DELEGATE GUIDE

HARVARD MUN ROP

  Roll Call – This is the first thing done in the committee and
it’s purpose is to know which all delegates are present in the
committee and their voting status. Usage – the chair will call
out each country in alphabetical order and delegates may
respond by stating “ present” or “ present and voting ”
Present - when a delegate responds with present they vote
Flow of the for, against or abstain from voting procedures.
Present and Voting - when a delegate responds with present
Committee and voting they may not abstain, they have to vote for or
against. This applies to the voting proc edures of resolutions
and amendments only. It is mandatory to vote for or against
motions.
 Open floor for debate - This is a formal procedure
which in basic tears means that we are asking to start the committee. It
is done by saying “motion to open the floor for debate”.
 Setting the Agenda/Topic - This is a formal procedure which in basic
tears means that we are asking to start the committee. In a case, where
there are two or more agendas, delegates may go through each one of
them in any order throug h the vote of simple majority. It is done by
saying “motion to set the agenda to *agenda/topic*”. Example: motion
to set the ag enda to Weaponization of Space.
 Opening/Establish the General Speakers List (GSL) – The General
Speakers List (GSL) is a speakers list where a delegate may come and
talk about anything related to the topic but in the beginning, most
delegates use it to deliver their opening speeches. It is usually of no
more than 1.5 minutes of individual speakers time.This is done by
saying “motion to open the GSL with individual speakers time of _ _
minutes” Example: Motion to open the GSL with individual speakers
time of 1 minute
 Opening/Establishing Moderated Caucus – This is a formal
debate and is done in order to discuss different aspects of the
topic/agenda, followed by Points of Information. This is done
by saying “motion to open a moderated caucus of individual
speakers time of minutes and total speakers time of
minutes on the topic *sub-topic/issue related to the topic*”.
Example: Motion to open a moderated caucus with individual
speakers time of 1 minute and total speakers time of 30
minutes on the topic “Impact of Cyberwarfare and
Cybercrimes on Teens and Minors”
 Open/ Establishing Unmoderated Caucus – This is an informal
style of debate where delegates can informally discuss, form
blocks and come up with resolutions. It is done by saying
“motion to open an Unmoderated Caucus of time minutes”.
Example: Motion to open an Unmoderated Caucus of 15
minutes.
 Discussion of Resolutions –
 A) Selection of Resolution for Discussion: This is to
indicate which resolution will b e discussed at that point
in time. This passes through chair's discretion based on
the order of submission or a raised motion (may vary
from chair to chair)
 B) Sponsorship Speech by the Sponsors of the
Resolution – The sponsor of the resolution will explain
the resolution to the whole committee followed by
Points of Information within the allotted time. The chair
will set the time for the sponsorship speech and call the
sponsor of the resolution for their speech.
 Discussion of Amendments –
A) Explanation of Amendment: The delegate who has sent in the
amendment will explain their amendment to the committee
followed by Points of Information within the allotted time. The chair
will declare which amendment will be discussed and the time for
the explanation of the amendment.
B) For and Against Speeches: This is when delegates will give a
speech explaining whether they support or oppose the
amendment. The chair will declare to the committee the time and
number of speakers speaking for and against the amendment.
C)Voting Procedures for Amendment: At this point in time voting
procedures will take place for the amendment. The chair will
announce that the committee will be moving into voting
procedures and the delegates will be asked to vote For Against or
Abstain from voting. At this point, if a delegate stated their voting
status as “present”, they may choose to abstain from voting.
However, if their voting status was "present and voting", they have
no choice but to vote for and against the amendment.
 Discussion of Resolutions as a whole –
 A) For and Against Speeches for the Resolution as a whole:
Delegates will give a speech explaining whether they
support or oppose the resolution as a whole. The chair will
declare to the committee the time and number of speakers
speaking for and against the resolution.

B) Voting Procedures for the Resolution as a Whole:

At this point in time voting procedures will take place for
the resolution.The chair will announce that the committee
will b e moving into voting procedures and the delegates
will b e asked to vote For or Against or Abstain.
 Adjourning Committee – This is used at the end of the
committee when the conference has finished. It is done by
saying “motion to adjourn committee” and it passes
through the chair's discretion.
  Motion to extend:
1. Points of information
2. Time for the moderated/ unmoderated caucus
1.This is used when the delegate would like to ask more POIs to another
delegate
2. This is when the delegate feels that the committee could benefit from
the extra time of the caucus for whichever reason it may b e

 Motion to divide the house –

This is done in a situation where there are large numbers of abstentions
while voting for a resolution. In this scenario, the chair will take votes
one by one by roll call and no delegate is allowed to abstain even if they
Motions had chosen present during roll call
 Motion to C halleng e –
This can be raised when a delegate wishes to discuss a topic with a
certain set of delegates only. This can help the committee gain better
clarity about a certain topic from the viewpoint of a specific country.
 Motion to divide the question –
This is done when the delegate feels that there are some good clauses
in the resolution but the whole resolution as a whole is not that great. In
this situation, the chair will vote on clauses individually and will pass or
fail accordingly
  If time remains after you‘ve completed giving your
speec h, the following yields c an b e made:
 A) Bac k to the c hair – In this case, the chair will
normally proceed with the following order of speakers
in the respective motion.

