Terms
General
1. Chairs:
The chairpersons are seated in the front with their gavel and facilitate the debate. They call on speakers, time speeches, and maintain the rules of procedure. If the conference gives awards, they will also evaluate your performance.
2. Decorum:
order in committee. The chair may call decorum if delegates are loud or disrespectful, in order to ask for their attention during committee. If the Chair shouts "Decorum!" in committee, that means that you should shut up and return to your seat.
3. Motion:
a specific action made by delegates to direct debate in a certain direction.
4. Speaker's List:
a list that contains the order of speakers in the committee. The specific way that the order is determined varies by conference. The Speaker's List is the default format of debate and committee will proceed with speeches until a delegate makes a motion to change up the debate format.
5. Yield:
this is when a speaker decides to give up the remaining time in his or her speech. Typically, the three types of yields are:
- Yield to the Chair meaning you give up the rest of your time
- Yield to another delegate meaning you give up the rest of your time to another delegate
- Yield to questions from other delegates or Yield to comments to your speech by other delegates. Questions are also sometimes called Points of Information.
6. Roast:
a term specific to Monta Vista MUN. Roasting is when officers listen to your policy/solutions, and poke any holes they can find in the logic. The purpose is to figure out which parts of your plan are weak, and hopefully you'll feel "roasted", or burned by all the wrong points in your argument, coming out. After roasts be sure to patch up all the logical fallacies and strengthen your solutions!
7. Roll Call:
roll call is done at the beginning of every committee, usually after committee session opens and before setting the agenda. During role call, the Chair will read off the names of every country that should be present. When your country is called, raise your placard and either say "present" or "present and voting". Present and voting means that you have to vote on every resolution and motion, while present means you have to vote for every motion, but can abstain while voting for resolutions. Typically, if you know what you're doing in committee (which should be always!), call out "present and voting".
8. Dais:
where the Chairs sit. Typically at the front of the room, at desk, and many times on a raised platform. If you're late to committee session (which you never should be!), send a note to the dais.
9. Right of Reply:
when another country insults you on a personal level during moderated caucus, you can use a right of reply. This allows you to directly address the other delegate's concerns.
10. Formal debate:
The "standard" type of debate at a Model UN conference, in which delegates speak for a certain time in an order based on a speakers' list. It usually doesn't last very long, and is broken up by moderated and unmoderated caucuses.
11. Head delegate:
The student leader of a school's MUN team.
12. Background/topic guide:
A guide to a topic being discussed in a Model UN committee usually written by conference organizers and distributed to delegates before the conference. The starting point for any research before a Model UN conference.
13. Remember to always approach the Chair for feedback in between committee sessions, and especially at the very end of committee!
Points
6. Point of Inquiry:
used when a delegate has a question about something that is not clearly understood in committee. Use this to ask a question if you don't understand a term or get what's going on in committee!
7. Point of Personal Privilege:
used when a delegate experiences personal discomfort that hinders their ability to participate in committee. Examples: temperature of room, distractions during committee, can't hear another delegate, etc.
8. Point of Order (also called Point of Parliamentary Procedure):
used when a delegate believes that the chair made a mistake with regards to Parliamentary Procedure. It is EXTREMELY rare to see this motion ever be used.
Caucus
9. Moderated Caucus:
A debate format that allows delegates to make short comments on a specific sub-issue. Typically, delegates who are interested in speaking will raise up their placards and the Chairs will call on delegates to speak one at a time. In order to move into a moderated caucus, the motion must include the overall speaking time, the time per speaker, and the sub-issue to be discussed.
Example: Italy moves for a 5 minute moderated caucus with 30 second speaking time per delegate to discuss possible sources of funding for the resolutions on the floor.
10. Unmoderated Caucus (also called Informal Caucus or Lobbying Sessions):
a debate format in which delegates can leave their seats to go and talk to others freely and informally. This is usually when delegates find allies and work on draft resolutions. In order to move into an unmoderated caucus, the motion must include the overall caucus time and preferably (don't have to) the purpose of the unmoderated caucus.
Example: Senegal moves for an unmoderated caucus for 10 minutes to complete draft resolutions.
11. Blocs:
different groups that have similar ideas and opinions about the topics. In the real United Nations, there are regional blocs, but delegates can choose to build their own blocs in Model UN. These blocs will typically work together to create a draft resolution.
Resolutions: the goal of committee is to pass a resolution. Although you may not know how to write a resolution yet, it's important to know the basic terms so you can keep up as they are presented.
12. Working paper:
Working papers are just a list of ideas formed by the blocs. They may or may not be written in resolution format.
13. Draft Resolution:
A document written in resolution format and introduced to committee but not yet voted upon is called a draft resolution. Delegates will be spending most of their time writing and amending the draft resolutions. Once a draft resolution is passed by a committee, it becomes a Resolution.
