“Model United Nations: Scandi - International” 

2020 

Dear honorable delegates,

We are proud to announce that after many years of hosting Ukrainan interregional Model
United Nations conferences we are finally ready to take the next step, and host an
international Model United Nations conference.

Our team of organisers are working hard to ensure that even in these hard times, delegates
from all around the world could feel comfortable and enjoy their time participating in the
conference.

"MUN: Scandi - International” will be hosted via Zoom communicational service from the
28th to the 29th of November.

We invite you, honourable delegates, to take part in this conference, engage with other young
and inspiring participants, learn new skills and enjoy your time. Let’s continue making our
world a better place.

Best regards,
“Model United Nations: Scandi - International” committee

 
 
 

 
 
 
Committee topics: 
 
Security Council:

Foundation of the United Nations and integration of the former Axis powers. security
summit.

Topic A:​Should post conflict occupation zones of Germany be reformed in to one

self-governing German government (pre berlin crisis) 1945 June 26 – 1946 March 5 pre
Churcill’s “iron curtain speech”
Session in Switzerland.

Topic B:​Should the former Axis countries (Japan and Italy, Germany if created) be
recognized by the UN and be permitted to become part of the UN? 1947- November
Session in New York.

Human Rights Council:

The implementation on the right to participate in public and political affairs.

 
 
 
 
 
General information: 
● registration will be open from the 1st of November till the 20th of November;
● participants must register individually;
● FREE OF CHARGE;
● once the committees are full, the registration will automatically close, even if the
deadline is not met ;
● each participant must prepare a position paper;
● disregarding the rules of behaviour of “MUN: Scandi-International” 2020 will lead to
the delegate being removed from the delegation and have all of his rights as delegate
and participant removed. The participation fee will not be reimbursed/refunded;
● each participant must pass competitive selection procedure where each delegate must
submit an essay;

 
 
 
 
 
Rules of behavior: 
All delegates of the “Model United Nations: Scandi - International” 2020 must follow the
rules of behavior, so that throughout the conference there was a constant respectable working
environment, similar to the one held at the United Nations conferences
● delegates must behave themselves politely and with respect to each other, the
secretariat and other guests of the conference. If a delegate/delegates violate the rules,
please inform the secretariat of this.
● One of the main principles that the United Nations support is diversity.
Discrimination of people because of their: skin colour, national affiliations, age or
religion is unacceptable. If you believe that any of these points are violated please
inform the secretariat about this
● During the conference delegates must express, act and present themselves and show
professionalism and skills, primarily respect towards the views and stances of your
fellow delegates.
● Delegates must follow formal style of clothing during the conference (suits and ties
for men and pantsuits and knee-length skirt for women). Jackets are an obligatory
attribute of clothing.
● Meetings’ beginning time is defined within the conference schedule of “Model United
Nations: Scandi - International” 2020.
● Committee meetings and decisions can be considered legitimate only after quorum is
established
● Delegates must represent the interests and policies of their selected countries at
plenary committee meetings.
● Delegates agree to use only the official name of the country they represent and its flag
in a username and a profile photo of their Zoom accounts during the conference.
● Delegates are allowed to drink only water at committee meetings. Eating and drinking
other beverages is prohibited during plenary meetings.
● Delegates must be focused on work during the conference. Speaking with other
delegates or sending messages on any topics which are not related to the conference is
not allowed. However delegates are encouraged to engage in discussions with other
delegates during breaks, informal consultations and after the meetings scheduled for
that day.
● Secretary-General of “Model United Nations: Scandi - International” 2020 makes all
the decisions on disciplinary issues.
Rules of procedure: 
No discussion can ever happen if everybody is talking at once, especially in an organization
the size of the UN. Even in the committees, with 20 people in one room, nothing can get done
unless there is some order. The Rules of Procedure (RoP) provide this much-needed order
and govern the debate. The RoP make sure that everyone can get their say, and that the
discussion is maintained honorably.

Rules of Procedure might change from Model UN to Model UN, but there are always two
main rules that are at the core of any UN discussion:

● Only one person may speak at a time.

