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2015 YMCA Model UN Conference Parliamentary Procedure & Rules of Debate Topic Page I. General Overview 2-3 This section applies to all committees and sets the general parameters of the conference procedure II. Committee Procedure 4-5 This section applies to all committees and explains the process by which resolutions are developed, presented, and formally discussed. III. Example Outline of Committee Procedure 6-8 This section applies to all committees and presents the detailed actual steps taken during the committee procedure explained in the previous section. IV. Points and All Types of Motions 9-13 This section applies to all committees and provides a detailed listing & description of the various motions that are available for use during the conference. Please note that not all these motions are typically used in any committee session. V. Specialized Committee Overviews 14-21 This section outlines the unique procedures that are only available in specific committees. Historical Security Council & Security Council 14 International Criminal Court & International Court of Justice 16 Council for Economic Advancement 17 Nation Building Committee 19 General Assembly 20 Non-governmental Forum 21

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2015 YMCA Model UN Conference

Parliamentary Procedure

& Rules of Debate

Topic Page

I. General Overview 2-3 This section applies to all committees and sets the general parameters of the conference procedure

II. Committee Procedure 4-5 This section applies to all committees and explains the process by which

resolutions are developed, presented, and formally discussed.

III. Example Outline of Committee Procedure 6-8 This section applies to all committees and presents the detailed actual steps taken during the committee procedure explained in the previous section.

IV. Points and All Types of Motions 9-13 This section applies to all committees and provides a detailed listing & description of the various motions that are available for use during the

conference. Please note that not all these motions are typically used in any

committee session. V. Specialized Committee Overviews 14-21 This section outlines the unique procedures that are only available in specific

committees.

Historical Security Council & Security Council 14 International Criminal Court & International Court of Justice 16

Council for Economic Advancement 17 Nation Building Committee 19

General Assembly 20 Non-governmental Forum 21

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General Overview (applies to all Committees)

Scope of the Rules

The YMCA Model United Nations Program shall be run in accordance with the Rules and Procedures contained herein, and all staff, delegates, and

observers shall observe these rules. In all instances, the Rules of Procedures, along with the rulings of the Secretary General, the authorized

appointees thereof, and the Chairs or Officers of the committees, shall be final. The Program Staff may alter and/or override any of the rules at any

time as he or she sees fit.

General Powers and Duties The Program Director(s) and Secretary General shall ensure observance of

these rules and interpret them, have the right to speak, put questions, and announce decisions in all sessions. He or she, and the officers authorized by

him or her, shall have complete control of all conference proceedings and

shall maintain order therein. The Secretary General and Program Staff shall have final authority to decide on all controversies.

Courtesy

All Members shall show courtesy and respect to one another, the Chair, and all other program staff or guests, especially those speaking.

Quorum

The presence of 2/3 of the Representatives of a body shall constitute a quorum and shall be required for a question to be put to a vote. Quorum

shall be assumed unless challenged by a voting member of the committee.

Agenda The agenda is set at the start of the first committee session by the Chair of

the Committee.

Speeches

1) Delegates upon recognition by the Chair may deliver speeches. Speeches should be relevant to the topic under consideration or else the Chair may

call the speaker out of order. 2) Time limits for speeches shall be two minutes subject to modification by

the Chair or Secretary General. Exceeding the time limit may result in being called out of order.

3) Speakers recognized by the Chair may yield any remaining time to another delegate of the body by declaring their intention to yield their

time at the beginning of their speech. 4) Speakers may yield to. A speaker may accept as many points of

information from the floor as their remaining time permits. Separate time

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limits or question limits for points of information shall not be permitted. The speaker may at any time determine that he or she will cease

accepting points of information and thus conclude his or her remarks. A speaker who is speaking on time that was yielded to him or her may not

yield that time to another delegate or to points of information. 5) Speakers may yield their remaining time to the Author of the Resolution

upon completion of their remarks.

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Committee Procedure (applies to all Committees) At Y-MUN, a committee will be in one of three modes: unmoderated caucus,

moderated discussion, and formal debate. Each mode provides a different opportunity to advance discussion on a topic. The three types of debate and

a detailed explanation of each type is provided below. ________________________

_UNMODERATED CAUCUS_ ↕_____________________↕

MODERATED DISCUSSION ↕_____________________↕

RESOLUTION DEBATE__ _

Debate at the YMCA Model United Nations Conference occurs in “Moderated Discussion”. A delegate may, by motion, move the discussion to either more

formal debate (Resolution Debate) or more informal debate (Caucus). Similar to descending or climbing a ladder, from either “Resolution Debate”

or “Caucus”, you must pass through “Moderated Discussion”. Please note that under no circumstances are you able to go from “Caucus” to “Resolution

Debate”.

