Parliamentary Procedure & Resolution Writing
Tonight, we will be discussing the flow of a MUN conference, parliamentary procedure, and how to write resolutions in preparation for NoMUNC on Saturday, December 14th.
NoMUNC: 8:30am-5pm on Saturday, December 14th. Please dress in Western Business Attire.
Position papers: Due on Friday, December 6th. Please turn in your position paper (pdf, one document) using the link here.
MUN Conference Flow
Most Model UN conferences follow a similar pattern or flow of debate. It usually looks like this:
1. Set the agenda (determine the topic of debate)
2. Introductory speeches (initial thoughts and ideas about the issue); typically 1 minute or so in length
3. Unmoderated Caucus (informal discussions about discussed ideas and initial bloc formation)
4. Moderated Caucus (formal discussions on discussed ideas)
5. Unmoderated Caucus (informal discussions and drafting of working papers)
6. Moderated Caucus (formal discussion on draft working papers/resolutions)
7. Unmoderated Caucus (informal discussion and revisions of working papers)
8. Moderated Caucus (formal discussion on draft working papers/resolutions and possible amendments)
9. Unmoderated Caucus (informal discussion on amendments, mergers, etc)
10. Moderate Caucus (formal discussion on final draft resolutions)
11. Motion to close debate
12. Vote on resolutions
Basically, we will be alternating between formal and informal debate on the topic. Unmods are where the work of committees gets done.
Parliamentary Procedure
We will be following the MUNUC Parliamentary Procedure for our conference. A few important terms/procedures for you to be aware of:
Dais: This is the committee staff that runs the committee room. It consists of a chair (final decisions rest with this person), moderator (handles the flow of debate), and assistant chairs.
Decorum:A call to order or attention. During formal sessions and speeches, cross talking among delegates should not take place. You will hear this frequently in committees, especially in the larger committees. Please respect the delegates speaking.
Speaker's List: A list of countries wishing to speak on the given topic. The moderator will ask what countries would like to be on the list. You should ALWAYS have your country's name on the list. Once you have spoken, simply send a note to the dais to add your name to the list again. At many conferences, the Speaker's List is typically quickly abandoned in favor of moderated caucuses.
Motion: A request by a delegate. The most common motions are:
Dais: This is the committee staff that runs the committee room. It consists of a chair (final decisions rest with this person), moderator (handles the flow of debate), and assistant chairs.
Decorum:A call to order or attention. During formal sessions and speeches, cross talking among delegates should not take place. You will hear this frequently in committees, especially in the larger committees. Please respect the delegates speaking.
Speaker's List: A list of countries wishing to speak on the given topic. The moderator will ask what countries would like to be on the list. You should ALWAYS have your country's name on the list. Once you have spoken, simply send a note to the dais to add your name to the list again. At many conferences, the Speaker's List is typically quickly abandoned in favor of moderated caucuses.
Motion: A request by a delegate. The most common motions are:
- motion to set the agenda-used at the beginning to determine which topic will be addressed first
- motion to comment-if the speaker does not yield, two comments are typically allowed (this is only from the speaker's list NOT moderated caucuses)
- motion for a moderated caucus-must state length, speaking time, and purpose (i.e. Motion for a 10 minutes moderated caucus with 1 minutes speaking time to discuss proposed amendments)
- motion for an unmoderated caucus-must state length and purpose (i.e. Motion for a 15 minute unmoderated caucus for the purpose of discussing working papers.
- motion to close debate-used at the end to move into voting procedures (Requires 2/3 majority vote and chair may allow 2 speakers opposed to closure of debate)
Yields: A delegate recognized to speak may yield (give up) part of their time either to another delegation, to questions, or simply back to the chair. This is only used during substantive speeches from the speakers' list, not during moderated caucuses.
- Yield to another delegate-give the remaining time to another delegation to speak (typically another member of your bloc)
- Yield to questions-Used to explain positions/working papers, etc. The moderator will call on what delegates are allowed to ask questions.
- Yield to the chair-the time simply elapses and we continue on the speakers' list (no comments allowed)
Points: Points are used to raise questions or draw the moderator/chair's attention to something. Some common points are:
- Point of inquiry-question about parliamentary procedure
- Point of personal privilege-used to address a discomfort or problem in the committee (i.e. cannot hear the speaker); this should be rarely used
- Point of order-used if you believe parliamentary procedure is not being followed (use at your own discretion, but generally frowned upon)
Working papers vs. Resolutions: During the committee sessions, initial ideas will be collected and submitted in the form of working papers. Working papers are typically written in resolution format, but cannot be referred to as resolutions. Multiple working papers are combined to form resolutions. Resolutions are the final goal of the committee. They are the committee's solution to the problems. There is a proscribed format that all resolutions must follow. A typical conference will have multiple "draft resolutions" on the floor at the same time and the goal is to gain enough support through consensus building and merging of resolutions to pass your resolution through.
Resolution Writing!
The end goal of any conference is passage of a "comprehensive" resolution (preferably one that you are the main sponsor/author of) that addresses the issues raised in the background guide. For more information on resolution writing, please click on the Resolutions tab above.
Practice Resolution Writing: Craft a draft resolution to address the issues of lunch at school.
