INDIA’S INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT TO UNITE NATIONS

INDIA’S INTERNATIONAL
MOVEMENT TO UNITE NATIONS
OFFICIAL RULES OF PROCEDURE

DIGITAL CONFERENCES
 INDIA’S INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT TO UNITE NATIONS

1. Applicability: The below mentioned rules are applicable to all the Indian Committees, United
Nations Committees, Other Governmental Simulations, Fictional and Crisis Simulations,
Historic and Futuristic Simulations, Special Committees and any other simulation which are a
part of the Digital Edition of the India's International Movement to Unite Nations or any of its
affiliated conferences unless specific instructions have been provided for in the rules. Any
deviation from the rules mentioned requires written permission from the President of the
organization.

STANDARD RULES

2. Representation: All councils shall have delegate(s) representing one country/portfolio having
one vote. Non-governmental Organization’s & Special Observers will be allowed to vote on
Amendments and Declarations that pertain to them, id est, in an agenda which is directly
concerning them. On all other agendas they will be allowed to vote on all issues except
Amendments and Declaration. In case of a dispute, Presiding Officer’s decision shall be final
and binding.

3. Language: The delegates can utilize English and/or Hindi for the conference.

4. Attire: The dress code for the conference is as follows:

i) Day I: Indian Traditional
ii) Day II: Western Formals

5. Sessions: Each session of the conference shall not be longer than 2 hours, which will be
followed by a mandatory break for 10 minutes.

6. Technical Requirement(s): Delegates are expected to have a working electronic device

compatible and equipped with the said software, internet connectivity and the other required
prerequisites as mentioned.

7. Recognition: The delegates shall utilize the ‘Raise Hand’ or any other such feature as provided,
in order to be recognized, at any point, during the session. The delegates shall ‘Lower Hand’
once the purpose of raising their hand has been met. This or any other feature as mentioned,
shall be treated as delegate’s placard and must only be used when required. The delegates may
also utilize the chat feature in order to communicate with the council as a whole or to a
delegate/Presiding Officer, privately. Delegates have to follow the naming guidelines

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before joining the session. The display name should be in the following format:
Committee_Portfolio_FullName (FirstName_LastName). Note that, in case of technical
difficulties, the council shall wait for up to 30 seconds for a delegate to respond/reconnect,
following which, the council shall proceed further with the debate.

8. Decorum: The delegates are expected to maintain highest level of professionalism and decorum
during the proceedings of the council. If a delegate is not behaving in a parliamentary fashion,
on chat, video, audio, or any other platform as shared, they can be barred from the session(s),
temporarily (put in the waiting room) or permanently.

POWERS OF PRESIDING OFFICERS & ORGANISING COUNCIL

9. Presiding Officer(s): The decision of the Presiding Officer on matters regarding debate is final
and binding on all delegates. Any deviation from the Rules of Procedure, requires a prior
consent and written permission from the President of the Organization. The Presiding Officer(s)
has the power to question any delegate and ask for justification about their stand on a particular
issue if it is contrary to their country policy or could help enlighten committee better. They may
bar a delegate from the session(s), after giving at least three warnings. However, a decision of
the Presiding Officer(s) can be appealed against and they can also be impeached.

10. Appeal: The delegates have an option to Appeal to the Presiding Officer, if they are dissatisfied
with the verdict of the Presiding Officer or if they wish to question the Presiding Officer about
the way they are conducting the committee. After being recognized ‘Permission to Appeal to
the Presiding Officer’, on being given permission, the delegate can voice their grievance to the
Presiding Officer within a minute’s time frame, after which the Presiding Officer may or may
not take into consideration the delegate’s recommendation. A delegate, if further dissatisfied
with the verdict of the Presiding Officer(s), can raise a plea to follow up. A maximum of two
such pleas will be allowed, which may or may not be recognized.

11. Impeachment: If the delegates in the committee are extremely dissatisfied with the way the
Presiding Officer is conducting proceedings, the delegates may raise a ‘Motion to Impeach the
Presiding Officer’, which requires a Special Majority to pass.