● The Chair’s decisions are law – whatever they say, that’s how things will work.
● If you keep those two rules in mind throughout the discussion, you already have the
basics of UN debate.

Opening the Debate

Roll Call:

Every great discussion concerning the future of our world must start somewhere. At the UN,
the starting point is the Roll Call. One by one, each country’s name is read and the delegates
must state their intention to join the debate. In Model UN, the Roll Call is used primarily to
check attendance and calculate required majority for procedural and substantial votes (what
are those? Wait and see).

A delegate can reply with “Present” or “Present and Voting”. A delegate who declares
himself as “Present and Voting” cannot abstain during substantive votes.

Once this stage is completed, the session can move on to the next step.

Setting the Agenda:

Sometimes you will be given the subject of the debate before going to the session. In other
times you will have the opportunity to choose between two or three topics before the
discussion actually starts. Which topic will in fact be discussed depends on you and your
fellow delegates. Whenever there is more than one topic on the table, your country should
have a preference of what you would like to discuss first. You need to make sure that your
choice of discussion topic is the first on the agenda.

Setting the agenda requires making a motion. Making the motion simply requires you raising
your hand/placard and saying “[COUNTRY’S NAME] moves to place [TOPIC A] first on
the agenda”.

Once the motion is made, it would require another delegate to second it (by saying
“[COUNTRY NAME] seconds”). Other countries might try to put their topics on the agenda
first, and the first topic is decided by a vote. Before each vote, the Chair might decide to have
a brief discussion on the motion, with two people speaking for and two against the topic
proposed. A simple majority is required for a topic to be chosen for discussion. As this is a
procedural vote, delegated may not abstain and must vote for or against the motion.

Once the votes are cast, and the topic of the discussion has been chosen, the substantive
debate can begin. From this moment on, it is your time to shape opinions, offer solutions, and
promote your country’s agenda to get the best possible outcome. This is where the “real”
Model UN begins for many participants.

The Debate
A debate on a topic customarily starts with opening statements:

Opening Statements:

Opening statements are delivered by each state’s delegate according to alphabetical order.
The Chair may choose to set a time limit, and any member may move to suggest a different
time limit. Changing the time limit set by the Chair requires a motion followed by procedural
vote with a simple majority.

During each country’s address, no other country may interrupt, and motions cannot be made
until all statements are read. It is considered good manners to open by recognizing the Chair
and other delegates before reading your statement.

Once opening statements are completed, the discussion moves the General Speaker’s List.

The General Speaker’s List – Baseline to the Discussion:

The General Speakers List (GSL) is the default section of the discussion and the part in which
the majority of discussion occurs. Initially, the Chair establishes a time limit for each speaker.
Countries then ask to be added to the list, and then take turns speaking according to the order
by which they have been added to the list.

A delegate can amend the speaker’s time using a motion, which requires a procedural vote
with a simple majority.

Each country must conclude its statement within its allotted time. No other delegate may
speak while another is talking, but note-passing is allowed.

If a delegate has finished his speech before the allotted time has elapsed, they can yield their
time either to the Chair, another delegate, or to questions. If the latter is chosen, the Chair
will pause the time and open the floor to questions; once a question is asked, the remainder of
the time is given to the speaker to answer it, and this process repeats itself until the time has
fully
elapsed. To join the GSL, delegates can pass a note to the Chair or wait until the Chair asks
“who would like to be added to the speakers list at this time?” (This usually takes place every
3-4 speeches or whenever the list is empty). Should the speakers list remain empty with no
speakers willing to be listed, the debate will be automatically closed and the session will
move to the voting procedure (if applicable).

Right of Reply:

If a country is mentioned by name or is singled out during another delegate’s speech, and the
mention can be perceived negatively by that country, they may ask the Chair for a Right of
Reply. If granted, a Right of Reply allows a country to speak immediately after the
“accusing” country has finished, regardless of the replying country’s place in line. The Chair
can use his/her discretion to regulate the use of this motion for the sake of good decorum.