 B) To POIs – In this case, the speaker’s remaining time is

utilized for questions on the delegate’s speech. Follow-
Yielding ups may b e permitted but only from chair’s approval. If
you find it difficult to answer a controversial question,
you may request to answer the POI through chit form
 C) To Another Delegate – Here, the remaining time is
given to another delegate. It works well if you yield it to
an ally or a country with the same vision/viewpoint as
you
  Point of Parliamentary Enquiry – This is used when a delegate has an
enquiry regarding the parliamentary procedure or any other
proceedings of the committee.
 Point of Order – It is used when there is a mistake in the rules of
procedure or when there is a factual inaccuracy in a statement given.

 Point of Personal Privilege – It is used to ensure that delegates are

comfortable and able to perform. In case a delegate has any discomfort
in the committee this may b e raised. Example: use of washroom or
inaudib ility. This may interrupt a speaker only in
the case of inaudib ility.

Points  Point of Information – This is used when a delegate wishes to ask a

question to another delegate who is delivering a speech. The delegate
need not say anything, they may just
suggest they would like to ask a POI when the chair asks for it
 Request to Follow up – This is used when a delegate would like to follow
up on the POI asked by him/her by asking another question. The
delegate may say this only after the other delegate has finished
answering the initial question asked. It will be depend on the chair
whether or not to accept it.

 Right to Reply – This is used when a statement given by a delegate is

offensive to the delegate’s country or to them personally
  A position paper is a document submitted before any MUN Conference.
A Position Paper gives a basic outline of the topic nationally and
internationally and gives your country's position on the topic which
includes different laws, policies and things your country has done in an
attempt to solve the issue.
 C omponents of a g ood position paper –
 1. A brief outline and introduction of the topic.
2.Past actions taken by the International C ommunity which includes
Treaties, UN Conventions, UN Resolutions, any other internationally
document, regional action taken.
3. Your country’s stance which includes actions taken by your country in
the past, present or future that your country has taken, what is your

Position Papers country ’s views and opinions on the topic, in case of a controversial
country you may want to counter some of the alleg ations the
country/government receives.
4. Propose some solutions that you have come up with.
5. Use of facts and statistics throug hout the position paper.
6. Bibliography and use of credible sources for research.
 Structure of a position paper
Deleg ate name: * name of the deleg ate*
Committee: *name of the committee eg: United Nations Environment
Assembly*
Country: *country the delegate is representing*
*content of maximum 750 words*
Bibliography:*citing all the sources that have been used for research*
  A Resolution Paper is a formal document which is made during the MUN
Conference. This is the document through which you propose the solutions
that you have come up with your fellow delegates in the committee. It lays out
the solutions and all the other details regarding
the implementation of the solutions. The Resolution Paper is written in the
form of different Clauses and Sub-Clauses. There are 2 types of Clauses:

 Preambulatory Clauses:
These clauses describe why this resolution is being made, the purpose of the
resolution, what this aims to achieve, past actions that have been taken,

Resolution references to UN Documents, Treaties, efforts taken by nations. They can not
include any solutions and are strictly statements of the aforementioned. In
simple words, this is giving context to the solutions that will be proposed in
Papers the Operative Clauses.

 Operative Clauses:
This is the most important part of your resolution. These clauses are where
you will lay down the solutions you have come up with. This includes actions,
Recommendations and details of the actions and recommendations proposed
such as the timeline of implementation, funding, feasibility, monitoring of the
progress made etc. Operative Clauses can have sub-clauses that are used to
specify details of the clause. The Preambulatory Clauses should have some
relation to the Operative Clauses
  After the resolutions have been drafted, the committee will discuss and
debate upon it. If a deleg ate feels that there is something in the
resolution that needs to be changed, they can send in an amendment
which will then be discussed. Sponsors of the resolution will claim this
amendment as friendly or unfriendly. If claimed friendly, the amendment
will directly be implemented in the draft resolution. If claimed
unfriendly, there will be debate and discussion on this amendment after
which voting will be held that decides whether this amendment passes
or not.

