A GUIDE TO THE

MODEL UN
RULES OF PROCEDURE
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 Some points to bear in mind
1. A delegate represents his/her assigned country’s present government.
2. Different countries will have different approaches to the same problem, and in the UN (and MUN),
they are all allowed to voice theirs freely. Thus, debate is the most important part of MUN. One would
be giving speeches throughout the conference with complete adherence to their country’s stance.
3. Any formal suggestion to the committee is raised as a motion. If a delegate wants the committee to
implement something, he/she should raise a motion and suggest the same.
4. All motions will be voted upon. Most motions in MUN require a simple majority (atleast half of all
delegates who vote should be in favour) in most cases. Some need two-thirds in favour, called a
qualified majority.
5. If a generic motion passes with above 50% votes in favour, the suggestion will be taken up. Otherwise,
the motion will fail. Then, the next motion on the floor will be taken up.
6. The ‘floor’ is basically the delegate’s right to speak. If a delegate ‘has the floor for 60 seconds’, it
means that they can speak for the next 60 seconds.
7. In some cases, the Chair may pass a motion by his/her own will. In this case, the motion will not be
voted upon. It is considered as passed by the EB’s discretion.
8. Certain motions need to be seconded. They are debatable and require two delegates each supporting
them (in favour) and opposing them (against) to speak on them, before they are put to vote in
committee.

Some do’s and don’ts in committee

1. Do speak up and participate actively in committee. MUN is only enjoyable when you are a proactive
delegate.
2. Do allow every delegate a chance to speak in informal sessions.
3. Do show proper restraint while raising a point.
4. Do refer to yourself and the other delegates in third-person.
5. Always be a tactful, polite, and considerate delegate.
6. Don’t resort to unparliamentary or undiplomatic behaviour.
7. Don’t be distracted during committee proceedings.
8. Don’t raise points which are dilatory in nature.
9. Never be disrespectful to the Executive Board. Never interrupt your Chair.

In this booklet Note!

If you are a first-timer, the rules of
1. Roll Call Vote 8. Amendments procedure may seem daunting. Do
2. General Speakers’ List 9. Voting not worry. It’s very easy to adapt to
3. Points 10. Press Session
them in committee, and that’s where
4. Moderated Caucuses 11. Other motions and
5. Unmoderated Caucuses terminologies you’ll best understand them. This
6. Resolution writing 12. Glossary/lexicon booklet only aims to compile them
7. Question and Answer 13. References and and act as a ready reckoner, it is not
Session attachments a beginner’s manual.

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 Motion to begin formal session
 It is the first motion. It kick-starts committee proceedings.
 After the passage of this motion, all participants are officially considered to be the delegates of the
countries they represent.
 It is generally passed by the Chair’s discretion.

1 The Roll Call Vote

 The Roll Call Vote is like attendance in a MUN. Raise the motion!
 The chair calls out the names of countries from Chair: Delegates, are there any points or motions
a list of all the attending members in the on the floor?
house. (delegate of Chile raises his/her placard)
Chair: Yes, delegate of Chile?
 When their country’s name is called out, the Chile: Motion to begin roll call vote.
delegate must clarify his/her voting stance. Chair: That motion is passed by the Chair’s
Voting Stances discretion/ in order. (motion passes if voted upon)
Chair: Delegate of Afghanistan?
A delegate can have any of these voting stances—
Afghanistan: Present.
i. Present; Chair: Delegate of Argentina?
ii. Present and Voting; and Argentina: Present and Voting.
iii. Absent (Chair proceeds to call out every member’s country
in an alphabetical order, they clarify their stances.)

Present, Present and Voting—What’s the

difference?
 A delegate whose voting stance is Present, has the option to abstain (not vote) on motions. He/she
can also change their voting stance to Present and Voting anytime by notifying the Chair.
 A delegate whose voting stance is Present and Voting, cannot abstain and must vote in favour or
against every motion. Also, he/she cannot change his/her stance in the committee. (Once Present and
Voting, always Present and Voting).
 A delegate is Absent if he/she is not in committee (and one can’t choose this voting stance).

If my stance is ‘present’, can I abstain from voting

Present on any and all motions?
present
and voting
No. Voting is compulsory on some motions
 Can abstain from  Cannot abstain from (procedural motions), such as the caucuses (more
voting voting details later). However, it is optional for some
motions (substantive motions) like voting on draft
 Can change voting  Cannot change voting resolutions and amendments, and one can abstain
stance stance
from voting on them.

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 Debate Quorum
In MUN, debate is of two types, formal and informal. The quorum refers to the number of delegates
Formal debate comprises of the General Speakers’ who are in attendance in the committee. For
List (GSL) and informal debate consists of Moderated example, if 50 delegates are to be in
Caucuses and Unmoderated Caucuses. Most part of committee, but 5 are absent, the quorum
the conference will revolve around them. stands at 45 delegates. The quorum should be
at a minimum of 1/3 of total committee strength
*More details are given further. (may vary in a few cases), otherwise, formal
session cannot begin.

