MUNderstood
M.U.N.DERSTOOD
While a large number of you are experienced, jaded MUNers, there are a number of fresh young victims who have not yet been indoctrinated into the scary world of Model UN. This guide to MCBMUN procedure is aimed at both those who have no idea about procedure, and also at those who just want to brush up on their existing knowledge.

What is procedure?

Like most discussions, MUN debates are structured so as to achieve maximum efficiency and maximum quality of debate. To achieve this quality, certain rules must be followed. They may seem pointless and pernickety, but they all add up and I shall attempt to justify them as I go on. When debate is underway, you must follow these rules. If you do not, you shall be disciplined. Not good.

Pre-conference preparation

If you are reading this, you are halfway there! A good knowledge of procedure is always useful, and so is a good amount of research. The issues for your committee will be posted on the MUN homepage (www.methody.org/MUN) along with their briefing papers.

Briefing papers are designed to be a starting point for further research, they are not enough in themselves. From your briefing papers you will have a good idea of the direction in which to take your research. You will need to learn how to separate the quality information from the superfluous information. This will come with practice, so the more research you do the better.

It is also advisable to obtain background information on your committee. For example, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights is invaluable in almost any committee, along with declarations, teatises, past resolutions etc.

It is also advisable that you make your delegation some memorable notepaper so that you can pass notes through the administration staff during debate. This notepaper should contain your country's name, the
delegates' names and a humorous slogan.

RESOLUTIONS

Once you have done your research, it is strongly advised that you write a resolution on at least one of the topics in your committee. A resolution, in essence, is one extremely long sentence that details your country's ideas on possible solutions to the problem or issue in question. It takes this format:

Committee: 3
Question of: The AIDS pandemic
Submitted by: Saudi Arabia
Co-submitted by:
The General Assembly,
1 Alarmed that approximately 40 million people in the world have HIV/AIDS,
2 Deeply concerned by the fact that 13.2 million children have been orphaned by
3 AIDS,
4 1. Recommends that UNAIDS establish education programmes that focus on:
5 a) education about the many ways HIV/AIDS can be contracted so as
6 to try to eliminate prejudices and misconceptions,
7 b) education about the prevention of HIV/AIDS;
8 2. Proposes that this education be brought into the school curriculum, and aid
9 workers distribute various pamphlets and leaflets and give presentations in
10 towns and villages, in such a way as not to offend or infringe on the
11 countries' national or religious sensitivities;
12 3. Calls for the removal of patents and other restrictions that would hamper
13 the distribution of drugs and medicines that may help in treating HIV or
14 AIDS, were possible;
15 4. Urges governments to give more support to the pharmaceutical
16 companies who are researching and manufacturing these drugs.

All lines must be numbered so that they can be easily referenced during debate.
The first few sections are called pre-ambles. They provide background information to the resolution and set out your country's policy. These cannot be debated in either time for or against the resolution. You should have four of five of these, and they must end in commas.

The numbered sections are operative clauses. These detail the actions that your country wishes be taken in tackling the issue in question. These are what are debated. They are indented and end with semi-colons.
Sub-clauses [the a) and b) sections] are used to elaborate on proposals within an operative clause. They must not be used to introduce more than one idea per operative clause. They all end in commas, except the last sub-clause, which must have a semi-colon.The very last operative clause must end with a full stop, as it is the end of the sentence. The word(s) at the start of your clauses must be underlined as shown.

A list of suitable preamble starters:
Alarmed Concerned Appalled Regretting Disappointed
Greatly alarmed /disappointed etc. Deeply concerned/ regretting etc
Disturbed Realises Viewing with
Recalling Aware that Recognises Emphasising Further recognises etc.

A list of suitable operative starters:
Calls for/ upon Condemns Encourages Deplores Requests
Urges Suggests Expresses hope Further requests etc. Strongly urges etc.
Proposes Recommends Takes note of Asks Reminds
Reiterates

It is good practice not to use the same starter more than once. You can add further and strongly before most of the verbs. Only the Security Council can demand, no other committee has this privilege.

LOBBYING

Before debate begins, there is an informal lobbying session on the first night of the conference. This is when you take your resolution to the members of your committee and vie for their support. For a resolution to be debated, it needs to be submitted and approved. To be submitted, it needs at least five signatures, although this may vary from committee to committee. You must sell your resolution to your fellow delegates, and they must sign their support for the resolution so that it can be submitted.