UNMODERATED CAUCUS: The Committee will form random groups for a defined period of time (set by

the chair). These groups are formed on an ad-hoc basis to write resolutions, identify research and discuss the development of resolutions for the

committee.

MODERATED DISCUSSION:

The Committee will begin by having a Moderated Discussion on a topic. Moderated Discussion is an opportunity for delegates to state their national

position, draft resolutions, strengthen their resolutions and determine which resolutions have the committees support in a semi-formal manner.

Delegates by motion may either move the debate to more formal discussions (Resolution Debate) or informal discussion (Caucus)

All delegates must address the Chair in the following manner: State their

name, delegation, and country before addressing the committee.

Example: “John Doe, Delegation X, representing the nation of Chad, Sir/Madam Chair. (Start speech to the committee)”

RESOLUTION DEBATE: Step 1: Introduce a Resolution: Once a resolution receives required 20%

of Signatories, a delegate may make a motion to introduce a resolution. A

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resolution may be introduced by stating “Sir/Madam Chair I motion to introduce “name of resolution”.

Step 2: Debate on a Resolution: (Moderated By Chair in the following

order) A. Committee Vice-Chair Reads the Resolution

B. Sponsors provide opening remarks C. Non-substantive Questions: Questions regarding the Grammar of

the resolution and the Definition of specific words may be asked by members of the committee.

1. Sponsors may yield time without declaring previously. In order to yield the sponsor must state “Sir/Madam Chair I wish to

yield… (state purpose)” (ex. my remaining time to my summation, to questions from the committee, etc.)

2. Sponsors have the option to take questions from the floor in regards to their resolution. A sponsor may take questions from

the floor by yielding.

D. Vice-Chair may opt to speak on the resolution E. Debate (20 min/resolution) chairs discretion

1. The Chair will develop a speaker’s list 2. 2 minutes per speech

3. Delegates may not yield on yielded time 4. Delegates may yield to sponsors closing, to another speaker or

chair delegate must state desire to yield prior to speaking: Sir/Madam Chair, I reserve my right to yield time to______. delegate does NOT need to state desire to yield time to chair prior to speaking

5. Procedural and substantive motions and points are in order

a. Amend b. Close debate

c. Appeal F. Vice-Chair may opt to Speak

G. Sponsorship Closing Statement (2 min)

H. Vote 1. 1 vote per country

2. May perform roll call at the discretion of the chair or if division is called.

Step 3: Resume Moderated Discussion

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Example Outline of Committee Procedure (applies

to all)

I. Call to order, welcome, introductions, attendance, announces

topics, etc. (10 – 15 minutes)

II. Moderated Discussion (approximately 15 to 45 minutes, may be extended or shortened by the discretion of the chair)

a. Chair will announce an agenda b. Chair will entertain speeches on all topics and all positions or the

Chair may limit the speeches to just one topic. c. All Delegates state their official position on the topic(s).

Delegates may also state/read any resolutions or portion of a resolution that they would suggest to the committee for

adoption.

d. Delegates also state their position on any speech delivered to the committee during this time period.

e. Delegates should be using this time to identify allies, enemies, and nations that may be convinced to support their nation’s

interests.

III. Unmoderated Caucus. Chair will recognize a delegate’s motion for the committee to CAUCUS. The committee will move to caucus to

allow more detailed development of resolutions and allow allies to meet and try to convince others to support their resolution. A time

limit is set on the amount of Caucus time by the Chair. The Chair may extend the time limit at his/her discretion.

a. Explanations: Explain importance of working during this period, working resolutions created here will be the basis for the

Conference.

b. Delegates can gather to discuss each topic (for example, if the committee has four topics. Delegates in each topic group should

discuss and determine how each country feels about the topic and possible break into further divisions, since there will be

multiple resolutions on each topic.) c. Groups of allies should begin drafting working resolutions and

winning support for their topic and working resolutions – these are resolutions or ideas that need to be cleaned up and do not

have a predetermined percentage of the committee as a signatory.

d. People should begin to gather sponsors and signatories. Sponsors must vote for resolution or withdraw

sponsorship before vote. Signatories only want to discuss the resolution and may later vote against it.