The majorities
 A simple majority needs (1/2 × quorum)+1 of votes The agenda
in favour to pass. The agenda is the main subject the committee
 A qualified majority needs (2/3 × quorum) of votes is discussing. Sometimes, there may be more
in favour to pass. than one agenda for a committee to discuss.

2 The General Speakers’ list

(GSL)

 After the Roll Call Vote, the committee Raise the motion!
proceeds into debate by opening the
General Speakers’ List (GSL), which is Chair: Delegates, are there any points or motions
moderated by the Chair. on the floor?
(delegate of Georgia raises his/her placard)
 The GSL is, as the name suggests, a long list
Chair: Yes, delegate of Georgia?
of delegates who wish to address the
Georgia: Motion to begin GSL.
committee on the agenda.
Chair: That motion is in order.
 It has no particular topic, and a delegate (voting on the motion)
may speak about anything that he/she Chair: Delegates in favour? (placards raised)
believes to be of pertinence and importance (assuming this motion passes)
to the committee and agenda. Chair: This motion clearly passes. All the delegates
 By default, the speaker has the floor (can wishing to speak in the GSL?
speak) for 11/2 minutes in the GSL. (assuming three delegates raise their placards first)
(the chair recognises them, calls out their name, and
 A speaker can add themselves back to the adds them to the list)
GSL after finishing their speech, by officially (after all delegates who want to speak are recognised,
notifying the Chair. the speakers begin to give their speeches.)
 Delegates generally use the GSL to clarify
their country’s stance on the agenda or to Yields
define a roadmap for the committee.
If some time is left after a delegate’s GSL speech, he/
 Exhaustion of the Speakers’ List (i.e. after she can—
the last speaker on the GSL makes their 1. Yield (give up) the time to the Chair;
speech) automatically closes debate, and 2. Yield the time to Points of Information
the committee moves into voting procedure (discussed later); or
after this happens. 3. Yield the time to another delegate.

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 3 Points

 Points are arguments presented to committee, generally made at the end of a speech (in the GSL or
a moderated caucus), or when the floor is open to them.
 They are of four types, among which one (the Point of Order) has two subdivisions.
 They are—
i) Point of Personal Privilege,
ii) Point of order
a) Logical fallacy
b) Factual inaccuracy
iii) Point of Parliamentary Enquiry, and
iv) Point of Information.
 The points are listed above in the decreasing order of importance. Thus, points of personal privilege
have priority over all other points. This sequence is called the Order of Precedence.
 Please note that a delegate may not interrupt a speaker with a point, unless it is a point of personal
privilege.
 The Chair reserves the right not to entertain a point, if the delegate raising it did not show proper
restraint while doing so. Also, the point may not be taken if it is dilatory in nature.
 Points must always be addressed to the Chair and not to another delegate.

Points

Point of Point of
Point of Point of
Personal Parliamentary
Order Information
Privilege Enquiry

Factual
Logical Fallacy
Inaccuracy

Concerning Concerning
Concerning Concerning
delegate’s clarifications
errors in a doubts regarding
comfort and (basically
speech ROP/committee
safety questions) on a
speech/resolution

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 Point of personal Point of order
privilege Concerning errors in a speech
Concerning delegate’s comfort and safety If a speaker states something incorrect in his/her
speech, a delegate can raise the Point of Order to
A delegate should raise a point of personal
bring it to light. If it concerns an illogical statement,
privilege when they want to bring the
one should raise a Point of Order, Logical Fallacy. If
committee’s attention to something
the delegate made a statement that is untrue or
concerning his/her comfort or which hinders
against factual evidence, one should raise a Point of
him/her from participating fully in committee.
Order, Factual Inaccuracy.
It can be used for audibility issues