:
Point​

Every MUN delegate has to start somewhere. In many cases, delegates need to ask
clarification questions concerning both procedure and content, as well as comment on the
behavior of other delegates. Points are a useful and appropriate tool that delegates can apply
in order to increase their understanding of the debate and get their bearings. There are three
major points in Model UN:

Point of Order:

If a delegate does not follow the rules of discussion, or if they use inappropriate language or
deviate from the topic of the discussion, any other delegate may raise a Point of Order against
them once the floor is open. If the Point of Order is accepted, the Chair will reprimand the
“offending” country, and may choose a penalty if the transgression is repeated.

Point of Parliamentary Inquiry and Point of Personal Privilege:

Delegates may ask the Chair for clarification of the Rules of Procedure between speakers by
making a Point of Parliamentary Inquiry. This could be used to understand the procedures
applied in any given point in time, and must be phrased as a question. Likewise, any delegate
who wishes to make a Point of Personal Privilege, such as permission to go to the bathroom
or opening a window, may do so between speakers, in a quick manner, disturbing the
discussion as little as possible.

Moving from the General Speaker’s List:

After a few speakers have spoken, the Chair may open the floor to motions. Countries may
make motions to have the time limit changed, move the discussion to a moderated or
unmoderated caucus, take a break, or close the discussion and move to voting. The Chair may
choose not to accept a motion if there are too many at a certain time, if the same motion was
already voted down recently, or if the motion is deemed detrimental for a constructive debate.
If there is more than one motion, they would be voted on by the order of precedence, where
the rule of thumb is to first deal with the motion most disruptive to the GSL debate. This
means that motions that change the form of the debate, such as for a caucus, would come first
by order of longest caucus first, and motions to change the speaking time would come last.
Voting to change the time limit or to move to a caucus requires a simple majority, while a
motion to close the debate (always highest in precedence) requires a two-thirds majority to
pass. As these are procedural votes, no delegate may abstain.

Moderated Caucus:

Like its name suggests, the GSL is usually suitable for general discussion, while the effort to
come up with specific solutions is more often done in the form of a focused debate – a
caucus. A moderated caucus has a specific topic, and each speaker must speak only in
relation to that topic. The caucus requires a set amount of overall time and time per speaker,
both of which are determined by the delegate who made the motion for the caucus. The
speaking time cannot be changed, yet the length of a caucus may be extended by a motion
from any delegate once the allocated time has lapsed, and it requires a simple majority.

A motion for a moderated caucus usually goes as such: “[COUNTRY NAME] moves for a
moderated caucus on the topic of [TOPIC], for X minutes, allowing Y seconds for each
speaker.” This is then voted on (if more than one motion exists, precedence is taken into
consideration; see above).

Should the motion pass, the country who made the motion speaks first. The Chair decides the
next speaker out of countries raising their flags/placards to indicate their wish to speak. There
is no right of reply in a moderated caucus. The caucus ends when the time has lapsed, or
when no country wishes to speak. Once the caucus is over, the debate returns to the GSL.

Unmoderated Caucus:

An unmoderated caucus is a free-form debate, with no turns, points or speaking time.

Delegates are allowed to move around the room during an unmoderated caucus, and it is a
good platform for writing and negotiating draft resolutions.

A motion for an unmoderated caucus usually goes as follows: “[COUNTRY NAME] moves
for an unmoderated caucus of X minutes”. A motion for an unmoderated caucus has
precedence over motions for moderated caucuses, and it is put to a procedural vote.

During an unmoderated caucus, anyone may speak at any time, with no particular order, and
cooperation is encouraged for the purpose of reaching agreement and writing a draft
resolution.

An unmoderated caucus lasts for as long as the allotted time has not expired. A motion may
be made to extend the time further, and be accepted by the Chair without a vote. Once the
caucus is over, the debate returns to the GSL.
Overruling a Chair’s decision:

If a country feels a Chair decision is wrong, they may make a motion to overrule the Chair’s
decision. Seconds and a two-thirds majority are required for this motion to pass, and the
Chair will have the opportunity to explain their judgment.