e. The process should follow this format (roughly):

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i. Discuss topic ii. Divide into factions

iii. Discuss solutions iv. Draft ideas

v. Gather support and sponsors vi. Place ideas into a resolution format

vii. Gather official signatories and sponsors viii. At any point a working resolution that has met these

requirements can be turned into the chair IV. Moderated Discussion: At conclusion of time limit for the Caucus

the Chair will call the committee back to order. The chair will begin a moderated discussion to determine the consensus of the

committee and identify any proposals that may be considered as a resolution. Resolutions will not be immediately recognized so as to

allow all ideas to be presented. a. After about 15 to 45 minutes, the moderated discussion will

continue until a delegate makes a motion to consider a particular

resolution or a motion is made to return to caucus. If a caucus is called and the motion is in order the committee will continue

to go back between steps III and IV until a resolution is developed and considered by the committee.

b. A resolution will only be recognized if it is in the hands of the chair.

c. The chair will examine the resolution to determine if it satisfies the number of required signatories. The committee does not

vote on whether to consider a resolution. If the motion is made and the resolution is properly formatted and supported by the

committee the resolution will automatically be considered by the committee.

d. When the chair accepts a motion to consider a particular resolution, the committee moves from moderated discussion into

formal debate, exclusively on that resolution.

V. Resolution Debate:

a. The vice-chair will read the resolution to the chamber. b. Sponsors provide opening remarks (5 minutes or less at

discretion of chair but must be set beforehand) c. Non-substantive questions are asked (any question that does not

have a debatable answer, such as clarification of numbers or spelling, explanation of terms, etc.).

d. Vice Chair may opt to make comments on the resolution e. Sponsors may yield time without declaring previously

f. Sponsors may or may not take questions from the floor in regards to their resolution

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g. Debate (approximately 20 min/resolution; chair may increase or decrease this time at their discretion)

h. Chair will develop a speakers list. i. 2 minutes per speech

ii. Delegates may not yield on yielded time iii. Delegates may yield to sponsor’s closing or chair

iv. Procedural and substantive motions and points are in order i. Amend

j. Close debate: may occur at the discretion of the chair if time has elapsed or if motion is made by a delegate. A motion to close

debate requires a 2/3rd majority vote and can be debatable. k. Vice chair may opt to make comments on the resolution

l. Sponsorship Closing (2 minutes) m. Vote

i. 1 vote per country ii. May perform roll call or voice vote (chair or floor’s

discretion)

VI. Moderated Discussion After the committee votes on a resolution, the committee returns to a moderated discussion (Step II).

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Points and All Types of Motions (detail info applies

to all)

POINTS POINTS should be a short, clear, and relevant statement or question, not a

speech. They are intended to clarify or correct an issue at hand. It must address a substantive issue. Only the Point of Personal Privilege and Point of

Order can interrupt a speaker. POINTS are allowed during “Resolution

Debate” and “Moderated Discussion”

Point of Personal Privilege A delegate may rise to a point of personal privilege if there is something

preventing his or her participation in the proceedings (e.g. lack of decorum, sound problems, etc.). The point of personal privilege may interrupt a

speaker only if the conditions prevent the delegate from following the immediate proceedings (e.g. cannot hear the speaker, etc.).

Point of Order During the discussion of any matter other than a pending point of order, a

delegate may rise to a point of order to inquire about parliamentary procedure being implemented by the Chair. The Chair shall make an

immediate decision in accordance with the rules of procedure. It is expected

that delegates will not interrupt another delegate’s speech with a point of order.

Right of Reply

The Chair may accord the right of reply to a delegate whose personal or national integrity has been explicitly impugned by another delegate. The

Chair will honor such requests for the right of reply at the conclusion of the speaker’s remarks; under no circumstances may such a request interrupt a

speaker. Requests for a right of reply need not be submitted in writing. A delegate accorded such a right must confine his or her reply only to the

speaker’s remarks, and may not engage in general debate. A right of reply to a right of reply is out of order unless specifically allowed by the Chair.

Point of Parliamentary Inquiry

During the consideration of any matter, except when another is speaking, a

delegate may rise to a point of parliamentary inquiry concerning procedure. The Chair shall answer the inquiry in accordance with the rules of procedure.

Essentially, this is a tool to clarify parliamentary procedure usage.

