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A Crash Course on Parliamentary Procedure and

Resolution Writing

+Parliamentary

Procedure

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Speakers List At the beginning of a committee session, debate will

begin with a speakers list.-A delegate must motion to open the speakers

list to begin the session-This list is composed of delegates that have

raised their placards to be on the list- the list continues until it is exhausted or a delegate proposes a moderated or unmoderated caucus

-The speakers list will be returned to at any point in debate in which no points or motions are on the floor, or all motions have been voted down by the body.

+Moderated v.

Unmoderated Caucus Moderated Caucus- a moderated caucus has a specific

topic, time limit and speaking time-ex- “The delegate from Sudan would like to

propose a 5 minute moderated caucus with 30 second speaking time on the topic of humanitarian aid”

- Delegates who raise their placards will be called on to voice their opinions and try to convince others of their position or disagree with the position of another delegate.

Unmoderated Caucus- an unmoderated caucus has a time limit, but nothing else. During this time delegates are free to move around the room to discuss issues with other delegates and to work on draft resolutions.

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Points -Point of Order- A question on procedure

ex- “Point of order- we cannot refer to a resolution that has not been formally introduced.”

-Point of Information- Used when a delegate is confused about something said by another delegate.

ex- “Point of information- what previous resolution was the delegate from Mexico referring to?”

-Point of Personal Privilege- Dealing with immediate personal discomfort and other personal issues

ex- “Point of personal privilege- can the Austrian delegate please speak up so we may hear them?”

POINTS OF ORDER AND PERSONAL PRIVILEGE ARE THE ONLY PIECES OF PROCEDURE THAT CAN INTERRUPT A SPEAKER. PLEASE DO NOT DO SO UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.

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Right of Reply A right of Reply is the right to speak in reply to a

previous speaker, which is invoked when a delegate feels personally insulted by another’s speech. A right of reply requires a written note of reply to the chair

which will be read allowed to the delegates.

EX- If the representative from Sudan referred to the United States Government as “a bunch of dirty terrorists” the US delegate would have right of reply. They would send a note to the chair that looked something like:

In reference to the comments made by the Sudanese delegate, the accusation that the US government is a bunch of dirty terrorists is not only false but an insult to our free and democratic government.

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Voting Once voting begins, the doors are barred and no one is

allowed to leave-Observers may stay in the room, but they are

not allowed to vote

Roll Call vote- If a roll call vote is called, it must be held. In vote is held in which the chair calls roll call and each delegate must answer yes, no, or abstain.

+Division of the Question During voting, delegates may motion to vote on certain

clauses on certain clauses of a resolution separately, so that only the clauses that are passed become part of the resolution.

-Only Operative clauses may be divided.

Ex- “The delegate from Russia would like to divide the question in draft resolution 1.2. The question will be divided as follows: clauses 1-6, clause 7, and clauses 8-end of the resolution.”

After a delegate divides the question, each division will be voted on separately- clauses 1-6 will be voted on together, clause 7 will be voted on alone, and clauses 8-end will be voted on together.

+General Notes on Proper Language

Refrain from using “I” or “My” when referring to policy- instead, use “We” or the name of your country

Refer to delegates as the name of their country rather than their actual name.

When Possible (and the name is not too unbearably long), use your long-form name-ex- use United States instead of US, or Russian Federation instead of Russia, but it is not necessary to refer to Mexico as the United Mexican States.

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Resolution Writing

+Preamble

States the reasons for which the committee is addressing the topic

Highlights past international action on the issue including References to the UN Charter Citations of past UN resolutions or treaties on the topic under

discussion Mentions of statements made by the Secretary-General or a

relevant UN body or agency Recognition of the efforts of regional or nongovernmental

organizations in dealing with the issues General statements on the topic, its significance and its

impact

+Preambulatory

Clauses

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Operative Clauses Identify the actions or recommendations made in a

resolution

Should be organized in a logical progression, with each clause containing a single idea or proposal, and are always numbered

If a clause requires further explanation, bulleted lists can also be used.

+Operative Clauses

+Resolution Basics

Sponsors of a draft resolution are the principal authors of the document and agree with its substance. Sponsors control a draft resolution and only the sponsors can approve immediate changes.

Signatories are countries that may or may not agree with the substance of the draft resolution but still wish to see it debated so that they can propose amendments.

+Revising a Resolution

A friendly amendment is a change to the draft resolution that all sponsors agree with. After the amendment is signed by all of the draft resolution’s sponsors and approved by the committee director or president, it will be automatically incorporated into the resolution.

An unfriendly amendment is a change that some or all of the draft resolution’s sponsors do not support and must be voted upon by the committee. The author(s) of the amendment will need to obtain a required number of signatories in order to introduce it (usually 20 percent of the committee). Prior to voting on the draft resolution, the committee votes on all unfriendly amendments.