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12. Charge d’Affaires: Charge d’Affaires of the conference is the head of the Organizing Council.
If any delegate or observer is found to be behaving in an inappropriate manner, they can be
barred from the session or for the complete conference by the Charge d’Affaires whose decision
on such matters is final and binding. The Charge d’Affaires also has sweeping powers bestowed
upon them and their decision is final and binding in all matters concerning debate.

13. President: In case there is a dispute regarding the verdict given by the Charge d’Affaires, then
a written request can be made to the President’s Office. This should be relayed within seven
days from the occurrence of the event.

RULES REGARDING DEBATE

14. Quorum: It is the minimum number of members required to be present in the council to begin
its proceedings. The Quorum should be at least 1/5th of total committee strength.

15. Setting an Agenda: A committee shall decide for the Setting of an Agenda in the following
manner:
i) The Presiding Officer shall call for any Points or Motions on the floor, to which a
delegate can rise to a ‘Motion to Set the Agenda to [Topic]’.
ii) The Presiding Officer shall call (only) for those who are against the Motion. If there
is any opposition then there shall be One For, One Against the topic area, both to a
maximum of one minute each.
iii) This shall be followed by an Informal Vote with a Simple Majority for the motion to
pass. If the motion fails then the second topic area automatically is set for discussion
and if there is no second agenda, then the council moves into an Emergency Debate.

16. Speakers’ List: A Speakers’ List is automatically opened and remains open throughout the
discussion of the topic area unless committee chooses to move into a Moderated Caucus or an
Unmoderated Caucus. A Speakers’ List is a place where a delegate expresses their country’s
stand on the topic area. The time limit is set to one minute per delegate. At least 10 speakers
should be exhausted, alphabetically, for the floor to open to other Motions.

17. Yields: Yields are utilized at the end of a speech in the Speakers List. Yields cannot be
exercised during any other part of the debate. Yields are not compulsory, and a delegate has the
following ways of yielding:

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i) Yield to Question: A delegate can Yield to Question, wherein one Question can be
asked and maximum of two follow ups can be entertained with the permission of the
Presiding Officer. Presiding Officer(s) have an option to ask questions to the delegates.
ii) Yield to Comment: A delegate can Yield to Comment, wherein the Presiding Officer
can recognize one 30-second comment. This comment should be pertaining to the
speech made by the Speaker.

18. Moderated Caucus: A Moderated Caucus is the formal form of debate wherein a detailed
discussion on a sub-topic of the main agenda happens and the main reason for starting a
Moderated Caucus is to know the committee’s opinion on such an issue. A delegate can Motion
for a Moderated Caucus in the following manner: ‘Motion to open a Moderated Caucus to
discuss [Sub-topic] for the total time duration [max. 10 minutes] and time per speaker [max. 1
minute]’. A Motion for a Moderated Caucus requires a Simple Majority to pass and can be
passed through an Informal Vote. In case of multiple motions, with 5 being maximum, the Pre-
siding Officer shall decide on which one to put to vote first. A Moderated Caucus can be started
in the middle of the Speakers’ list, id est, it is not compulsory for the delegates to finish hearing
all the speakers on the list. Speakers should be recognized in lots of one only.

19. Unmoderated Caucus: An Unmoderated Caucus is the informal form of debate and is raised
when the committee feels the need to discuss or decide upon a particular issue in an informal
way. A delegate can call for an Unmoderated Caucus in the following manner: ‘Motion to open
an Unmoderated Caucus for the [Purpose] and the time duration [max. 10+5 minutes]’. A
Motion for an Unmoderated Caucus requires a Simple Majority to pass and can be passed
through an Informal Vote. This motion can be raised for a maximum of 10 minutes for
Lobbying and be extended by another 5 minutes for preparing Declarations. It can be raised for
the following two purposes:
i) Lobbying
ii) Preparing the Declaration