Point of Information After the speaker has yielded to points of information, delegates wishing to

question the speaker concerning substantive matters may rise to points of

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information. Delegates may not use points of information simply to comment on the substantive debate. The number of points of information that may be

addressed to a speaker depends upon the speakers’ remaining time, and is not subject to separate time limits or question limits. If, however, a speaker

concludes his remarks without having yielded to points of information, another delegate may rise to a point of information in the hope that he or

she will so yield.

PROCEDURAL MOTIONS These four non-debatable PROCEDURAL MOTIONS are used only during

Moderated Discussion to suspend proceedings for a particular purpose in one of the following four ways. The following motions are not debatable, must be

approved by the Chair, and require a simple majority to pass.

Adjourn This motion is only in order at the end of the last session since it closes the

committee proceedings at the end of the conference.

Recess

A motion for a recess is a motion to suspend proceedings until the next session as outlined in the conference schedule.

Suspension of the Rules

When the floor is open during the discussion of any substantive matter, a delegate may rise and move for a suspension of the rules. The mover must

explain the purpose of and limitations on the suspension. Suspension of the rules has the effect of moving the body out of formal debate and into

informal debate. This motion should be used infrequently. In general it is intended to facilitate the introduction of new amendments to the body and to

allow for rapid discussion of crisis situations.

Caucus

A motion to Caucus is a motion to have a short time period to informally discuss the issues at hand and arrive at compromises. During a caucus

delegates should not leave the committee room.

PROCEDURAL MOTIONS (debatable) These debatable Procedural Motions may be used during both Moderated

Discussion and Resolution Debate.

Close Debate During the discussion of any substantive matter, a delegate may move for

the closure of debate on an item under discussion. The motion is debatable to the extent of one speaker in favor and two opposed (con – pro – con).

The motion requires a 2/3 majority to pass. If the motion passes, the

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committee will immediately move into voting procedure. The motion can be applied to an amendment and to a resolution.

Appeal the Decision of the Chair

A delegate may appeal any ruling that involved the use of discretion by the Chair. The Chair’s rulings to entertain or reject non-debatable procedural

motions are not open to appeal. Decisions related to points, except the point of order, are also not open to appeal.

The delegate may speak on behalf of his or her appeal and the Chair may then speak in defense of his or her ruling. The appeal shall then be put to a

vote, and the Chair’s ruling shall stand unless overruled by 2/3 majority of the delegates present and voting. A vote in favor of the motion supports the

appeal; a vote against the motion supports the Chair’s decision.

Reconsideration Once any amendment or resolution has been adopted or rejected a motion

for reconsideration may be made by a delegate who voted on the prevailing

side. The motion to reconsider is debatable to the extent of one speaker in favor and one opposed (pro – con) and requires the affirmation of a simple

majority of the delegates present and voting to pass. The motion may only be moved after a substantive topic has been closed or tabled. If passed, the

body automatically enters into debate on the original amendment; the previous vote on that item is nullified. The motion is only valid if the

resolution is still on the floor. Reconsideration of a resolution reopens debate in the related topic area but does not allow new resolutions to be proposed.

Speaker’s List

The list will open and close at the discretion of the Chair. The Chair should set the rules of the Speaker list just prior to its opening.

PROCEDURAL MOTIONS (valid only in voting procedure)

Once debate has been closed on a specific resolution or discussion point, the

body moves into voting procedure. No one is permitted to enter or exit the committee room until voting procedure has been completed. Each country is

allowed one vote. For a substantive motion (amendment or resolution) to pass, a majority of those present and voting is required. Abstentions do not

count against the majority. The majority for individual committees will be set by conference officials and announced accordingly.

Roll Call Vote

Votes on substantive matters may be taken by roll call if a motion to that effect has the support of one fifth (1/5) of the committee. Roll call votes are

taken in English alphabetical order. Delegates present and voting shall answer ‘yes’ to vote for the motion, ‘no’ to vote against the motion, or shall

answer ‘abstain’ if they wish not to record a vote. A Delegate may ‘pass in

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the order of voting; in which case that Delegate’s vote shall be taken at the end of the roll call; however, a Delegate who has ‘passed in the order of

voting’ may not abstain.’

SUBSTANTIVE MOTIONS A substantive motion initiates a deliberative process on a substantive

matter. These motions are in order during Moderated Discussion and Resolution Debate.