 Types of amendments that can be submitted –

Amendments There are 3 types of amendments that can be submitted:
1.Add: an add amendment is used when a delegate wishes to add a new
clause/sub-clause to a pre-existing clause or the resolution as a whole.
2.Strike: a strike clause is used when a delegate wishes to strike out a
pre-existing clause/sub-clause from the resolution.
3. Amend: an amend type amendment is used when a delegate wishes to
make changes to a pre-existing clause/sub-clause which can include
replacing a certain word or phrase with something else or an addition of
some detail to the clause.
  A crisis scenario can b e a surprise news update that is
given to a conventional static G A committee some new
factor to consider.This can b e a nuclear attack, a riot, an
earthquake or something else. The committee will
discuss the new scenario using the Rules of Procedure
and add some c lauses ab out it into the resolution. A
Crisis committee has constant news updates and each
dec ision impac ts the story moving forward. The
Crisis Scenario remainder of the article will focus on crisis committees.
There will b e chairs of other committees entering as
personalities and provide a personal statement related
to the crisis scenario, after which delegates may
engage in POI’s. Lastly, delegates will solve this issue at
hand through directives which are similar to resolutions
but shorter and straightforward.
  Research is the most important part of MUN as it forms the basic foundation of everything that a delegate can do, this
can b e in terms of making a good Position Paper, Resolutions and performing well during the committee sessions.
Detailed research on the topic and on the delegate’s country is important. The Background Guide which chairs
provide is the most efficient and relevant source of research/understanding one can get of the topic. Read the
background guide, go through the recommended readings and links mentioned and try to answer focusing
questions. Research on the delegate's country can b e divided into 3 parts:

 1. Basic knowledge on the country such as but not limited to:

a. G DP
b. Population
c. Geographical location and neighbouring countries
d. National Budg et
e. National Spending

Good Delegate 2. Foreig n Policies of the nation whic h inc ludes:

a. The vision of the nation
b.Goals with other nations and organizations such as the UN and other
intergovernmental organizations
c. Status on different important topics such as Human rights, Education, Healthcare

d . C losest allies and enemies of the c ountry

3. Views of your country on the topic which can b e determined b y but not limited to:
a. Laws, policies, schemes etc your country has implemented
b. Statements given b y the head of state (president, ruler, king)
c. Actions your country has taken regarding the topic (negative and positive)
d . C urrent status of the issue in the c ountry
e. Future plans with reg ards to the topic
  C redib le sources for research:
1.UN websites including websites of different organs of the
UN
2.Intergovernmental Organization official websites
(example: official website of European Union (EU), African
Union (AU), IAEA etc)
3.Research Reports published by Universities, Non-
Credible G overnmental O rg anizations, Interg overnmental
organizations.
Sources for 4. Local, National and International News Agencies
5. Official documents of the government
Research 6.International Treaties, agreements, Conventions and
resolutions
7 . C IA World Factb ook
8. Reuters News Agency
9.New Agencies such as New York Times,The Guardian,
BBC News, C NN News (the credib ility of these sources may
vary based on context)
  Ensure Active Participation in the committee
 Speech – Other than participating in the committee, content, articulation,
confidence and the way you deliver your speech matters a lot. Make sure to
be bold and loud enough for all delegates to hear you clearly.

 Avoid usage of personal pronouns

 Maintain a sense of diplomacy – Propose constructive solutions and work
towards forming good resolutions instead of trying to attack a specific
country. Never use harsh and foul language. Even if asked a controversial POI,
be diplomatic and add small attributes of respect in your speech. For
example, "Thank you delegate for your question" or “...which is why we hope
Key Pointers to to achieve peace and security through our solutions". During a crisis, try
addressing personalities with "Sincere respects to you Mr./Miss _"

keep in mind  Collaboration - A delegate who can work well with others keeping the
interest of most parties involved and working collaboratively would come up
with the best solutions keeping different aspects in mind. While collaborating
to come up with solutions keep in mind to answer What, Where, Who, When,
How to ensure your solutions are not vague.

 Solution-Based Approach - While working on your draft resolutions, add a

sense of implementation, national security and execution of your solution.
Think from different countries' perspectives and get a joint input from the
countries in your bloc

 Follow instructions, code of conduct and rules of procedure

  Score more points:
 A) Ask more POI’s – even if it’s as simple as asking delegates to elaborate on
something or to cite their source
 B) Look for Point of Orders – Recognising a factual inaccuracy in statements made or
draft resolutions can easily help you score more points. Keep in mind though, it only
requires 3 point of orders for a draft resolution to fail, completely.

 C ) Raise motions – As simple as raising your placard to set the agenda or extend time
for POI’s scores you more points

 Add Clarity to your Speech – Begin with a quote, preferably from a nationally
recognised personality of your country. Try to paint a picture with whatever you’re
trying to say and link it with the key issue(s). Example, "imagine if we were living in a
world where possessing nuclear weaponry would be as normalised as having a

Best Delegate military". Ending your speech with rhetorical questions/slightly open endings leaves
a strong impact on listeners' mind.

 Demonstration – Once you’ve managed to get the committee’s attention, maintain it

through demonstration:

 A) Of the extent of your problem – With the use of statistics, examples and mention of
expert opinion
 B) Of the affects of your problem – How does it affect your target audience. Use
examples and facts. Be vivid

 C ) Of the causes of your problem – Support your issues with mention of historical
disaster/past mishaps related to this topic

 Appeal for actions and motives of fair play, desire to save, pride, intelligence and
community
  NMS IHMUN Delegates Handb ook
 Slideshare Network – MUN Training
Credits  WiseMee – MUN Crisis Introduction 101
THANK YOU