Draft Resolutions:

Draft resolutions are the foundation of the decision-making process of Model UN. They state
the proposed solution for the problem at hand that represents the viewpoint and agenda to the
proposing countries. Once written, a draft resolution must be given to the Chair for approval
of language and format. For a draft resolution to be considered it must have a minimum
number of sponsors who support it and will vote in favor of it at the end of the debate. The
necessary number of sponsors should be set by the Chair before the first draft resolution is
introduced, and it varies according to the size of the Committee / Council.

Once a draft resolution has been approved by the Chair, a motion may be made to introduce it
to the committee. A sponsor will introduce the resolution and read over the operative clauses,
one by one. The draft resolution will then be given a serial number by the Chair for future
reference.

Amending Draft Resolutions:

Once a draft resolution has been introduced, amendments to operative clauses may be
suggested and voted upon. The amendment may be introduced, and then the Chair will ask
the sponsors of the draft resolution if they accept it as a friendly amendment. Sponsors
objecting to the amendment will be noted, and a vote will follow. Should the amendment
pass, it will be incorporated into the draft resolution and the objecting sponsors can remove
their sponsorship.

An amended operative clause cannot be re-amended.

Closing the Debate

A motion to close debate may occur during the GSL. The Chair may accept up to two
speakers for and two against closing the debate. For the debate to close, a two-thirds majority
must vote in favor of closing the debate.

If the motion passes, the debate is closed thereafter. If there are draft resolutions on the table,
the committee moves to vote on these draft resolutions according to their serial number (see
below). Otherwise, the discussion on the topic is adjourned, and the committee moves to the
next item on the agenda.
Voting Procedure
During voting procedure, it is customary that no one is allowed to leave the room. The
members vote on draft resolutions by the order in which they have been accepted, as
represented by their serial numbers. All votes on the content of resolutions are considered
substantive votes, which means delegates can vote “Yes”, “No”, or “Abstain” (abstentions
are allowed only for non-sponsors AND countries who stated they are “Present” during Roll
Call)

During the voting procedure, there are several motions that have the ability to influence the
voting procedure. These are used to manipulate the vote on certain resolutions which cannot
be further amended.

A motion to vote clause by clause may be made by any delegate right before voting
procedure on a given draft resolution commences, and requires no vote. Once any delegate
makes this motion, the delegates vote on each operative clause by order. Any clause that has
more ‘yes’ votes than ‘no’ votes will remain in the resolution, while clauses that fail will be
removed.

A motion for division of the question separates the resolution into two or more documents.
The initiator of the motion chooses how the operative clauses are divided, and thus splits the
draft resolution into two or more pieces. This motion requires a simple majority to pass. Once
passed, the resolution is now split, and the committee continues to vote on each part
separately as though it was a draft resolution on its own, with a different serial number.

Roll Call Vote:

Any delegate may make a motion for a roll call vote for a specific resolution. Once made, this
motion requires no voting, and the voting procedure immediately changes to a roll call vote.

A roll call vote is quite similar to the roll call at the beginning of each session. The Chair will
read out all countries’ names in alphabetical order. Upon hearing one’s country’s name, the
delegate may answer ‘Yes’, ‘No’, ‘Pass’ or ‘Abstain’.

A second round of voting will then be conducted, consisting only of delegates who answered
‘Pass’ during the first round. The delegates will then have to answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. A
delegate may neither answer ‘Pass’ a second time nor abstain during the second round of
voting.

Once voting is completed for the first draft resolution and the proposal has passed, it becomes
the Resolution of the committee, which moves to discuss the next topic on the agenda.
However, if the draft resolution under vote fails, voting continues for the next draft resolution
(should there be any). Once all draft resolutions have been voted upon, the discussion is now
closed, and the committee moves on to the next item on the agenda.
Glossary  
Double delegate: When two delegates represent the same country together.

Delegation: A group of delegates who travel to a MUN conference together. They are usually
from the same Model UN club/institution.

Head Delegate: The student head of a delegation. This is sometimes also the head of the
Model UN club but not strictly limited to.

Delegate Pack: A bundle of items provided by the conference. These usually include a
handbook, maps of the venue, paper, pens, and other goodies.