Amend A Resolution

A Delegate may move to amend any proposed resolution. The proposed amendment must be submitted in writing prior to or during debate on the

resolution to be amended. Amendments shall require 10% of the committee to be signatories or all of the resolution’s sponsors. Amendments shall

require a sponsor to motion to have it heard on the floor; this motion must be recognized by the Chair. Contradictory amendments may not be passed.

Any amendment in contradiction to an approved amendment shall be ruled

out of order. Amendments may not contradict the preamble of the resolution nor can it alter the original intent of the resolution.

Friendly Amendments

Amendments shall be considered friendly if all of the sponsors of the resolution being amended consent to the amendment. In the case of a

friendly amendment, after reading the amendment aloud to the body, the Chair shall ask each of the sponsors of the resolution being amended for

verbal consent to the amendment. If each sponsor consents, the amendment shall be considered friendly and will automatically be

incorporated as part of the resolution.

Unfriendly Amendments Amendments shall be considered unfriendly if at least one of the sponsors of

the resolution being amended does not consent to the amendment. If an

amendment is deemed unfriendly, the committee transitions into amendment debate procedure. The author of the amendment is first

recognized for an opening statement. The dissenting author(s) then are permitted to give a statement. The committee then enters into debate

procedure. When the time for amendment debate has elapsed, the dissenting author(s) are given a closing statement. The amendment author

is then given a closing statement. The committee then proceeds to a vote on the amendment. If the committee votes in favor of incorporation of the

amendment by a simple majority, it is incorporated into the resolution and the amendment author becomes the resolution author, replacing any

dissenting authors. If it is voted against by a simple majority of the committee, it fails and is not added to the resolution.

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Introduce a Resolution

All resolutions must be submitted in writing, to the Chair for approval before being placed on the floor for debate. Resolutions shall require 20% of the

body to be signatories in order to be approved. All resolutions should be germane to the topic being discussed. Once a resolution has been approved

and distributed to the entire body, it shall be considered on the floor for debate only after a delegate moves the resolution onto the floor during a

speech given in formal debate. The Chair shall suspend speaking time in order for resolution debate procedure to be enacted.

Multiple resolutions pertaining to the topic area may be introduced for

debate, but only one will be discussed at a time. Resolutions are voted upon in the order that they were introduced.

Once a resolution is introduced all other debate ends. There may never be

more than one resolution on the floor at any given time. Thus once a

resolution is introduced, debate on all other substantive matters is suspended until the resolution has been adopted or rejected. Once the

resolution is voted upon, debate resumes on all other substantive matters. The same procedure will hold true for the introduction of amendments. The

procedure of voting in this manner avoids the confusion often associated with debating multiple resolutions or amendments.

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Overview for Historical Security Council (HSC) +

Security Council Each member of the Historical Security Council (HSC) and Security Council

has one vote. Decisions on matters of procedure are taken by an affirmative vote of a majority of the members. Decisions on substantive matters also

require a majority of votes, including the concurring votes of all five permanent Members.

The Security Council will use the same procedure described in this manual,

however, they may adopt two different types of resolutions: 1) consensus resolutions and 2) resolutions adopted by vote.

1) “Consensus Resolutions” are resolutions drafted by the

committee and then formally adopted by the President of the Security Council by stating, “Not withstanding an objection of the committee

Resolution X is hereby adopted.” This type of resolution places emphasis on an image of unanimity when some members would feel

obligated to vote against or abstain on a resolution that was formally voted upon. At any point a member may defeat a consensus resolution

by objecting and calling for a vote. In that situation the resolution to become effective must be adopted by an affirmative vote of the

committee. (see Resolution Adopted by Vote).

2) “Resolution Adopted by Vote” is the more formal and common

type of resolution considered by the Security Council. Resolutions are adopted by vote when, in spite of consultations, the Security Council

members have failed to reach a consensus; any member may object to an attempt to adopt a resolution by consensus, and thereby force such

a vote.

The Security Council may also pursue two additional forms of decision-making: 1) Presidential Statement of Consensus and 2) Communications of

the President of the Consensus of the Body.

1) “Presidential Statement of Consensus” is used when a consensus by the Security Council does not easily fit into a resolution

format. In this case the President of the Security Council may, if

he/she perceives a consensus and sees no resolution, wish to consult with Members concerning the substance of a formal statement. The

President will read the statement in a formal session, and if there is no objection, the statement is made an official decision of the Security

Council.

