Y2 MUN 2024

Delegate Briefing
Rules of Procedure
Briefing
By the Academics Team
 ● Quorum
● Debate Line

RoP
○ Roll Call
○ Opening Speeches
○ GSL
○ Points, Motions and Yields
Rules of Procedure ○ Voting
○ Resolution Writing and Debate
● Debate Etiquette
Quorum

● Quorum is set at one-half of the members in the committee

● Quorum must be met
○ For council session to begin
○ For substantive votes to be conducted
Debate Line

● Roll Call
● Opening Speeches
● GSL
○ Points, Motions and Yields
○ Voting
● Resolution Writing and Debate
Roll Call

Member States Observer States

Present and Voting Present
Must vote in procedural voting Must vote in procedural voting
May vote on substantive Cannot vote on substantive
matters (for, against, or matters
abstain)
Opening Speeches

● Duration: 60 seconds
● One compulsory opening speech per topic
● Purpose of an Opening Speech:
○ Express your delegation’s stance and interests
○ First impressions in council
● Things to include:
○ Stance & interests
○ What you hope council will achieve
● No yielding of time to chairs
General Speakers’ List (GSL)

● After opening speeches, council will move directly into the GSL, i.e.
there is no Motion to Move Into GSL
● To be added to the GSL,
○ Raise your placard when the Dais asks for speakers on the GSL
○ Send a note to the Dais requesting to be added to the GSL
● 90 seconds per speech
General Speakers’ List (GSL) - YIELDING

● To the Chairs
○ The only option if you have < 15 seconds left
● To Points of Information
○ Opening yourself to questions from the floor
○ Chairs will moderate, points should be phrased as a succinct
question
● To Another Delegate
○ The other delegate my accept/reject the yield
○ If yield rejected, speaker must yield to another party
General Speakers’ List (GSL) - YIELDING

● No second-degree yields
○ If you have yielded once, you do not need to yield again
○ Attempt to yield to another delegate -> rejected (0 yields) -> yield to
chairs (1 yield)
○ Attempt to yield to POIs -> successful (1 yield) -> yield to chairs (2
yield) -> “thank you”
General Speakers’ List (GSL) - Points

● Point of Personal Privilege

○ The only point that can disrupt a speaker - e.g. Audibility
● Right to Reply
○ If a delegate feels that the integrity of his/her country or person has
been compromised by another delegate’s comments
● Point of Information
● Point of Parliamentary Inquiry
○ Seek clarification about the RoP from the Dais
● Point of Order
○ If the Dais has made an error in the RoP
General Speakers’ List (GSL) - Motions

● Motion for a Moderated / Unmoderated Caucus

● Motion to Introduce a Draft Resolution
● Motion to Move into Direct Voting Procedure
○ Motion to Divide the Question
○ Motion to Divide the House
○ Motion for a Roll Call Vote
● Motion to Suspend/Adjourn Debate
General Speakers’ List (GSL) - Motions

Moderated Caucuses Unmoderated Caucuses

Specific timing per speaker Basically a group discussion
About a given topic Flexible - no set topic
Motion-raiser has to speak Motion-raiser gives 1 minute
either first or last summary at the end of the
caucus
General Speakers’ List (GSL) - Motions

● Motion for a Moderated Caucus

○ Serves to focus and expedite debate by narrowing the scope of
discussion
○ “Motion to move into a moderated caucus of [Total Duration], with an
individual speaking time of [x seconds] to discuss [Topic]. ”
General Speakers’ List (GSL) - Motions

● Motion for a Unmoderated Caucus

○ Informal debate where delegates can engage in deliberations
without moderation from the Chairperson
○ “Motion to move into an unmoderated caucus of (Total Duration).”
○ Once time has elapsed, the proposer of the unmoderated caucus
will give a 1 minute summary speech.
Resolution Debate - What is a resolution?

● A formal document stating all actions by the council

● Outlines the issues and solutions that have been discussed in
council
● Has Preambles and Operatives
● Has sponsors and signatories
○ Sponsors: delegations which agree with all actions outlined
○ Signatories: delegations which want to see the resolution debated
(need not agree with everything)
● One long sentence
Resolution Debate - Sequence of Events

● Introduction
● Amendments
● Direct Voting
Resolution Debate - Structure of a Resolution

● Header

Committee: World Health Organisation

Issue: The Issue of Substandard and Falsified Medicines
Sponsors: People’s Republic of China
Signatories: Central African Republic, Republic of South
Africa, Republic of Guatemala, Kingdom of Spain,
Commonwealth of Australia
Draft Resolution Number: 1
Resolution Debate - Structure of a Resolution

● Preambulatory clauses
○ State the purpose of the committee convening for a particular
session
○ Begins with an italicised verb in its past participle or past continuous
form, and should end with a comma
The World Health Organisation,

Recognising that the WHO is responsible for directing international health

within the United Nations' system and to lead partners in global health
responses,
Resolution Debate - Structure of a Resolution

● Operative clauses
○ The solutions proposed in the committee after debate and
discussion has been carried out.
○ Are numbered, and begin with an italicised verb in the simple
present tense

1. Strongly recommends that Member States establish a group dedicated to

spotcheck pharmaceutical shops in order to check whether products sold
are legitimate considering the economic background of different nations;
2. Further recommends that countries form this group by following any of the
below guidelines:
Resolution Debate - Introducing a Resolution

1. Send it to the chairs for vetting

No draft resolutions may be circulated or referenced to in speeches
without the prior approval of the Dais
2. Motion to introduce draft resolution
○ Requires a simple majority
3. Sponsors will be called upon to read out the main operative clauses of
the draft resolution, reading time
4. 5-minute long Question and Answer session with sponsors
5. Enter open debate with draft resolution(s)
Resolution Debate - Amendments

Friendly Amendments Unfriendly Amendments

Supported by all the sponsors May not be supported by all the

sponsors

Can be passed immediately Require a simple majority to be

without a vote introduced, and a substantive
majority to pass

Introduced by chairs to council at Minimum of 20% of the committee

their discretion once vetted is required as a signatory, no
sponsors
Resolution Debate - Tabling a Resolution

● Throw away the resolution

● Requires a simple majority
● Automatically occurs when 50% of the clauses have been amended
Resolution Debate - Direct Voting Procedure

● Motion to enter Direct Voting Procedure (requires a simple majority)

● Direct Voting Procedure is a phase - all the draft resolutions on the
floor will be voted on in the order they were introduced
○ Unless motion to Reorder Draft Resolutions is passed (requires
simple majority)
● Before each resolution is voted on, there will be close debate on the
draft resolution
○ Maximum of 2 speakers for and against the draft resolution, 90
seconds per speech
● For a resolution to pass, requires a substantive majority
Order of Disruptiveness
● Point of Personal Privilege
● Point of Order
● Point of Parliamentary Inquiry
● Right to Reply
● Motion to adjourn / suspend debate
● Motion for unmoderated caucus
● Motion for moderated caucus
● Motion to introduce draft reso
● Motion to introduce unfriendly amendment
● Motion to move into DVP
● Motion to table draft resolution
Debate Etiquette

● Delegates are expected to treat the conference Secretariat, Staff

Members, and fellow delegates with utmost respect and courtesy
● No cross-talking is allowed during council sessions
● Only speak when you have been recognised
● Use third person when referring to yourself
○ “This delegate of [country]”
● Address the chairs as “Dais” or “Chairs”
Any questions?