Delegate Handbook: A booklet which usually includes a welcome letter from the
Secretary-General, a list of topics and chairs, a list of the committee rooms, the schedule, a
map of the venue, city information and emergency help numbers.

Placard: The cardboard or paper sign with the country name written on it. Placards are used
to identify presence, vote, and signal to the chair.

Chair: Facilitate debate according to the Rules of Procedure. They are seated in the front of
the committee room and can call on delegates to speak, time speeches, open the floor to
motions and facilitate votes on motions offered by the delegates. At the end of the
conference, they choose the delegates to receive diplomacy awards. They also often give
feedback to the delegates.

Director: Another name for the chair.

Dias: The collective name of the chairs or the group of people leading the committee

Out of Order: Actions that are not allowed according to the Rules of Procedure.

Gavel: A small wooden hammer which the chair uses to keep order.

There are all sort of MUN Gavels

Position Paper: A summary of how a country sees the issue being discussed, their connection,
and their policy proposals. Position Papers should be submitted to the chairs before the
conference.

Study Guide: A Background Guide with information about the topics to be discussed at a
MUN conference.

Rules of Procedure (RoP): The rules which dictate how to run a Model United Nations
committee.
Decorum: A call to order. The chair will call for decorum if delegates get too loud or
disrespectful. When the chair called “Decorum delegates” it is best to be quiet and go back to
your seat. – Check out our full Introduction Guide to MUN Decorum

Motion: How you ask for something in MUN in the official request form. You can motion for
many different actions to guide the debate forward in a specific way. Some examples of
motions are motions for different types of caucuses (discussion), to move to vote or end the
committee session altogether.

Second: A second delegate agreeing with a motion that has been proposed. Most motions
require a second to be voted on by the entire committee. If there are no seconds a motion
automatically fails.

Objection: After a motion gets a second, the Dias asks if there are objections. At least one
delegate needs to object for the motion to proceed to a vote by the entire committee. If there
is no objection the motion automatically passes.

Simple Majority: A vote that requires at least one over 50% of the vote to pass. Most
procedural votes require a simple majority.

On the Floor: When a motion, working paper, or draft resolution is open to discussion and
voting. (The term floor is a legislative term meaning the part of a legislative hall where
debate and other business is conducted.)

Blocs: Groups of delegates who agree on certain principles. These blocs will work together to
write draft resolutions, which they later introduce and vote on. Blocs can be formed based on
any common interest. Some blocs are formed around regional, cultural, or ideological
interests but there are many more. Choosing who is in your bloc should be done on a
case-by-case basis depending on the topic.

Flow: The notetaking, or shorthand, MUNers use to keep track of all the ideas, policies and
arguments said in other delegate’s speeches. Flow can be taken on paper or computer. Flow is
used by both chairs and delegates.

“Honorable Chair, Distinguished Delegates”: This is how MUN speeches usually start. While
it is customary to start a speech with these words it is not the end of the world if you don’t
say them.

Conference Terms

MUN Conference: A Model United Nations conference is where delegates from different
institutions and clubs come together to participate in MUN. Conferences can be run by
university students, high school students, teachers, or third-party providers. Conferences
range from a handful of participants to thousands. MUN conferences can be aimed at national
or international audiences. MUN conferences can be for beginners, expert MUNers, or have
committees of all levels.
Secretariat: The team who organizes Model United Nations conference.

Secretary-General: The head of the Secretariat. The role usually involved the recruitment and
management of the other secretariat roles.

Director-General: A role usually of equal rank to the Secretary-General. Director General is a

fluid title and can be in charge of the logistics or academics of a conference.

Under-Secretary-General: The heads of each department at a MUN conference. Under

Secretary Generals have roles that include, but are not limited to, Chairing and Academics,
Logistics, Delegate Services, Marketing, Fundraising, Finance, Socials, Media Management,
Press, Guest Speakers.

Page: A volunteer who has the role of passing notes between the delegates.

Admin: A volunteer who functions as a page and also helps with other tasks around the
committee.

Points & Inquiries

Point of Parliamentary Inquiry: Also called a ‘Point of Inquiry’. A question from a delegate
to the chair about the Rules of Procedure (RoP) or anything else they don’t understand in the
committee.

