Written by: Averroes
(1.0) Introduction
Model United Nations or MUN is a simulation of what is feels to be inside an actual United Nations Council or room. Though, it is not the exact replica or identical in nature, since it is a 'simulation' it offers a similar ambience or feel toward students or individuals participating in the event.
In this competition, (yes, it is a competition which you could win group delegation award, best delegate, outstanding delegate, honourable mentions, etc.) you will be articulating and advocating on an omnibus of topics from human rights to councils which represents a crisis or historical committee and among other international issues or treatise-related.
We would be representing a country as a delegate and attempt to create a resolution by the end of the day. For the purpose of this article, since there are many councils, each council may have different procedures governing them. Below are divided headings of HMUN and THIMUN procedures, which would be applied to your respective councils if designated as such.
(2.0) Harvard MUN (HMUN) Procedure
If your council is HMUN Procedure-based, here are the following step-by-step procedure that you would have to adhere to; (steps i to iv)
(i) Role Call;
This involves the process where the chair tries to determine who is in attendance or absent. When the chair calls out your country, raise your placard. At the same time, countries will also opt to say whether they are 'present and voting', OR just 'present'. If present and voting, countries could vote in resolutions (highly encouraged) while present is the opposite.
(ii) Setting the Agenda;
For the agenda, usually a council has two topics to be discussed. Hence, the council will have to debate which agenda to discuss first. For your own sake, if you only did research for one topic, for example Topic A only, then you must debate and convince everyone to go to the Topic A.
If not, then you would have to extra work to understand Topic B during the competition and surrender by allowing everyone to choose Topic B. To determine which Topic is chosen first in order, a delegate has to raise their placard and say "motion to vote on Topic A."
Then, another country has to second it. This leads to a general speakers list, where countries can raise their placard to debate against or for the selected Topic.
There needs to be at least two delegates that has to oppose the motioned Topic. After both sides have debated 'against' or 'for', or the general speakers list is exhausted, then there needs to be a motion to close the debate. To support the motion, there needs to be 2/3 majority votes from the delegates.
After the debate is closed, then it is time for voting from the delegates. If Topic A fails to get simple majority, then Topic B is automatically selected and vice versa. Once Topic A is in 1st order, then Topic B would be the 2nd Topic discussed later on.
Moreover, the council can only proceed to the second Topic in order, only when a resolution passes or fails for the first Topic.
(iii) General Speakers List
For this part, after deciding either Topic A or Topic B, the council then enters into a General Speakers List where we can talk about anything related to the chosen Topic. For instances, if the council chose Topic A first, then the delegates have to talk about it in that time, just about anything.
You can talk about your proposed draft resolution (working paper), what are your country's plan, paper work and so forth.
However, delegates have to quickly raise their placards to talk first. If we are too late, then we have to talk last, because the chair will allow those to talk in order, for those who raises their placards fastest. Sometimes, the chair are humans too (or intentionally ignores you), so even if you raise yours fast, he or she might not see you. It happens, so yeah.
After some time, the chair can interject and call for, even when it is about to be your turn to speak during the General Speakers List. The chair would say, "the council is open for any motion. Delegates wishing to raise a motion, please raise your placards."
So, as a delegate, you can raise your placard to have the either following motions to be passed as below between (a) to (c).
(a) Un-Moderated Caucus
To have this motion passed, when you raise your placard, then a simple majority vote from the delegates must support your motion. You will have to specify how long would the un-moderated caucus would be, maximum is twenty (20) minutes. Therefore, you can decide how long the un-moderated caucus would be, make sure it is below 20 minutes.
You will have to to title your un-moderated caucus such as, "motion for un-moderated caucus for 10 minutes to discuss how to assassinate Kim Jong Un." Surely, every delegate will support and vote for your motion. The vote only requires simple majority to pass.
During the un-moderated caucus, you can walk around freely, you can even discuss it outside the council room, at the cafeteria, library or other room on how you are going to vanquish Kim Jong Un. Heck, you can drive your car to Starbucks and discuss there while enjoying a hot cup of coffee.
As long as you get back to the council room before un-moderated caucus time expires, let's say within 10 minutes. What are you waiting for, if you know how to drift and speed on the highway with your car, then it's indeed possible. Once un-moderated caucus ends, you'll return back to General Speakers List.