LOBBYING TIPS

Read as many resolutions as you can before committing your signature. Don't sign the very first one you see.
Don't be overly aggressive in your lobbying technique.
You can only sign one resolution per issue i.e. 3 issues, 3 resolutions, one on each issue.
You do not have to sign a resolution on each issue if you do not see one that you like.
A greater number of signatures does not mean that the resolution has a greater chance of being debated. Please collect only the required number of signatures so that the chairs have a greater choice of resolutions.

DEBATE

If you survive the rough and tumble of lobbying, you retire for a quiet night of partying,ahem,resolution contemplation, to return the next day for debate.After roll call, there should be a short recess while the first resolution of the day is handed out, if it has not been handed out the night before, to enable you to make yielding chains and alliances, more of which I shall talk about later.

Debate is structured into 20 minutes for the resolution and 20 minutes against. In time for, the country that submitted the resolution will take the floor and read out their operative clauses only and possibly give a short speech. They can then choose whether or not to open themselves to points of information. They can then yield to another delegate, or yield the floor to the chair. The chair will then request another speaker supporting the resolution, and this shall continue until the time has elapsed.

In time against, the chair will request speakers to speak against the resolution. One or two speakers will be entertained before the chair will entertain any amendments.

An amendment is a change that you wish to make to the resolution. For example, you may wish to Change clause 3 to read or Strike clause 6 or Add a new clause to read. These must be submitted through the correct channels. They shall be debated with 5 minutes for and 5 minutes against. It is rare, but the chair may entertain amendments to the amendment. The amendment will be voted on after time elapses. You must vote either for or against, there are no abstentions.

Debate shall the return to time against the resolution as a whole. When time has elapsed, the chair will call a vote. You can vote for the resolution, against the resolution or abstain. This means you are neutral on the resolution. If the chair divides the house after a vote, you cannot abstain.

Try to speak as much as you can, but if you have nothing to say, do not say anything. You are being judged on quality, not quantity. If you obtain a reputation of speaking a lot but saying nothing, this will count against you. You have been warned.

MOTIONS & POINTS
Motions and points are how delegates can ask questions during debate.

POINT OF INFORMATION
Honourable delegate, do you believe/think/realise that:
These are questions that you ask the speaker. You can only ask them when the chair calls for any, usually after the speaker has finished speaking. They must be phrased as a question and they must be relevant to debate.

POINT OF ORDER
Is it in order to/for the delegate to:
These can be raised by calling out Point of Order when you believe the speaker is not following the correct channels or etiquette of debate, for example, if they insult another country or make false allegations. They cannot interrupt the speaker and must be addressed to the chair. Frivolous points of order are strongly discouraged and delegates who insist on making them will be disciplined.

POINT OF PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY/PROCEDURE
These are questions, addressed to the chair, asking about any aspect of the debate. Ask if you are confused about anything, and the chair will explain the procedure. They must not interrupt the speaker.

POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE
This can only interrupt the speaker if you are asking them to speak up if you cannot hear them. Any other inquiries e.g. toilet breaks etc. must wait until the speaker has concluded.

PERMISSION TO APPROACH THE CHAIR
Pretty self-explanatory. To be used with discretion.

RIGHT TO REPLY
Used after a point of information, when the question has been answered. This must be used with discretion to avoid conversation on the floor. It can be used to clarify a point in your question or to elaborate on one. The chair can entertain it or dismiss it.

MOTION TO EXTEND DEBATE
Again, self-explanatory. The chair may dismiss this out-right, but a vote may be taken on it.

MOTION TO DIVIDE THE HOUSE
This is used after a vote, if the vote is extremely close. The chair can dismiss it outright, but if it is entertained, the roll is called and every country must call out the way they will vote. No abstentions are allowed.

RIGHT TO EXPLAIN VOTE
This can be raised after a vote, and must not be used frivolously. It is at the chair's discretion whether to entertain or dismiss it.

YIELDING CHAINS
TIME FOR " starting with the submitted country, ABC then AB
TIME AGAINST " AB

GENERAL ASSEMBLY
On the last day of the conference, you shall be called into GA to debate. This format takes exactly the same format as regular debate, only on a much larger scale. There is only one vote allowed per delegation one country one vote. Therefore, you will need to agree amongst yourselves the way in which to vote.