Point of Information: When a delegate asks a question of another delegate. These usually take
place after a delegate completes a speech on the Speaker’s List. Some conferences do not
have Points of Information. Consult each conference's rules to understand how exactly they
work.

Follow-Ups: A request to ask a second question after having already asked one as a point of
information.

Point of Personal Privilege: Can be called for when a delegate feels hindered by something
outside of the debate, which is not covered by the RoP. Examples can be going to the
bathroom, room temperature and inability to hear another speaker.

Point of Order: Called by a delegate on another delegate, or on the chair, when the Rules of
Procedure are not being followed. The specifics of a Point of Order vary between conferences
and the specific RoP should be Consulted.

Right of Reply: When a delegate feels their country was insulted during another delegate's
GSL speech, they can ask for Right of Reply. If approved by the chair, the insulted delegate
gets a certain amount of time to respond to the insult There is no Right of Reply to a Right of
Reply.

Point of Entertainment: This informal point is used at some MUN conferences to call for a
break-in procedure for the delegates to take part in a mood-lifting activity. Points of
Entertainment are generally used at the beginning or end of committee sessions and take
place at the discretion of the chair.

Check out our guide about points and motions to learn more.

Start of Session

Member State: A country that has ratified the charter of an international organization, such as
the United Nations but not limited to them. Member states have voting rights in the
committee.

Observer: A delegate who is not a natural member of the committee. They can be a country
who isn’t part of the organization (Portugal in the Africa Union), an international
organization, Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), national organization or even an
individual. Observers can only vote on procedural matters. (For specifics, consult your
conference's Rules of Procedure).

Roll Call: A procedure performed by the chairs at the beginning of each committee session to
know how many delegates are present in the room (for a simple majority and 2/3rds majority
voting) and to know who is ‘present’ and who is ‘present and voting’.

Quorum: The minimum number of delegates needed to be present for the debate to take
place. (If unsure about your committee quorum check your RoP).

Present: What a delegate says when they are present in the committee and want to reserve the
right to abstain on the final vote.

Present and Voting: What a delegate stays during roll call when they forgo their right to
abstain. This means they can only vote for or against the draft resolution. This is usually done
when they feel strongly about the topic.

Agenda Setting: Where the delegates in the committee choose which of the agenda topics
they wish to discuss first.

Debate

Speaker’s List: Speaker’s List, or General Speaker’s List, is the default format of the
committee. It contains a list of delegated who have been recognized to speak in a specific
order. The Speaker’s List is suspended when a motion for something else (like a moderated
caucus to move to voting procedure) is passed by the committee.

Yield: Used in MUN for when a delegate finishes their speech with the extra time that needs
to choose what to do with it. The delegate can yield, or give up, their time to:

The Chair: Meaning they give up the rest of their time.

Another Delegate: Another delegate gets to use the remaining time in their speech.
Question: The speaker will take questions and answer them with the remainder of their time.

Informal Debate: When delegates motion to leave the Speaker’s List for a specific purpose.
That can be speaking about a specific topic, speaking in a format moderated by delegates or
lobbying and writing the draft resolutions. This is done through a Moderated Caucus,
Unmoderated Caucus and Consultation of the Whole.

Moderated Caucus: A less formal discussion on a subtopic within the general topic, chosen
by a delegate and passed by a majority. Delegates raise their placards to offer Moderated
Caucuses when the chair opens the floor to motions. Moderated Caucuses need to offer
overall time, individual speakers time and topic of discussion. For example: “Venezuela
motions for a 10 minute moderated caucus, 45 seconds speakers time on the topic of ‘Where
should we put plastic waste cleaned from the oceans’”.

Unmoderated Caucus: Lobbying time. When motioning for an Unmoderated Caucus usually
no topic is needed, only the general time requested for the unmoderated caucus. Once passed,
delegates get out of their seat and move freely around the room. During this time they can
lobby, negotiate with other delegates and blocks and write draft resolutions.