20. Points: During the course of the debate, delegates can raise their hands or write to the Presiding
Officer via the private chat, for the following purposes:
i) Personal Privilege: This can interrupt a speaker and is used when a delegate is facing
technical difficulties and cannot hear the speaker or is experiencing mental or physical
discomfort.
ii) Information: Delegates may Raise their Hand if they wish to clarify any factual inaccu-
racy in a delegate’s speech. If one finds that another delegate has misstated a particular
fact after the completion of the delegate’s speech, one may ask for valid documentation

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supporting the delegate’s facts. This, cannot, however be used for questioning a change
in the country’s policy. The accepted source of documentation includes but is not limited
to Reuters, Amnesty International, Government Websites and any other such credible
source approved by the Presiding Officer(s). For Indian/ Regional Bodies the accepted
source is dependent on the Presiding Officer of the committee.
iii) Clarification: This can be raised by a delegate whenever there is a question or the
delegate would like a clarification from the delegate who has just spoken. The question
can have up to two follow-ups and this requires an approval from the Presiding Officer.
iv) Order: This is to point out the procedural inconsistency or deviation from the existing
Rules of Procedure.
v) Parliamentary Inquiry: This is exercised when a delegate wants to know anything
about the proceedings from the Presiding Officer(s).

21. Declaration: A Declaration is the solution to the entire agenda. A Declaration before being
introduced requires the prior ratification of the Presiding Officer. The Voting on the introduction
of the Declaration for debate can be done in an Informal manner, however, the voting regarding
the passing of the Declaration must be done through the Formal Voting procedure. The
Declaration has to be according to the prescribed format as mentioned in Annexure I (A). In
case of multiple Declarations being brought to the Presiding Officer at the same time, the one
with a greater number of signatories shall be put first to the committee for voting.
i) Authors: An Author is a person who writes the Declaration, structures and ideates over
it. The authors have to abide by the Declaration. A minimum of 1 Author is required for
the Declaration and there is no limit on the maximum number, subject to fulfilling the
criterion of signatories, id est, committee strength without the signatories. An Author
cannot vote against the Declaration.
ii) Signatories: Signatories are those who give consent only to discuss the Declaration in
the council and can exercise their voting rights the way they please. A minimum of 3
signatories are required for the Declaration to be considered for ratification.

22. Amendments: All amendments need to be written and are submitted to the Presiding Officer(s)
via the private chat. The format for amendments, as mentioned in Annexure I (B), should
include: Authors, Type (Add, Delete or Replace), Form and the Clause with its number. There
are two forms of Amendments, which can be raised by raising a ‘Motion for Amendment’ once
the Presiding Officer has given an approval:
i) Friendly Amendments: An amendment, which is agreed upon by all the Author/’s does
not require any kind of voting.

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ii) Normal Amendments: Amendments that are introduced by any other need to be voted
upon by the council to be incorporated in the Declaration. A Simple Majority is required
in order to introduce a Normal Amendment, followed by Discussion and Informal
Voting.

23. E-mendments: Any correction of grammatical errors or deviation from the prescribed format
of writing is called an E-mendment and does not require any voting but a simple approval of the
Presiding Officer.

24. Challenge: This is an informal bilateral/multilateral talk on a multilateral forum. It is raised

when a delegate wants to Challenge another delegate over a particular issue for a specified
period of time; this may be over a particular sub-topic or Country policy. It can also be used as a
dispute resolution technique by delegates. This is an informal one on one debate and requires
only an approval from the Presiding Officer. A delegate may Motion for it in the following
manner: ‘Motion to Challenge the delegate/delegation of [Country] over [topic area] for a time
duration of [Max. 3 minutes].’

25. Question Answer Session: This is when many delegates wish to ask questions to a delegate(s).
Any delegate may call for the same and if passed by informal vote of the committee, then the
committee can ask up to 5 questions to that delegate. To call for the same, a delegate can
motion: ‘Motion to move into a Question Answer Session with the delegate of [Country], total
number of questions [Max of 5 Questions]’.

26. One For One Against: This is when committee cannot decide on a particular issue or is divid-
ed on the question and therefore before the final vote needs to hear both sides of the argument.
This can be extended to a Two For and Two Against. The Time limit for each speaker is 1
minute.