(delegate of Armenia wants the windows shut (the Delegate of France is making a speech)
due to noise and raises his/her placard) France: ...and so, the Delegate of France believes that
all illegal weaponry should be banned.
Chair: Yes, delegate of Armenia?
(after speech)
Armenia: Point of personal privilege. Could Chair: Delegates, are there any points on that speech?
the delegate shut the windows due to (delegate of UAE raises placard)
excessive noise? Chair: Yes, delegate of the UAE?
(obtains permission and shuts the windows) UAE: Point of Order, logical fallacy. In his speech, the
delegate of France stated, (quote unquote) “All illegal
weaponry should be banned”. This statement is
logically fallacious. ‘Illegal weaponry’ cannot be
Point of
banned, as by definition, something that is banned has
parliamentary
already been made illegal.
enquiry
Concerning doubts regarding ROP/committee
(delegate of Belarus making a speech)
If a delegate happens to have any doubt
Belarus: ...the current Prime Minister of the UK, Mr
regarding the Rules of Procedure, or wants to
Donald J Trump…
know something about how committee
(after speech)
works, he/she must raise a Point of
Chair: Delegates, are there any points on that speech?
Parliamentary Enquiry.
(delegate of India raises placard)
Chair: Yes, delegate of India?
(floor open to points, a delegate shows placard) India: Point of Order, factual inaccuracy. In his
Chair: Yes, delegate? speech, the delegate of France stated, (quote
Delegate: Point of parliamentary enquiry. unquote) “the current Prime Minister of the UK, Mr
When would the delegate have to speak? Donald J Trump”. This statement is factually
(chair clarifies delegate’s position on the list) inaccurate as the PM of the UK is Mr Boris Johnson.

Point of (delegate of USA makes a speech on importance of

information climate action… after speech )
Concerning clarifications on a speech Chair: Delegates, are there any points on that speech?
Points of Information can be made on a GSL (delegate of Poland raises placard)
speech (if the delegate yields to them) or on a Chair: Yes, delegate of Poland?
resolution (explained later). If the delegate Poland: Point of Information. The delegate of the US
seeks a clarification from the speaker on any has stated that it is of great importance to take global
matter touched upon in the speech, he/she action against climate change. The delegate of Poland
may raise a Point of Information. In short, it is wishes to know the delegate’s views on US’s
a question made to the speaker. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement in 2019.

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 4 Moderated caucuses

 Most of the debate in a MUN happens in The need for them

the form of Moderated Caucuses.
An agenda consists of many sub-parts in itself and the
 They are specific time-slots devoted to
committee must address all of them. It does so
discussing a particular element of the
systematically in the form of moderated caucuses. For
agenda.
example—if the committee is discussing climate
 Debate in moderated caucuses is
change, then discussing the role of carbon emissions
managed/conducted by the Chair.
in catalysing climate change is an important sub-topic
 Multiple moderated caucuses will be raised
likely to be addressed by a Moderated Caucus.
throughout committee proceedings
discussing every relevant aspect of the
agenda, including its solutions. Raise the motion!
 A delegate who raises a moderated caucus Chair: Delegates, are there any points or motions on
specifies— the floor?
1. Total duration of the caucus; (delegate of Uganda raises placard)
2. Time allotted to every speaker; and Chair: Yes, delegate of Uganda?
3. Topic of the caucus. Uganda: Motion to begin a moderated caucus for 20
 The delegate who raises the moderated minutes on ‘Human rights violations in warzones’
caucus must speak in it, if it passes. He/she allotting 1 minute per speaker.
may choose to speak first or last. Chair: That motion is in order. (voting commences)
 Points can be raised after speeches, but
not points of information, unless the Chair
wishes for the quality of debate to improve A Tip
and makes such a concession. You can make lists of moderated caucuses to raise in
 A pertinent moderated caucus may be committee, or of those which will surely be raised.
extended by, at maximum, half of its
original duration.
 Yields cannot be made on speeches in Note
moderated caucuses. If a motion is raised thrice, and fails each time it is
raised, it cannot be raised again.

Moderated General
Caucuses speakers’ list

 Specific topic  No specific topic

 Duration and speaking time  Speaking time is predefined (90s)

defined by delegate who raises the and motion continues until
motion interrupted by another
 Speakers can be added back after
 Defined number of speakers
giving their speech
 Yields/points of information can be
 No yields/points of information*
made
*Points of information may be entertained in Moderated Caucuses if time remains.
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 5 Unmoderated caucuses

 An unmoderated caucus is a temporary Raise the motion!

recess in which delegates can freely walk (floor open to motions, delegate of UK raises placard)
up to one another and discuss. Chair: Yes, delegate of the UK?
 They are not managed or moderated by the UK: Motion to begin an unmoderated caucus for 20
Chair, unlike GSL or moderated caucuses. minutes (optional: specification) to discuss bloc
 Unmoderated caucuses are generally raised formation.
when lobbying is to be done while writing a Chair: That motion is in order. (voting commences)
draft resolution (explained later), or when
committee needs to discuss other issues.
 Rules of procedure are suspended during Some things to know
unmoderated caucuses. While Unmoderated Caucuses could seem like
 Bonus—Unmoderated caucuses are always breaks, know that they are very high-marking. They
voted upon before moderated caucuses if 2- could also tend to become unruly, so a delegate who
3 motions are raised at once, because of the can dominate and manage them tactfully is likely to
Order of Disruption. be seen as a leader in committee. Use these well!