Consultation of the Whole: An informal discussion where the delegate who is speaking
chooses the next speaker. When motioning for a Consultation of the Whole (CotW) you only
ask for a general time. The delegate who motioned for the CotW speaks first for as long as
they like. When the speaker is done, choose the next speaker. This continues until the CotW
time elapses.

Table: To suspend action or discussion until later.

Resolution Writing

Clause: A MUN clause is a written instruction detailing the practical policy you want to be
implemented if the resolution passes.

Working Paper: The first draft of ideas in writing which is compiled by the different blocs.
They do not need to be written in resolution format but are often written as complete clauses.

Draft Resolution: The final draft of a working paper where the blocs combined policy ideas
are properly formatted and approved by the chair for both content and format. Once approved
by the chair they can be discussed and, after debate closed, voted upon.

Sponsors: Delegates who were major contributors to the draft resolution. They are usually the
ones who wrote the majority of the document but not always. The number of sponsors is
usually limited.

Signatories: Delegates who support a draft resolution, or at least want to see it discussed.
There is no limit on the number of signatories.
Submitter: The main delegate that submits a clause or resolution. (Submitters and
Co-submitters are an alternative to sponsors and signatories and work according to a different
RoP).

Co-submitter: A delegate that signs another delegate clause to get credit for the joint
submission.

Preambulatory Clause: Clauses that explain why you are implementing the policies described
in the Operative Clauses. They can provide a background to the problem, legal precedent, and
other supporting data. Preambulatory Clauses are usually italicized and not numbered.

Operative Clause: Clauses that detail the policies / explain what the draft resolution is going
to do. Operative clauses can go into detailed sub-clauses to properly convey the idea. The
first words are italicized are each clause is numbered.

Amendment: A written change made to an operative clause. Amendments can change an

existing clause, add the new one or delete a section, or an entire clause.

Friendly Amendment: A change to a clause approved by all the sponsors. These get
automatically added to the resolution.

Unfriendly Amendment: A change to a clause that at least one sponsor does not agree to.
These go to vote and are only added to the draft resolution passed with a majority in favor of
the amendment.

Merging: When two or more draft resolutions are combined. This usually results in the blocs
merging as well to give themselves more voting power.

Panel of Authors: A motion for the main contributors of a draft resolution to stand before the
committee, give an overview of the ideas in their draft resolution and answer questions.

Introduce Draft Resolution: This motion needs to be approved by the chair to officially
discuss the draft resolution by name. For example, the working paper is now draft resolution
1.2.

Introduce Amendment: A motion to review and vote on the amendments submitted to the
chair. The procedure for how amendments are submitted and when they are voted on varies
between conferences.

Learn how to write a clause or a MUN resolution!

Voting

Close Debate: A motion for the committee to end debate and more into voting procedure. If
this passes, the speaker’s list is closed and the only motions allowed are those that pertain to
the voting procedure.
Voting procedure: The period at the end of a committee session. Once the debate is closed,
delegates will vote on amendments followed by draft resolutions. During voting procedure,
nobody may enter or leave the room.

Reorder Draft Resolutions: A mother to change the order of the draft resolutions which is
different from the one where the one introduced first is voted on first.

Vote Clause by Clause: A motion to vote on each clause individually instead of all together.
This is commonly done to get some of the clauses to fail.

Divide the Question: A motion to vote separately on a set of specifically chosen operative
clauses. These clauses can come from anywhere on the document. For example, you can take
a 12 clause resolution and divide the question so as to vote on clause 3, 6 and 11 separately,
leaving the remaining clauses to be voted on together.

Divide The House: A motion which would result in countries losing their option to abstain. If
this motion passes, everyone in the committee can only vote in favor or against.

Vote by Acclamation: This motion means a draft resolution can pass as long as no delegate
objects. If one delegate objects the motion moves to a simple majority vote. Many
conferences do not use this motion.

Vote by Roll Call: A Motion to have each country declare verbally if they are “For”,
“Against”, “Pass” or “Abstain.”

For: When a delegate casts their vote in favor of the draft resolution.

Against: When a delegate casts their vote against the draft resolution.

Abstain: When a delegate formally declines to vote either for or against the draft resolution.

