectly (e.g. when a delegate has accidentally voted against instead of in favour) Motion to divide the house: This motion is called when the delegates are not sure the vote was correct and all the votes have been counted correctly. If this motion is granted then the chair will vote by roll call, meaning he/she will go over the roll call one by one and note if the particular delegate is in favour or against (or abstaining, if allowed). Motion to table the resolution: request to pause the debate on that resolution and move to the next resolution. The tabled resolution will be debated later. Often the chair will do a vote on whether to table the resolution. Motion to adjourn debate: This motion calls for a break of debate. The delegate should suggest the amount of minutes he/she wants to adjourn. If accepted, the committee will have recess or informal debate. Motion to extend debate time: a request to spend more time debating on the resolution or amendment. Motion to extend Points of Information (to the speaker): a delegate can use this motion if they wish to ask a point of information after the speaker has answered all previous questions. Points A point is a request/question by a delegate. Point of Parliamentary Inquiry: used when a delegate has a question about the rules of procedure. Point of Information to o the chair: used when a delegate has a question about what s going on in the committee or when a delegate does not understand a term or has another question regarding the issue. o the speaker: used when a delegate has a question for the delegate who has just finished a speech. A delegate may only ask a question if the delegate has opened him/herself to points of information (the chair will ask if they are open to that). Point of Personal Privilege: used when a delegate experiences personal discomfort that hinders their ability to participate in committee. Examples: temperature of room, distractions during committee, not being able to read an amendment, etc. o Point of personal privilege due to audibility: this point can be used if a delegate can t hear what the speaker is saying. By stating this point you ask the speaker to talk louder/more clearly. This is the only point or motion that may interrupt a speaker. 12
Point of Order: used when a delegate believes that the chair or a delegate has made a mistake regarding the rules of procedure. Vocabulary and phrasing A debate is a formal type of discussion. Therefore, delegates and Chairs must follow certain rules and must use some formal phrases. These rules are that no delegates refers to another delegates as you or him/her, instead the delegate of must be used. Delegates may address the Chair with you. The Chair may address a delegate with you. In the appendices at the end of the booklet you will be able to find a simplified overview on the modes of address. Rules of Procedure Ⅱ Here the rules of procedure for so called ad hoc committees are explained. Since the rules of procedure of ad hoc committees are not very different from the rules of procedure of lobbying committees, some phases of the debate are not again explained in detail. Informal debate Where lobbying committees spend hours merging pre-written resolutions, ad hoc committees spend little lobbying time. The difference between a lobbying committee and an ad hoc committee is that an ad hoc committee does not discuss pre-written resolutions, but creates one during the debate. Hence, the informal debate time is not long. During informal debate delegates can write and send in clauses. Formal debate The form of debating in an ad hoc committee is not very different from a lobbying committee. There are a few big changes however. The first one is that the committee start the formal debate with a blank sheet of paper on which they together, during the debate, create a resolution. This means the resolution that the committee will make has no main submitter. The debate starts with open debate on the issue as a whole, and the chair will ask if there are any delegates wishing to take the floor. When a delegate has the floor, he/she can submit an amendment containing a clause (or give a general speech about the issue). If granted by the chair, the amendment submitted by the delegate will become the first part of the resolution the committee is discussing. The committee will move into normal debate where a speaker speeches, answers points of information and yield the floor. After that, closed debate time is set and debate continues. Next, open debate is resumed and the chair asks again if there are any delegates wishing to take the floor, and debate continues. In most ad hoc committees it is not possible to change already passed amendments (which have turned into clauses on the resolution). Usually the committee will go over the whole created resolution on the issue after all submitted amendments have been discussed. The committee will then move into voting procedure on the resolution as a whole. The voting procedure, points and motions, vocabulary and phrasing used in ad hoc committees are the same as in lobbying committees. 13
Appendices Here you can find some useful images and documents for your MUN-experience. Simplified overview of the course of debate 14
Simplified overview of how to address committee members Preambulatory Phrases Acknowledging Affirming Alarmed by Approving Aware of Bearing in mind Believing Confident Congratulating Conscious Contemplating Convinced Declaring Deeply concerned Deeply conscious Deeply convinced Deeply disturbed Deeply regretting Desiring Emphasising Operative phrases Accepts Affirms Approves Asks Authorises Calls for Calls upon Confirms Congratulates Emphasises Encourages Endorses Expresses its appreciation Expecting Expressing its appreciation Expressing its concern Expressing its satisfaction Fully alarmed Fully aware Fully believing Further recalling Guided by Having adopted Having considered Having considered further Having devoted attention Having examined Having heard Having received Having studied Keeping in mind Noting Noting further Expresses its hope Further invites Further proclaims Further recommends Further requests Further resolves Hopes Insists Invites Proclaims Proposes Reaffirms Recommends Noting with appreciation Noting with approval Noting with deep concern Noting with regret Noting with satisfaction Observing Pointing out Reaffirming Realising Recalling Recognising Referring Reminding Seeking Stressing Considering Taking into consideration Taking note Viewing with appreciation Welcoming Regrets Requests Resolves Seeks Stresses Strongly affirms Strongly urges Suggests Supports Trusts Urges 15