Right to reply
Motion to
The Right to Reply is a provision which allows
begin formal
delegates to counter any remark which has
session
challenged their country’s sovereignty and
integrity. It may also be exercised in case of
personal affronts or challenges.
Roll Call Vote
Motion to table
the debate
A motion to table the debate is raised when
General Speakers’ debate on a particular subject is to be
List temporarily suspended and resumed later. It
(formal debate) requires a qualified majority to pass.

Motion to close
the debate
Moderated Unmoderated
Caucuses Caucuses A motion to close the debate is raised when
(formal-informal (informal-informal all discussions relating to the agenda have
debate) debate) been completed, and the committee must
begin with the voting procedure (explained
later). It requires a qualified majority to pass.

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 6 Resolutions

A Resolution—what is it?
 Extensive debate in committee leads to arrival at solutions for the agenda. The main result of the
committee will be a document called a resolution.
 A resolution, as the name suggests, is meant to resolve the problem at hand—the agenda.
 Resolutions are documents used by the UN to make decisions, and are written by groups of member
states (blocs).
 A resolution has two main functions—
i. Determine role of the UN in the issue
ii. Recommend what individual member states could do about the issue
 Resolutions are first introduced as draft resolutions in committee. Every bloc works on its own draft
resolution.
(source)

Draft Resolution—parts
A resolution has three parts.
1. Heading—Contains the basic information about the draft resolution, like title, committee,
agenda, names of sponsors and signatories, etc. (explained shortly)
2. Preambular clauses—These clauses make up the former part of a resolution and introduce the
agenda. They explain why agenda is of pertinence and begin with preambular phrases.
3. Operative clauses—These clauses make up the latter part of a resolution and enlist solutions to
the agenda. They explain what can be done to solve the issue and begin with operative phrases.
Note that a resolution is essentially one long sentence split into clauses, a period occurs only at the end.
There is a very particular format for the writing of a draft resolution, find it here.

Heading Preambular clauses

 Basic details of the resolution  Introduce the resolution
 These include—  Explain why the agenda is important
 Resolution title  Begin with preambular phrases—find samples here
 Committee name  Are not numbered
 Agenda in question  End with commas
 Sponsors (discussed later)  Don’t have sub-clauses or sub-sub-clauses
 Signatories (discussed later)  Are generally not amended
Find sample preambular phrases here.

Operative clauses
 Make up the body of the resolution
 Explain what can be done to solve the agenda
 Begin with operative phrases
 Are numbered
 End with semicolons, except the last one which ends with a period
 Can have sub-clauses and/or sub-sub-clauses—
 Sub-clauses begin with lowercase alphabets (a, b, c, etc.)
 Sub-sub-clauses begin with lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc.)
 Can be amended
Find sample operative phrases here.

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 Resolution writing:
Committee dynamics

blocs Authors of a draft

 Committee splits into factions of member resolution
states called blocs at the end of debate. In the blocs formed within committee, delegates
 Blocs are formed by groups of member states are categorised into two roles, based on their
which mutually agree upon certain solutions contribution to the draft resolution—
to the agenda. 1. Sponsors—Sponsors are the authors of a
 Bloc formation is based on political stance, or draft resolution who agree with every clause
in a few cases, region. of the same. They are the main writers of the
 It is very important to keep one’s foreign draft resolution.
policy in mind before joining/forming a bloc. 2. Signatories—Delegates who do not
 All the blocs formed within the committee necessarily contribute to the draft resolution,
focus on authoring draft resolutions. but see some merit in it and wish to see it
introduced in committee, are signatories.
Note that the sponsor of a draft resolution can be a
The process signatory to another.
1. Blocs are formed in the committee. Bloc
formation and finalisation is generally done in
unmoderated caucuses. Bloc merging
2. Member states of a bloc gather to list down If too many draft resolutions are being made—or
mutually accepted solutions in the form of a if two or more blocs have very similar solutions—
working paper. A working paper has all the those blocs may have to merge. In that case, they
contents of a draft resolution, but not in the will combine the points of both their draft
exact, required format. (*working papers may resolutions into a single one.
not be taken if there is paucity of time)
3. After approval from the Chair, working papers
are modified into the appropriate and exact Committee
format of a draft resolution.
4. All blocs submit their draft resolutions to the splits into
Chair.
In which delegates
can be Sponsors
Can there be draft resolutions without any blocs? Blocs
(main authors)
Yes, if the whole committee agrees upon the
or
solutions, a unanimous draft resolution can be
made and adopted by consensus.