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2) “Communications of the President of the Consensus of the Body” is the subtlest form of decision making available to the Security

Council. This form is like the Presidential Statement of Consensus except that it is less public. A statement is made by the President of

the Security Council, but is not made during formal session. This technique is used when the Security Council wishes to minimize

damaging debate.

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Overview for ICC + ICJ The International Criminal Court (ICC) sees delegates collaborate to

prosecute or defend one side of a case dealing with matters such as genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes. That said the ICC

generally hears cases that try certain individuals.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) deals with questions regarding the

legality of actions undertaken by nations and the subsequent impacts on other nations to resolve complex multinational situations such as ownerships

over outer space and considerations for the legal usage of nuclear weapons. That said, the ICJ generally hears cases between that try nations.

While the ICC and ICJ will adhere to the wording as described in this manual

during presentation of cases, the format for debate will slightly differ.

Teams will come together to finish preparing cases for presentation. The basis for a team’s presentation is outlined by the written brief that

must be prepared by participants prior to their arrival to Hershey

Two teams will be representing alternate sides of a case. All other teams will act as Justices to deliberate on the material presented.

Both Teams will be given an Opening Statement.

Each team is then allotted time for Presentation of Evidence and Defense: these represent the main arguments for both sides.

Each team will then be given time for Rebuttal: this time is utilized

for teams to discount what the opposing team has presented

Team are then given a Closing Statement

After Teams have presented, the remaining justices will deliberate to make final decisions on all of the issues presented during the cases

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Overview for Council for Economic Advancement

(CEA) The Council for Economic Advancement (CEA) explores the challenges facing

the world from a financial and monetary perspective, considering issues such as the supply and demand of commodities, international trade regulations,

and economic relief for nations in crisis. This committee has a unique

operational style in which delegates are given a set period of time to tackle each topic through a consensus-driven process in which solutions will only

be voted upon at the end of each time period. In addition to coming prepared with a thorough background knowledge of their topics and their

country, delegates might find additional real-time details being shared with them about the situations they are seeking to address as debate unfolds,

adding to the excitement and sense of urgency experienced within the group.

The CEA will use the same procedures as described above, with a few

deviations: 1. Debate on each topic is done for a specific amount of time. Students

must adopt a finished resolution by the end of the allotted time period,

as stated by the chair.

2. Amendments are in order to a resolution at any time after it has been

formally introduced but before the end of the time period allotted.

3. During resolution debate, the sponsor’s closing statement is the final

action before resuming moderated discussion. No vote is taken.

4. After the passage of the time period allotted for debate and resolution

presentation, the committee moves into Resolution Adoption

Procedures:

a. Resolutions are voted on, one-by-one, in the order in which they

were presented. Multiple resolutions to a topic may be adopted

IF AND ONLY IF they are not contradictory or overlapping. They

must be able to coexist in their entirety without interfering with

the solution proposed. A motion to divide the question is in order

during this process.

b. After the period of voting, the passed, non-redundant, and non-

contradictory resolutions are compiled into a solution package

for the committee.

5. The Motion to Divide the Question is defined as follows: Via this

motion, the committee may decide to vote on only part of a resolution

to allow the best parts of individual resolutions to all be passed,

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forming a unified solution. Any delegate may make this motion, but

the chair has the discretion to overturn if it is not in the interest of the

committee, either due to time or an extraneous idea that doesn’t add

to the solution. This motion should be used sparingly, and instead

amendments should be encouraged to existing resolutions. This

motion requires a simple majority.

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Overview for Nation Building Committee (NBC) The Nation Building Committee (NBC) will use the same procedure described

in this manual, however, will repeat the process in the multiple stages of

debate.

Note: Each country within NBC is only allotted one vote per committee.

Countries are represented by 4 individuals (one per each Sub-Committee).

In successive committees, a country will have multiple members of the same

country. Prior to voting, members of a country will be asked to confer. If a

country cannot come to a unanimous decision internally, the country must

abstain from voting.

NBC is comprised of 4 Topic Based Sub-Committees:

o Resolutions will be drafted in the manner described above within

sub-committees. Debate will then occur within sub-committee

(in concurrence with the procedures covered in this manual) to

pass resolutions out of sub-committee.

Sub-Committees will then combine to become 2 Dual-Committees:

o Resolutions passed through debate within Sub-Committees will

undergo the debate process (in concurrence with the procedures

in this manual) to pass resolutions through Dual Committee.

Note, only one vote per country.

