MUN – GUIDE

Respected delegates :
As I have been the part of the executive board earlier and I have
noticed that most of members in a conference are first timers . having
a discussion on the rules of procedure takes a lot of committee time
no doubt that’s not wastage of time still sometimes what u have paid
for in an mun is not achieved . so I keeping in mind and remembering
my first mun , I came to a solution . here I present for all of u a guide
consisting of tips and tricks and rules of procedure .
I wish u all best of luck do grt ,perform grt ,be grt
Don’t feel embarrassed if any problem occurs , I am there to help you
out :
JAYANT SHARMA
[email protected]
The 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 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 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 resolution has been voted upon,
the discussion is now closed, and the committee moves on to the next item on the agenda.

After reading the rop’s now begin

When researching for Model UN, you should think about five different types of research:

1. Country Profile
2. Topic Background
3. Past International Action
4. Country Policy
5. Possible Solutions
Your research across these five categories should all go in to your “Research Binder”,
which you should put together to prepare for a conference. Read more about what to
include in a research binder here!

Country Profile

To get started with research, its important to understand the country you’re
representing- where it is, who lives there, who your allies are, what type of government
your country has, and more. Together, the answers to these countries comprise your
“Country Profile”. Here are some guiding questions to get you started:

Physical Geography
What is your country’s official name?
What region of the world is your country located in?
How big is your country? (square miles)
Who are your country’s neighbors?
How would you describe your country’s physical features and climate?
Politics and Government
When was your country founded?
What type of government does your country have?
Who are some of your country’s leaders?
How many people serve in your country’s military?
Who are your country’s allies? Enemies?
What is your country’s capital?
Culture
What is your country’s population?
What is your country’s ethnic composition?
What is your country’s official language?
What other languages are spoken?
What are some of the major cities?
Economy
How would you describe the quality of life in your country?
What is your country’s total Gross Domestic Product?
What are some of your country’s natural resources?
What is your country’s currency?
What are your country’s major imports and exports?
What are your country’s biggest trading partners?
To find the answers to these questions and more, we recommend you use our Country
Profile Map!

Topic Background

Aside from your Country Profile, the

other step to get started is to gain a basic understanding of the topic you’ll be discussing. To
do this, you should research your Topic Background. Some of the best resources for your
topic background will be specific to your topic- websites about your issue in particular, or
books about the topic for your committee! To properly research your topic background,
make sure you can fulfill three key steps:
1. Clearly define what the topic is.
2. Identify the key terms related to the topic, and answer key questions about the topic
such as “What causes this issue?”, “Who is impacted by this issue?”, and “Where is this
issue most prevalent?”.
3. Make sure you’re using credible sources of information to understand your topic- don’t
just use Wikipedia, the news, or blogs!
Interested in how to write the Topic Background section in a Position Paper? Check out
our article about it!

Past International Action

One of the most important things to understand when discussing any topic in Model UN
is what the United Nations and international community has already done about the
topic. You don’t want your solutions to be redundant, and you want to make sure you’re
aware what the world already has, and hasn’t done. Past international action can come
in the form of UN resolutions, international conventions and treaties, or actions by
NGOs and international organizations. Here are some resources to help you find the
past international actions related to your topic, or you can check out our article about
using UN sources to research your topic!
Past UN Resolutions
International Conventions and Treaties
Reports of the Secretary General
Reports of the Economic and Social Council
Plus, our NGO Guide details the work of over 100 NGOs over a broad range of issues, so
you can see what Civil Society is doing about your topic already.
Interested in how to write the Past International Action section of your Position
Paper? Check out our article about this section!

Country Policy

Once you have a decent understanding of the topic and your country, you take this
knowledge together and learn what your “Country Policy” is on your topic. Your Country
Policy is what your country thinks should be done, or not done, about the issue, and how
this topic impacts your country. This means determining if your country is in favor of
solutions that have been proposed or resolutions that have been passed, or if your
country has been advocating at the UN for policies.