Signatories
Can every delegate in the bloc be a sponsor? (contributors)
No. There’s a limit to the number of sponsors a
draft resolution can have. However, there’s no
limit to the number of signatories a bloc/draft
resolution can have. More signatories equates to
more support for a draft resolution.
who work
on a Draft Resolution

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 7 question & answer session

 After all blocs submit their draft resolutions to the Raise the motion!
Chair, the committee moves into the Question and (assume that Resolution Aries is on the floor)
Answer session. Chair: Delegates, are there any points or
 Firstly, the draft resolutions are introduced in motions on the floor?
committee in the order of their submissions. That (delegate of Azerbaijan raises placard)
is, the first draft resolution to be submitted is Chair: Delegate of Azerbaijan?
introduced first. Azerbaijan: Motion to begin a Question and
 The sponsors of the first draft resolution on the Answer Session on Resolution Aries.
floor read out every clause of the same. Chair: That motion is in order. (voting, the
 Then, the floor opens to questions on the draft motion passes)
resolution. Chair: This motion passes. All delegates wishing
 Questions can be posed by any member in the to ask questions? (delegates of Burkina Faso,
committee (including signatories and the Chair) South Korea, and Canada raise their placards)
except the sponsors of the draft resolution. The (they are recognised, ask their questions, sponsors
sponsors must respond to all questions. US/Austria/Italy answer them)

8 Amendments

After a draft resolution is read out in committee Note!

and its Question and Answer session is done, Say there are two draft resolutions on the floor,
amendments are written by the delegates on the A and B, and A is the first to be submitted. The
same. order of proceedings will be—
 An amendment is a suggestion of sorts which Question and answer session of A;
intends to revise a draft resolution. Amendments on A;
 An amendment can be an— Vote on the whole draft resolution A.
a. Addition, If draft resolution A fails, then the following
b. Modification, or proceedings will take place—
c. Deletion Question and answer session of B;
of a clause to the draft resolution. Amendments on B;
 Note that a single amendment can add, modify Vote on the whole draft resolution B.
or delete only a single clause of the draft If draft resolution A passes, the latter
resolution. That is, a delegate cannot send an proceedings will not take place on B.
amendment to delete clauses 3, 5, 9, and 11 at *Further discussed in the succeeding pages.
once, they have to be sent as 4 separate
amendments.
 Any delegate, except the sponsors of the draft Note!
resolution in question, can send an Amendments to preambular clauses and second-
amendment. degree amendments (amendments to
Find the format for an amendment here. amendments) are out of order.

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 Addition
An addition amendment adds a whole clause to the
Amendments Addition
draft resolution.

Modification
A modification amendment changes a clause in the
Modification draft resolution. For example, adding a few words
to the clause, removing a few words from the
clause, or altering sub- and sub-sub-clauses.

Deletion
Deletion
A deletion amendment eliminates a whole clause of
the draft resolution.

Proceedings during and after the

submission of amendments
1. The Chair declares the opening of the floor to amendments and announces when the floor will close to
the same and no further amendments will be accepted.
2. Delegates submit amendments to the draft resolution in discussion.
3. The floor closes to amendments on the given draft resolution.
4. Every amendment submitted is read, and then either adopted by the sponsors directly, or voted upon,
until all amendments on the floor are exhausted.
5. After an amendment is read out—the sponsors of the draft resolution must deem the amendment to
be friendly or unfriendly.
6. A friendly amendment is adopted amicably and committee does not vote upon it.
7. An unfriendly amendment is voted upon, and it must secure a simple majority to pass. If it passes, it
will be adopted (regardless of the sponsors’ disapproval).
8. Amendments are read out in such an order that the one which makes the greatest change to the draft
resolution (the most disruptive amendment) is read out first. The order goes from the most disruptive
to the least disruptive amendment.

Amendments Friendly amendments

submitted An amendment which seeks to make such a revision to the draft
resolution that is accepted and welcomed by the sponsors
themselves, is called a friendly amendment. Friendly amendments
deemed by sponsors as are adopted and come into effect directly, without undergoing
voting, because they have the sponsors’ consent.

Unfriendly amendments
Friendly Unfriendly An amendment that seeks to make such a revision to the draft
(welcome) (unwelcome) resolution that is deemed unwelcome and unsolicited by the
sponsors, is called an unfriendly amendment. These are voted upon.
adopted directly voted upon If they secure a simple majority of votes in favour, they pass and are
adopted anyway. If they do not secure the required simple majority,
they fail and are not adopted.

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 The amendment math
elimination of draft resolutions due to
passage of amendments
A draft resolution undergoes three stages—being discussed in the question and answer session, being
revised by amendments, and finally, a round of voting on the whole draft resolution. A draft resolution
passes and becomes an official resolution, if it secures a majority in the final round of voting. Else, it fails
and is scrapped. However, a draft resolution can automatically fail and be eliminated, even before being
voted upon as a whole, if a defined number of its clauses have been amended and any of the following
conditions holds good.
 If ⅓ of the clauses of the draft resolution have been amended by unfriendly amendments, the
draft resolution will be scrapped, or
 If ⅔ of the clauses of the draft resolution have been amended by friendly amendments, the draft
resolution will be scrapped, or
 If ⅔ of the clauses of the draft resolution have been amended—irrespective of whether by
friendly or unfriendly amendments—the draft resolution will be scrapped.
Please note—These figures, though widely accepted, may vary across conferences.