(b) Moderated caucus
This motion is the opposite of un-moderated caucus, where you have to remain inside the council room. To have this motion, you have to raise your placard and say with the title and time allocated for each delegate which is, "motion for moderated caucus on the topic of empowering neets, for 20 minutes, individual speaking time of 2 minutes."
There would be many people who want to do propose their own moderated caucus too with better title, so you have to convince everyone that your title is interesting and that you offer reasonable speaking time or attract people's attention with something weird. Usually those with creative antics get their motions accepted.
When a moderated caucus passes simple majority vote, then you would have to speak for 2 minutes (depending on how many individual speaking time you want) based on the topic of empowering neets.
Also, you would also have to specify the accumulated time for speaking for everyone, a maximum which is 20 minutes. So, within 20 minutes, a delegate could speak for 2 minutes as demonstrated in the quotation mark above.
If each delegate has 2 minutes to speak, then there would be 10 delegates speaking in order, so again you would have to raise your placards fast to get the chance to speak. A delegate cannot yield his remaining time to another delegate. If let's say, there is still 4 minutes left out of the 20 minutes, the chair can ask if any person still wants to speak in the moderated caucus.
If not, then the moderated caucus ends and it returns back to the General Speakers List.
(c) Consultation as a whole
Usually and personally, the author had attempted to use this motion several times and to no avail, it often time fails. Whatever your intent be, it is useless to raise this motion, because it makes the chair 'turn off' and you will be using the entire time to talk about your own plans without really having others involved. Take it as a one man show.
(iv) Draft Resolution
Once you have done either of the motions listed between (a) to (c), then you will go back to the General Speakers List and repeat the same steps from (iii) to (iv). Steps (iii) to (iv) will end when there is a motion to close debate. Before that, you'll have to "motion to present draft resolution 1.0." instead of motions (a) to (c), to introduce a draft resolution.
Once draft resolution introduced, you will debate on it during the General Speakers List and repeat the process from (iii) to (iv). While the floor is open to motions, you can also motion to amend the draft resolution. It requires simple majority.
Other delegates could also motion for their draft resolution, so there would be 'draft resolutions 1.0, 2.0 or 3.0'. However, it is important that, when you motion for your own draft resolution, imagine that you are a businessman.
You really have to sell and let others buy your resolution, because in order to win awards, you'll have to convince and persuade everyone to support your resolution. Your resolution passes when a simple majority vote is acquired from all the delegates, which means you've successfully achieved Topic A or B.
Debate or steps from (iii) to (iv) will never end, unless somebody motions to close debate. Once debate is closed by 2/3 votes, there will no longer be any motions or General Speakers List but, substantive voting. This is where draft resolution passes or fails based on the votes by simple majority.
If all goes well either draft resolution passes or fails, then it is time to proceed with the next Topic and redo all the steps until a resolution passes.
(3.0) The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) Procedure
If your council is THIMUN Procedure-based, here are the following step-by-step procedure that you would have to adhere to;
(This procedure is very rare, usually organisers in Malaysian universities and international events, to a certain extent most often use HMUN procedure. In any given event if THIMUN is applied, there is some slight differences with HMUN)
The main difference is that, resolutions are already completed beforehand. It means that delegates do not draft the resolution during the competition, but have already done it earlier before the said competition. This procedure is slightly boring, because all we do is amend existing resolutions, and do not contribute anything or have active participation.
(i) Lobbying: Delegates send their completed resolutions to the chair at the end of the first day for approval.
(ii) Debating and Voting on Resolutions: This is where delegates debate on the resolutions from the main submitter. The main submitter could also receive Points of Information (POI).
(iii) Motions and Amendments: Delegates could have un-moderated caucuses or motions for amendments.
(iv) Vote: It is to determine whether the resolution passes or fails. Afterwards, the next resolution will be presented.
(4.0) Conclusion
To conclude, the author hope that this guide was digestable and goodluck in your respective MUNs!
P.S; Please do comment if there are any other improvements to be made!
(5.0) References;
Harvard World Model United Nations. (2021) The Rules of Procedure. Retrieved from, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55349acee4b0edee994da9f9/t/5dcb6db01bdcf03f3658a1ed/1573612977573/WorldMUN+Rules+of+Procedure+2020.pdf
Berkeley Model United Nations LXVI. (n.d) The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN). Rules of Procedure Guide. Retrieved from, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59c2cebc4c326dc75c09a41d/t/5a1f5da7e4966bb1ff1a78f8/1512005032098/BMUN+LXVI+THIMUN+Guide.pdf
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