Dual-Committees will combine to become the Nation Building

Committee:

o Resolutions passed through debate within Dual-Committees will

undergo the debate process (in concurrence with the procedures

in this manual) to pass resolutions through Nation Building

Committee. Note, only one vote per country.

This concludes a “round of debate”. A new crisis/scenario is presented

after which point the committee will go back to Sub-Committee format

to draft and debate new resolutions.

Resolutions passed through NBC are placed on the Constitution. On

Sunday Morning, the Committee must ratify the Constitution through

Forum – an informal debate structure in which amendments can be

added verbally until such a point where the entire NBC agrees upon

the final Constitution for a new country.

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Overview for General Assembly (GA) General Assembly (GA)

The General Assembly (GA) will use the same procedure described in this

manual for the most part. However, the General Assembly shall utilize a “bucketing” process regarding motions to hear resolutions, and include a

Cluster Debate phase:

1) Motion to Hear a Resolution: Bucketing For a resolution to be heard on the floor, it must first be titled with the

main idea/subject of what the author wants to accomplish. As resolutions are submitted to the chairs, each resolution is placed into a

“sub-bucket” of three resolutions, according to the topic the resolution is addressing.

When a “sub-bucket” is filled with three resolutions, motions to have

any of those three resolutions brought to the floor are in order. This motion would be the same as listed previously in the manual, but

instead of automatically hearing the one resolution named, all three resolutions would be available to be heard on the floor.

Upon the motion to hear a resolution, the Vice Chair shall then read the three titles of the resolutions in the “sub-bucket” and a brief, one-

sentence synopsis of each resolution provided by the resolution authors.

The committee then votes on which of the three resolutions shall be heard on the floor. The resolution gaining the most votes of the three

shall then be heard, and the remaining two resolutions will be placed into any unfilled “sub-bucket” slots or a new “sub-bucket” to be heard

at a later time through this process.

2) Cluster Debate

Upon the conclusion of Non-Debatable Technical Questions, the room will move into Cluster Debate:

The room will go into smaller debate by seating clusters. Country seating is organized by topic importance; that is, a country is seated

with other countries that focus on the same topic. (For example: if a country is extremely concerned with the topic of

Pandemic Disease Control and Prevention, that country will be seated next to other countries who are concerned with Pandemic Disease

Control and Prevention.) A pre-appointed Moderator for each region will facilitate debate. No

amendments are in order during this time. Upon the conclusion of Cluster Debate, the room will reconvene and

begin standard resolution debate as described in the above sections.

2014 YMCA Model UN Conference Parliamentary Procedure & Rules of Debate Manual

Page: 21 of 21

Overview for Non-governmental Forum (NGF) General Assembly (GA)

The General Assembly (GA) will use the same procedure described in this

manual for the most part. However, the General Assembly shall utilize a “bucketing” process regarding motions to hear resolutions, and include a

Cluster Debate phase:

1) Motion to Hear a Resolution: Bucketing For a resolution to be heard on the floor, it must first be titled with the

main idea/subject of what the author wants to accomplish. As resolutions are submitted to the chairs, each resolution is placed into a

“sub-bucket” of three resolutions, according to the topic the resolution is addressing.

When a “sub-bucket” is filled with three resolutions, motions to have

any of those three resolutions brought to the floor are in order. This motion would be the same as listed previously in the manual, but

instead of automatically hearing the one resolution named, all three resolutions would be available to be heard on the floor.

Upon the motion to hear a resolution, the Vice Chair shall then read the three titles of the resolutions in the “sub-bucket” and a brief, one-

sentence synopsis of each resolution provided by the resolution authors.

The committee then votes on which of the three resolutions shall be heard on the floor. The resolution gaining the most votes of the three

shall then be heard, and the remaining two resolutions will be placed into any unfilled “sub-bucket” slots or a new “sub-bucket” to be heard

at a later time through this process.

2) Cluster Debate

Upon the conclusion of Non-Debatable Technical Questions, the room will move into Cluster Debate:

The room will go into smaller debate by seating clusters. Country seating is organized by topic importance; that is, a country is seated

with other countries that focus on the same topic. (For example: if a country is extremely concerned with the topic of

Pandemic Disease Control and Prevention, that country will be seated next to other countries who are concerned with Pandemic Disease

Control and Prevention.) A pre-appointed Moderator for each region will facilitate debate. No

amendments are in order during this time. Upon the conclusion of Cluster Debate, the room will reconvene and

begin standard resolution debate as described in the above sections.