27. Formal Voting: This is required only for passing a Declaration and takes place in three rounds.
No observer other than those who have been bestowed the Right to Vote, member of press or
the administration staff is allowed to be present during voting. A declaration passes if it has
Special Majority. The three rounds of voting are:
i) Round 1: All delegates have an option between choosing:
a) Yes
b) No
c) Yes with rights
d) No with rights

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e) Abstain
f) Pass
ii) Round 2: All delegates who have opted for rights, get to justify their positions. This
round is entered only if there is a Pass and a Yes with Rights or a No with Rights.
iii) Round 3: Delegates have to cast their Final vote and the three choices they have are: a
Yes, a No and an Abstain.

28. Informal Voting: Informal voting is required for passing of various motions during the course
of the debate. It is conducted simply by asking for the one’s in favour and counting the number
of “Raised Hand’s”, followed by counting the “Raised Hand’s” for the one’s against.

29. Majority: There are two kinds of Majorities which are used in a council:
i) Simple Majority: Simple majority is 50% + 1 of the total number of delegations
present in the council.
ii) Special Majority: Special Majority is 2/3rd of the total number of delegations present
in the council.

30. Tabling of Paperwork: The delegates of the council have a choice to ‘table’ the Declaration, at
any point of time during their deliberation in council for which they require a Special Majority
through Informal Voting. Tabling of a Paperwork means that the same paperwork cannot be
brought up for discussion again.

31. Presidential Address: A delegate during the course of debate can make a Presidential Address,
id est, the Head of State is addressing the council. This will help the delegate in expressing their
stand on a particular issue. This is followed by a compulsory Yield to Questions (up to 2
Questions). This can be done at any time during debate but a maximum of 3 will be allowed per
delegation throughout the conference and there is a time limit of 90 seconds which can be
extended by the Presiding Officer(s).

32. Joint Statement: Two countries can come together and make a joint announcement regarding
their views on the topic areas. The Presiding Officer can invalidate the statement if it is not
important in context to the agenda at hand. A Joint Statement can be made at any time during
committee. This is in a written format, Annexure I (C), sent via the chat feature to the Presiding
Officer and is utilized to make an announcement in regard to a change in country’s policy.

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33. Censure: The delegates can censure a fellow delegate by motioning for the same but in order
for it to be successful it has to have a Special Majority through an Informal Vote. This Motion
can be overruled at the discretion of the Presiding Officer.

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ANNEXURE I

A. DECLARATION FORMAT

NUMBER: I.I.M.U.N./2020/DigitalConference/GAP/DEC/0001

AUTHOR(s): [1 Min.]

SIGNATORIES: [3 Min.]

AGENDA: XYZ

The [Committee_Name_FullForm],

1. Actionable Clause 1.

2. Actionable Clause 2.

3. Actionable Clause 3.

B. AMENDMENTS FORMAT

AUTHOR(s): [1 Min.]

TYPE: Add/Delete/Replace

FORM: Friendly Amendment or Normal Amendment

CLAUSE:

C. JOINT STATEMENT
AUTHORS: [Min 2.]

TOPIC:

1. Point A.

2. Point B.

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ANNEXURE II: LIST OF CLAUSES

1) Actionable Clauses: Actionable clauses contain the actual solution to the agenda or crisis. A few
of the actionable phrases are listed here: Accepts, Affirms, Approves, Authorizes, Calls, Calls
upon, Condemns, Confirms, Congratulates, Considers, Declares accordingly, Deplores,
Designates, Draws the attention, Encourages, Endorses, Expresses its appreciation, Expresses its
hope, Further invites, Further proclaims, Further reminds, Further recommends, Further re-
quests, Further resolves, Has resolved, Notes, Proclaims, Reaffirms, Recommends, Regrets,
Reminds, Requests, Solemnly affirms, Strongly condemns, Supports, Takes note of, Transmits,
Trusts.

The Official Rules of Procedure of the India's International Movement to Unite Nations for
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India’s International Movement to Unite Nations (I.I.M.U.N.)

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