Examples
Consider a draft resolution with 24 clauses, with the following tally of amendments.

TYPE Additions Modifications Deletions

Friendly 1 2 0 Total no. of

amendments =
Unfriendly 1 3 2 9
/24 = 3/8 < 2/3
Total 1 1 2 3 0 2 PASSES

3
/24 = 1/8 < 2/3 are friendly 6
/24 = 1/4 < 1/3 are unfriendly

Consider a second draft resolution with 21 clauses, with the following tally of amendments.

TYPE Additions Modifications Deletions Total no. of

amendments =
Friendly 1 1 2 13
/21 < 2/3 = 14/21

Unfriendly 2 4 3 Total no. of

unfriendly
1 2 1 4 2 3 amendments =
Total 9
/21 > 1/3 = 7/21
4
/21 < 2/3 are friendly 9
/21 = 3/7 > 1/3 are unfriendly FAILS
Consider a third draft resolution with 24 clauses, with the following tally of amendments.

TYPE Additions Modifications Deletions

Friendly 5 5 0 Total no. of

amendments =
Unfriendly 1 2 4 17
/24 > 2/3 = 16/24
Total 5 0 5 2 0 4
FAILS
10
/24 = 5/12 < 2/3 are friendly 7
/24 < 1/3 are unfriendly

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 Voting on draft
9 resolutions

 If a draft resolution has successfully come through the amendment session, it is put to a final vote.
 Voting on draft resolutions happens in rounds (usually three). This means that all the delegates in
attendance are first called out, and give their vote. After the last delegate votes, the cycle repeats once
again, all the delegates are called to reaffirm their vote in the same order, until all rounds of voting are
complete.
 The six possible votes on a draft resolution are,

1. Yes, 3. Yes with rights, 5. Pass,

2. No, 4. No with rights, 6. Abstain.

 If a delegate casts a different vote in any of the three rounds, his/her vote in the last round of voting
will override all previous votes.
 If a draft resolution passes in the final round of voting, the rest of the draft resolutions on the floor, yet
to be debated, are considered to have failed automatically. They will not be introduced.

1. Yes—A vote in favour of the draft resolution. Yes

2. No—A vote against the draft resolution.
3. Yes with rights—A vote in favour of the draft
No
resolution, with a provision to explain to committee
why the delegate chose to vote in favour.
4. No with rights—A vote against the draft resolution, Yes with rights
Votes on draft
with a provision to explain to committee why the resolutions
delegate chose to vote against. No with rights
5. Pass—Refrainment of the delegate from voting in
the present round. The delegate may vote in a Pass
succeeding round.
6. Abstain—Refrainment of the delegate from voting
Abstain
on the draft resolution.

Draft discussed in Question and Votes with

revised by
resolutions Answer session rights
‘Yes with rights’ and ‘no with
2
/3 clauses amended or rights’ are votes which allow
1
/3 clauses amended by the delegate a chance to
unfriendly amendments or Amendments
if true 2
/3 clauses amended by explain his/her vote to
friendly amendments? committee. The delegate can
make a short speech after a
Secures simple if true round of voting stating the
if false majority in final PASSES reason behind their vote. It is
voting round? generally preferred when the
FAILS delegate’s vote on the draft
if false resolution is considered to be
controversial with regard to
What if all the draft resolutions on the floor fail? What happens then?
their country’s stance.
If all of them fail, committee fails as it doesn’t find any effective solutions.

Sai Sreemayee Sistla

 Press session
10 Press session

 The press session is a period in committee when reporters, known as press spokespersons, will
question some delegates on matters like their country’s stance, policies, and actions on any issue.
 Any and all motions on the floor are briefly suspended when the press enters the committee.
 A delegate will generally be asked about a topic on which his/her country has a controversial stance.
The press member may also ask the delegate some general questions about their country, or their
country’s stance on the agenda.
 Delegates must, at all times, defend their country’s stance on any issue, past actions, and policies of
their nation.
 It is important to be well-researched and acquainted with current affairs to face the press.
 The press may also question a delegate on controversial statements or actions made or done by them
in committee, which is why one must be mindful of what they say or do in committee. Care must be
taken to ensure that one’s words and actions are in complete accordance with their country’s stance
and ideology.
 The press session can happen at any given time.

Motion to *press session anywhere

begin formal session in between. For a more
exhaustive guide, go here.