A good starting place to learn your country policy is to research what your country’s
government, foreign ministry, or UN mission have said about the topic on their website.
Use our Country Profile and Policy Map to check out these websites for your country!
Other resources to use from the UN include the following:
Member States on the Record: Speeches at the United Nations
Member State Votes on Resolutions
Signature/Ratification Status for Each Country of Important Conventions and Treaties

Possible Solutions

The most important part of researching for a Model UN conference, and often the most
forgotten, is to research Possible Solutions to help resolve the issue your committee is
discussing. The solutions aren’t what your country wants to do for itself- that would
never need to be discussed at the UN. Instead, you should consider what your country
wants the United Nations to do about the issue worldwide. Feel free to use your own
creativity to think of ideas, and find reasons why they would work that you can use in
speeches, and later in your resolutions in committee.

All resolutions should be realistic, and can even build on past solutions the UN has
tried- maybe you want to expand a program worldwide that was previously local. Maybe
you think that a specific solution needs more support or funding. Feel free to include
existing UN action in your solutions, but new and creative ideas are always welcome as
well! Aside from the United Nations and Member States, other good places to look for
solutions are in the existing work of NGOs (check out our NGO Guide here), through
various Think Tanks worldwide, and in university publications.

AFTER KNOWING A BIT BEGIN WITH :

There are many things that intimidate new delegates – knowing what to say in a speech
or during caucus, making points or motions for the first time, understanding what a new
term means, etc.

Learn how to face your fear in Model UN by following these tips:

1. Prepare a research binder. You’ll feel better in committee knowing that your
research is at your fingertips. A ready-to-access research binder is a life-saver in case
you get lost when different topics, acronyms, agencies, and previous solutions are
mentioned. See 15 Things Every Delegate Should Have in their Research Binder.
2. Frame your topics and speeches. In MUN, you have 72 hours or less to solve the
world’s most important and complicated problems. This is a challenge, but don’t let it
overwhelm you; instead, make it manageable. Break down your topic into smaller
issues. Choose the ones that matter most to your country or position. Match solutions to
those issues. Learn how to frame your topic.

3. Write out your first speech. Your first speech is the committee’s first impression
of you. It’s scary because you’re getting up in front of people you’ve never met who are
going to judge you. But the first speech is the easiest to prepare for because you can
write it out ahead of time. Try it – you’ll find that it’s easier to speak again after you’ve
made a strong first speech. And once you’ve learned how to frame your topic, you will
easily learn how to frame your speech.
4. Focus on one idea at a time. Over the course of a conference, your committee will
discuss many different problems and solutions. Speeches that try to cover too many
ideas at the same time are incoherent. Don’t be confused by the vast number of things to
talk about in a speech; instead, focus on one idea at a time. This makes it easier for you
to make speeches and for your audience to understand you. You’ll also be faster at
crafting comments and more active in moderated caucus. Focusing on one idea helps
you overcome an important public speaking fear – knowing what to say in a speech.
5. Learn the different stages of committee. When you’re starting out, committee
seems like chaos. There’s so much going on and things seem to happen randomly, which
might make you feel anxious or uncertain. But you can overcome these feelings by
learning the different stages of committee. It’s more than knowing the rules or motions
– it’s about knowing what to do and when to do it. Be aware of what stage the committee
is in, whether it’s making speeches, forming alliances, or writing resolutions. Once you
realize that there’s a certain flow to committee, the chaos you felt at first will turn into
order. Learn more about the five stages of committee.
Most importantly, ask questions when you don’t understand something – don’t be shy.
If you’re unsure of what’s going on in committee or a word that someone used, raise a
Point of Inquiry and ask your question. It’s a simple thing to do yet so hard – most
people don’t want to admit that they don’t know something. But asking questions is the
first step to facing your fear in MUN and becoming a better delegate.

IF UR A PROCRASTRINATOR THEN :
Before I begin, I want to make it clear that procrastinating is not the proper way of doing
research, and it will likely hurt your performance in committee. That being said, there are
times when you find yourself on the bus to a Model UN conference with an empty binder
and no idea what your committee’s topics are. If you are ever in a situation like this, here
are the steps you should take:
1. Read your background guide:
Regardless of how long it is, read your background guide. It’s easily the most important
research you can do, and it’s given to you with no extra work involved. Everyone in else
in committee will have read it and will most likely refer to it multiple times throughout
the conference. As you read, underline the problems that are brought up, and start
brainstorming solutions. Pay close attention to case studies, bold terms, and any parts
that mention your country by name. After you finish reading, you should be able to
answer important questions about your committee. Who or what do the problems apply
to? Are any nations responsible for the issues? Are the issues urgent, or do they require
long term solutions? Are the topics related? If so, how?