Pass: To skip casting a vote and waiting for a second round. While this allows the delegate to
see how others vote, in the second round they must vote for or against and can no longer
abstain.

Voting With Rights: When a delegate Votes with Rights they get to speak after the vote is
completed. This is usually used when a delegate votes in an unexpected manner, for example
against their own resolution.

Suspend / Table Debate: a motion to put the session on hold, generally for lunch or coffee
break.

Adjourn: A motion to completely end the committee session until the next conference.

Security Council Terms

P5: The permanent five members of the Security Council who never rotate their seat. These
are China, France, Russia, The United Kingdom and the United States.

Veto: When a P5 country votes against a draft resolution or motion. If a P5 vetoes it

automatically fails.

Procedural Voting: Voting on something that does not impact the world outside. A motion for
a moderated caucus is an example of a procedural vote.

Substantive Voting: When the vote does have real-world impact. The vote on the draft
resolution (which if passed gets passed into law and has real-world outcomes) is a substantive
vote. At some conferences, the P5 can turn a procedural vote substantively. Once a
substantive item is on the table it can be vetoed.

Binding: A UN resolution that legally forces nations to abide. Only the Security Council
resolutions are binding, while resolutions passed by the other UN bodies are not. (Other
non-UN bodies may also have binding or partially binding agreements or resolutions)

Crisis Terms

Crisis – A fast paced type of MUN where the situation keeps changing and, in most cases,
delegates can impact the direction of the simulation.

Historical Crisis – A crisis that takes place in the past.

Futurist Crisis – A crisis that takes place in the future. This can be the near future or a far off
future which has significantly less basis on reality.

Crisis Director (CD) – The manager of the entire crisis. The CD usually chooses the topic and
coordinates the writing of the study guide and character bios.

Crisis Staff – The team who work under the Crisis Director. This can be anywhere from one
or two people to teams of twenty or more. The rules include Deputy Crisis Directors,
Backroom Directors, Backroom Staff and Frontroom Chairs.

Single Cabinet Crisis – A crisis set in one room of participants.

Joint Cabinet Crisis (JCC) – Also known as Joint Crisis Committees. Multiple rooms of
participants. If there are two they usually face off. If there are more than two they can form
alliances with each other and evolve dynamically as the crisis progresses.

Directive – A written request sent to and read by the crisis staff (AKA Backroom). They can
be approved, or denied. Directives can be personal or represent the interest of the committee.
The outcome of the requests moves the crisis forward. (Everything to know about crisis
directives can be found here!)
Death – When a participant's character dies. This results in the participant getting a new
character. In JCC's, a participant can be resurrected in another committee.

Cabinet Director – The staff member responsible for everything that takes place in a specific
cabinet. They usually approve smaller requests and take larger ones up to the Crisis Director.

Backroom Staff – A crisis staff member who is in charge of responding to individual

directives. They can be assigned to one specific cabinet or work in multiple cabinets.

Frontroom Chair – Also simply known as the chair of the committee. The Frontroom Chair
usually works with the backroom.

Character bio – Basic information about the individual, or entity, the delegate will be
representing in the crisis. Character bios are usually provided by the crisis staff.

Crisis Update – When the Backroom gives the Frontroom new information.

Character knowledge – Information which your character is aware of in the crisis. This will
differ greatly from the knowledge you personally know about the crisis or the characters as
you might know how the crisis unfolded in history or some character secrets but your crisis
character will have to work by sending directives to obtain that knowledge.

Defection / Betrayal – The act of a delegate or chair switching cabinets during the course of
the crisis and retaining their character personality.

NPC (Non-Playable Character) – A personality or character who is within the crisis but is not
represented by a delegate or chair but instead played by the crisis staff.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Contacts 
 
Evgeny Plyuschevsky
Secretary-General
+38 (096) 302 72 01
modelunscandi@gmail.com

Julia Usova
Chair of the Security Council
+38 (099) 743 62 32
modelunscandi@gmail.com

Antonio Johnson
Chair of the Security Council
modelunscandi@gmail.com

Anastasiia Pereverten
Chair of the Human Rights Council
+38 (066) 553 01 02
modelunscandi@gmail.com