Roll Call Vote

General Speakers’ List

(formal debate)

Moderated Caucuses Unmoderated Caucuses

(formal-informal debate) (informal-informal debate)

Presentation of
draft resolution
if any draft
if it fails:
resolution on the
process Q&A session floor passes
repeats for
next draft
Committee resolution Amendments
fails on the floor

Vote on draft resolution Committee

if all draft resolutions on if it passes succeeds
the floor fail

Sai Sreemayee Sistla

 11 Other motions

There are some advanced motions which are also covered under the Rules of Procedure. These include—
 Motion to set the agenda, raised when a committee has two or more agendas and one has to be set.
 Motion to re-order draft resolutions
 Proposes to alter the order in which draft resolutions are introduced, debated, amended, and
voted upon.
 Usually, draft resolutions are introduced in the order of their submissions, but this motion can
alter the order.
 Motion for the division of the question
 Proposes that every clause of the draft resolution be voted upon individually, as opposed to the
whole of the draft resolution being voted upon.
 Clauses that fail the vote will be discarded.
 It is not a very common motion and procedure regarding it varies widely.

The given list contains the names of some motions and the majorities they require.

 Roll call vote—

 Motion to begin the roll call vote/Motion to verify the quorum
 Simple majority
 GSL—
 Motion to open the General Speakers’ List
 Simple majority
 Moderated caucus and its extension—
 Motion to begin/extend a moderated caucus
 Simple majority
 Unmoderated caucus and its extension—
 Motion to begin/extend an unmoderated caucus
 Simple majority
 Tabling debate on a matter—
 Motion to table the debate
 Qualified majority
 Resuming debate—
 Motion to resume debate
 Simple majority
 Suspending formal session—
 Motion for adjournment of the meeting
 Simple majority
 Moving into voting procedure (i.e. closing of debate)—
 Motion for the closure of debate
 Qualified majority

Other required majorities include the following.

 Passage of an amendment—Simple majority
 Passage of a resolution—Simple majority

Sai Sreemayee Sistla

 Glossary and MUN lexicon
Absent—Voting stance denoting a delegate’s non-attendance in committee
Abstain—Refrainment from voting
Addition—An amendment which adds a clause to the draft resolution
Adjourn—Suspend (debate/formal session)
Against—A vote opposed to a motion
Agenda—Matter in discussion by the committee
Amendment—Suggestion that revises a draft resolution’s clauses
Bloc—A political, ideological or regional faction in committee working on a draft resolution
Caucus—Suspension of the rules of procedure to enter formal-informal or informal-informal debate
Clause—Part of a draft resolution
Decorum—Used by the chair: a call for order
Deletion—An amendment which removes a clause from the draft resolution
Draft resolution—A document in resolution format which has been introduced in committee but not voted
upon yet, abbreviated to DR
Fail—A motion that does not clear the required number of votes in favour and resultantly is scrapped
Favour (in favour)—A vote supporting a motion
Formal session—Duration when the rules of procedure are in exercise
Friendly—An amendment deemed welcome by the sponsors and adopted amicably without vote
Floor—The right to speak or be considered
House—Alternative term for ‘committee’
In order—Allowed
Merge—The combining of two or more blocs to form one single bloc
Moderated caucus—Formal-informal debate moderated by the Chair, abbreviated to Mod-Cauc or Mod
Modification—An amendment which alters a clause of the draft resolution
Motion—A formal suggestion to the committee
Operative clause—Clause detailing an action to be implemented with reference to the agenda
Order of Disruption—Order which defines the precedence of a motion based on its level of disruption: longer
motions precede shorter ones, unmoderated caucuses precede moderated caucuses
Order of Precedence—Order that defines the hierarchy of points: points of personal privilege are given
priority, followed by points of order, points of parliamentary enquiry, and points of information
Pass—A motion that clears the required vote successfully
Point—An argument on a speech
Preambular clause—Clause defining the agenda and introducing the draft resolution
Present—Voting stance confirming a delegate’s attendance, reserving their right to abstain on a substantive
matter
Present and voting—Voting stance confirming a delegate’s attendance, with which voting on all motions is
compulsory

Sai Sreemayee Sistla

Procedural—Motion upon which voting is compulsory
Quorum—Total number of delegates in attendance
Resolution—An official document passed by a UN body enlisting solutions to a particular agenda
Roll call—Process of calling out the names of delegates to clarify their voting stances and establish the quorum
Signatory—A delegate who supports the introduction of a given draft resolution in committee
Sponsor—The main author of a draft resolution
Sub-clause—A clause under a main operative clause
Sub-sub-clause—A clause under a sub-clause
Table—To postpone debate on a given matter
Unmoderated caucus—Informal-informal debate, temporary recess which is not managed by the Chair,
abbreviated to Unmod
Unfriendly—An amendment deemed unwelcome by the sponsors and put to vote in committee
Unparliamentary—Relating to behaviour or language that is unsuited or contrary to the atmosphere in formal
session
Voting procedure—The closure of debate and commencement of voting upon amendments/draft resolutions
Voting stance—Factor determining a delegate’s presence/absence in committee and their right to abstain
Working paper—An unformatted document enlisting solutions to the agenda, submitted by a bloc to the Chair
for approval
Yield—Act of giving up remaining time after a speech