2. Learn about your country:

After you get a decent idea of the problems your committee will be addressing, it’s
crucial to understand how they apply to your country. Use the CIA World Factbook as
well as Wikipedia to find out the basics of your country (usually the country’s main Wiki
will be enough, but there are also typically Wiki pages about a nation’s economy and
foreign relations). Where is your country located? Is your country developed or
developing? What’s the average GDP per capita? What is its economy dependent on?
What are its major imports/exports? Is it involved in any world conflicts? Does it have
any major allies? Enemies?

An example of last minute research for the country of Honduras.

Apart from answering these questions, make sure to check major news sources for any
current events regarding your nation, region, or committee, and be well versed in how
these relate to the topics in your background guide. Take note of all these important
characteristics, and continue to brainstorm solutions. At this point, you should be
thinking of specific solutions that would benefit your nation, its allies, and the rest of the
world.

3. Organize your solutions:

Now that you know the problems your committee addresses, as well as how they apply
to your nation, start to write down full solutions to the problems. Write down the pros
and cons of your ideas. Do they address all nations, or just nations similar to yours? Are
they moral? Are they expensive? If so, how will you fund them? How do they affect the
impoverished? Will most nations agree to the solutions? Do they fall under the
jurisdiction of your committee? Are they long term solutions, short term solutions, or
both? What are the overall, economic, political, and social repercussions of your
solutions?

4. Strengthen your solutions:

If you find yourself with any more time, it is important to refine your solutions. Start
looking up statistics, redundancies, and specific UN resolutions. Do your solutions
already exist? If so, how can you improve upon existing solutions? Are there any
statistics that back up the urgency of the problems you plan to address? Have similar
solutions worked in the past? How have past attempts at solving the problems
failed? Are there any specific UN programs you can work with? Are there any relevant
UN resolutions that you can reference? Are there any NGO’s that tackle the same
problems? Are they successful?
Keep asking yourself similar questions until you run out of time, and remember: if you
can back up your solutions and prove that they will be successful, despite your lack of
preparation, you will seem like the best-researched delegate in the room.

MUN Research Made Easy:

15 Things Every Delegate
Should Have in their
Research Binder
You see it everywhere at MUN conferences. You’ve made your own — or, more likely, your
advisor told you to make one. And you probably didn’t want to. It’s confusing to create and
cumbersome to carry. You might even be embarrassed to bring one to committee — maybe
you poke fun at others for bringing theirs.

What am I referring to? I am describing the

bane of many a Model UNer. I am talking about putting together a research binder.

When I started doing Model UN, research was a chore. I wrote position papers at the last
minute, printed out a bunch of random websites the night before conferences, and read a
fraction of it on the bus. Research was something boring I needed to do before I could do the
fun stuff.

But I soon realized this was putting me at a disadvantage. I couldn’t speak or debate as
freely because I didn’t know the facts. I was afraid to suggest an idea because I wasn’t sure if
the committee had done it already. And it’s pretty obvious to chairs who has done their
research and who has not. Not doing mine made me feel uncomfortable.

I knew that if I was confident in my research, that confidence would come through in
speeches and debates. I just needed a way to research that took as little time as possible to
learn just what I needed to know, but to know it thoroughly. I needed to do my research to
the point that it made me feel comfortable in committee.

I needed to put together a research binder.

And many conferences and committees later, I’ve come to appreciate the value of a good,
well-organized binder. There are a few reasons why:

▪ It actually speeds up research. Putting together a binder sounds time-consuming,

but it takes less time and brain power to learn something that is organized well. When
you’re reading different websites and books, the important facts are spread out across
different sources. It ultimately takes more time to read through a random assortment of
printed pages than to just organize it in the first place.
▪ It gets faster with experience. After putting together a few binders, I realized I was
turning to the same sources over and over. Eventually, I would just print everything out
first, put together the binder, and then read through it all in one shot. And since I chose
to specialize in certain committees, I could easily recycle my research binders and
improve on them.
▪ It’s useful for more than the information it contains. Having your research
readily available in committee is very helpful. In addition, bringing a well-organized
binder to committee communicates to the chair and other delegates that you mean
business. But be careful – you may not want to communicate this kind of intensity,
depending on how you want to be perceived in committee.
I organized my binders by starting from the “big picture” — conference, committee, and
country — then zooming in on the details — topics, policies, and solutions. In other words,
I framed my approach to research. Using a framework made it easier to do research because
it gave me an idea of what to look for, and I could use it for every conference.