14. Sponsors:
delegates who authored the draft resolution or actively contributed ideas. They support the draft resolution and want to see it get passed, so they should vote for it. All resolutions will require a minimum number of sponsors.
15. Signatories:
delegates who wish the see a draft resolution debated but may or may not agree with all of the ideas. However, they think there is some merit to it and want to see it presented. Some resolutions will require a minimum number of signatories.
16. Pre-ambulatory clauses:
statements in the first section of the draft resolution that describes the problems that the committee wants to solve as well as previous measures taken to combat the problem. Pre-ambulatory clauses are usually italicized or underlined but not numbered.
17. Operative clauses:
statements in the second section of the draft resolution that outlines the specific solutions the sponsors wish to implement. Operative clauses are usually numbered and underlined.
18. Amendment:
a change made to an operative clause of a draft resolution. Amendments can add, delete, or change an operative clause in a draft resolution.
Friendly Amendment is an amendment written and approved by all the sponsors to a draft resolution and is automatically included into the text.
Unfriendly Amendment is an amendment not approved by all the sponsors to their draft resolution and must be voted upon before it can be included into the text.
19. Merging:
combining two or more draft resolutions to make a bigger or new draft resolution. If you are new to Model UN, BE VERY WARY OF AGREEING TO MERGE YOUR RESOLUTION!! A lot of times, experienced delegates will propose a "merge" in which they may steal all your ideas and kick you out of the sponsors' list
20. Voting bloc:
when delegates vote on the draft resolutions and amendments
In Committee
At the beginning of each conference there is an opening ceremony with a keynote speaker, the introduction of chairs, and some speeches by other important people. Afterwards, you'll want to get to your committee room as fast as possible (you should try to figure out where you're headed before the opening ceremony). Getting there early is of utmost importance in order to get a good seat. Good seats are at the front of the room, in front of the chair, but not a foot away or you'll end up creeping them out. Additionally, when you arrive at your committee early, try your best to talk to other students as a person more than a UN delegate. If people like your personality, they're more likely to work with you in committee.
After everyone gets settled and if there's still time before the conference is supposed to officially begin, at some smaller conference the Chair will have some icebreaker activities. If not, when you get started, you'll begin with some basic parli pro.
Motions
Motion to Open Debate:
This is the first motion of the conference and is made to move into formal debate.
Motion to Set the Agenda:
This motion is made with a specific topic mentioned to be debated first and the other second. Two speakers for, two against, and requires a simple majority to pass.
Motion to Open the Speaker's List:
All delegates wishing to be added to the speakers list should raise their placards. Try to get your placard in the air as fast as you possibly can - aim to try to get on the top 3 or top 5 of the speaker's list. Especially since you can prepare this speech ahead of time, you should feel totally confident trying to get on there early. At later times during the conference, you can send a note to the dais asking to be adding to the speaker's list. If for some reason you couldn't get onto the list early enough, send all the previous speakers with the same policy as you messages, and start a moderated caucus ASAP!
Motion to Enter Moderated Caucus:
This motion brings the body into a moderated debate on the issue on the floor for a specified amount of time. The moderating officer will then recognize speakers for a specified amount of time, who cannot yield to anyone but the Chair at the end of their speech. This motion needs a simple majority to pass. This motion may not be made once debate has been closed. Often times the Chair will prefer to move down the Speaker's List a bit before going into a moderated caucus. If you make this motion and it passes, you have the opportunity to speak first - be sure to take it!
Motion to Enter Unmoderated Caucus:
This motion temporarily suspends the meeting for a specified amount of time. Use it to create resolutions, talk to other delegates, or anything else you may need to do. It requires a simple majority to pass.
Motion to Introduce an Unfriendly Amendment:
This motion brings an amendment that has already been submitted to the Chair with the appropriate number of signatories to the floor for general debate and a vote when debate is closed on the resolution. It is only for unfriendly amendments, for friendly amendments are just considered automatically part of the resolution.
Motion to Introduce a Working Paper:
This motion brings a working paper that has already been approved by the Chair with the appropriate number of signatories to the floor for general debate. It requires a simple majority to pass.
Motion to Adjourn the Session:
This motion adjourns the committee sessions for good. It will only be entertained by the chair at the end of the last committee session. This motion requires a second, is not debatable, and needs a simple majority to pass.
Motion to Suspend the Meeting:
This motion suspends the body between sessions. This motion requires a simple majority to pass.
Motion to Divide the Question:
This motion allows you to take a resolution and vote on each of the operatives separately.
Motion to Yield the Question to your Partner:
This motion is only allowed in some conferences, and allows your partner to answer the question instead of you. This is good if you have no idea what the answer is, but should be avoided whenever possible.