References and attachments

1. BestDelegate 4. India and Bhutan—Rules of Procedure

2. WiseMee 5. MuniMUN Rules of Procedure
3. UNA-USA Rules of Procedure
 One sheet with ROP and committee flow (also  WiseMee’s complete list of preambular phrases
attached at the end)  WiseMee’s complete list of operative phrases
 BestDelegate’s MUN Diplomat Guide for  Amendment format
beginners  Draft resolution sample and format

Sai Sreemayee Sistla

 Motion to begin General Speakers’ Moderated Unmoderated
Roll Call Vote
formal session List (GSL) Caucuses Caucuses

Kick-starts Clarification of *Present  Long list of

 A time slot devoted  Temporary suspension
voting stance In attendance, can speakers
committee to discussing a part of rules of procedure/
 No fixed topic
proceedings abstain, can change 1 of the agenda recess
 1 /2 minutes to
voting stance speak  Managed by Chair  Informal debate
 Use it to define  Duration, topic,  Delegates can freely
**Press session: stance/goals (fixed) speaking interact, Chair doesn’t
Present and Voting  Continues till time stated when moderate
reporters question a In attendance, can’t Can make
Absent interrupted by raised  For a fixed duration
delegate’s stance to points
abstain, can’t change another motion  Points taken, except mentioned when raised

thoroughly (via GSL, un/moderated caucuses) and

Not in attendance on speeches/when

found solutions. To implement these solutions...

test research—can voting stance  Can speak again point of information  Generally raised for
happen at any time floor is open
lobbying

*Committee will have discussed the agenda

Point of Point of Order Point of Point of Personal
If time’s left after Information Error in speech Parliamentary Privilege
speech, can yield Question on Enquiry Comfort/safety of
speech Doubt in ROP delegate
Yield (give up Yield (give up
Yield (give up
time) to time) to
time) to the Logical fallacy
Points of another Factual inaccuracy
Chair Illogical
Information delegate Wrong stats/facts
statement

*All DRs are submitted to the Chair and introduced in

Question and committee in the order of submissions.
Vote on DRs Amendments Draft resolutions
answer session

 Blocs are political or

 If the DR doesn’t fail after  After the Q&A session,  The sponsors of the  A resolution is an official
sometimes, regional
being amended: Sponsors the floor is open to DR being discussed document used by the UN DR has parts
amendments on the DR groupings within committee aimed at resolving the agenda
committee votes on the can deem read out every
 Amendments can be of 3  They are formed by nations  It is introduced as a draft first
entire DR in rounds them to clause of it
kinds—additions, that mutually agree upon  It states— Heading
be modifications, deletions  The committee then
certain solutions 1. What the UN should do about  Details of
 The floor will close after has a Q&A session
 Every bloc works on its own the agenda DR—title,
Votes on DR the duration elapses  Any delegate sponsors,
Friendly DR 2. What member states could do
 Amendments will be (including the signatories
 Welcome  It has a precise format

read out signatories) may
Not voted on  Three parts make up a
Yes (in favour)  Voting upon these is Delegates in a
question the DR’s resolution—
dependent on the bloc can be Preambulars
sponsors’ consent contents 1. Heading  Introduce
No (against) Unfriendly
 Unwelcome  The sponsors are Like-minded 2. Preambular clauses the DR
 Committee answerable to all Signatories nations will 3. Operative clauses  Explain
Yes with rights (in favour and votes on them Amendments queries  May/may not form blocs why the
can explain why) contribute/agree with agenda is
 Even the Chair may important
NOTE! all clauses  A draft resolution (DR) will
1 Addition (adding clause) pose questions  See some merit to DR become an actual resolution if it
No with rights (against and /3 of unfriendly
amendments pass: passes in committee after voting
can explain why) Operatives
DR fails  Nations can have different
2 Modification (changing  Explain
/3 of friendly Sponsors stances/opinions/solutions and solutions
amendments pass: clause) thus introduce multiple DRs
Pass (will vote in next round)  Main authors of a DR, agree with every to the
DR fails clause  Like-minded nations will get agenda
2
/3 of DR amended: Deletion (removing clause)  Answerable to all questions on the DR together to write DRs
Abstain (won’t vote*) DR fails

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