Using this framework, there are 15 things every delegate should include in their binders:

Conference
1. Awards Policy. If you’re trying to win an award, then you should know what the
conference values and what your chair is looking for.
2. Rules of Procedure. Rules tell you how committee is going operate, and what you can
and cannot do. They differ for every conference — not just what the rules are, but how they
are applied.
Committee
3. Your committee’s actual UN website. The goal of a committee is to pass a
resolution, which depends on what a committee can and cannot do. You want to understand
your committee’s mandate (why it was created), powers (what it can do), organization (how
it fits into the UN and the larger international community), and membership (who’s in it).
4. UN Charter. If you are in a GA, ECOSOC, or Security Council committee, then the
source of your committee’s power is the UN Charter. If you are in a regional organization
like NATO or OAS, then you are still affected by the Charter, particularly Chapter VII on
international security and Chapter VIII on regional arrangements.
Country
5. CIA Factbook. Every MUNers go-to source for essential information on their country.
You want to know your country’s location, neighbors, population size, type of government,
type of economy, trade partners, and the international organizations it’s a part of. Not
knowing this information as your country’s representative can be potentially embarrassing.
6. Wikipedia. Information on your country’s history and its recent controversies. There
should be articles on your topic, too. Wikipedia might not be edited as rigorously as a print
publication, but you are not writing a paper – you’re attending a Model UN conference. Just
take note of any potential issues that are listed at the topic of Wikipedia pages, e.g. “This
article needs additional citations for verification.”
Topics
7. Background Guide. Either you, another delegate, or your chair will inevitably refer to
something written in the committee’s background guide during a conference. Also, what
your chair has written about is what he’ll focus on in committee. Use that knowledge to craft
speeches and operative clauses that grab the chair’s attention.
8. News Articles. You want to know the latest news on your topics, as well as your own
country. The simplest way to do this is to run searches on Yahoo! News and Google News,
and print out the headlines. BBC Online also features easy-to-use timelines and profiles on
your issues and country. Large publications like the New York Times and Wall Street
Journal also have in-depth coverage on their websites.
9. Resolutions, Treaties, and Conventions. Before you can do anything on the topic,
you need to know what’s already been done. You can find past resolutions through the UN
documentation center, although it can be difficult to navigate. Once you’ve found the latest
resolution, the perambulatory clauses should direct you to other resolutions. Also, the most
relevant piece of international law on your topic might not be a past resolution, but instead
a treaty or convention.
Policies
10. Speeches and Press Releases. These are the ways that policy-makers set policy. Be
sure to use speeches and press releases from people in the executive branch of your
country’s current government (President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister / Secretary of
State, Ambassadors). Legislators and judges may say something different, but as a
representative of your country, you work for the Head of State / Head of Government. Start
with the website for your country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Department of State.
11. Voting Record. Actions speak louder than words. If your country’s leaders have not
clearly articulated a policy on your topic, then you can infer it from how your country has
voted on past resolutions, treaties, and conventions (or whether they were even present).
Note that recent speeches may indicate a change in policy away from however your country
has voted in the past, especially if your government has changed administrations.
Nonetheless, you still want to know how your country’s past actions on the topic, for your
own knowledge, and in case anyone asks.
Solutions
12. Op-Ed and Blog Articles. These writers are coming from a personal or journalistic
perspective, but they can still give you ideas that you can propose in committee and use in
resolutions. You can start with large publications like the New York Times or Wall Street
Journal, but don’t forget about blogs, too. Just be aware of their biases, and make sure their
ideas conform to your country’s policies.
13. Think Tanks. Organizations like RAND are paid to come up with solutions to the
topics you discuss in Model UN. Think tank publications have more depth and evidence
than an opinion article, but they’re typically not as dense as an academic paper. They might
also be pushing a certain agenda, so be aware of that. Otherwise, they are a great starting
point for proposing potential solutions.
14. Academic Papers. These are tough reads and the information is way too dense for
Model UN. But they are probably the most insightful and rigorously edited sources you will
find online. You can use Google Scholar to find papers. Don’t spent time trying to process a
paper the way you would do for a class. Read the abstract and skim the paper for ideas that
you can use in committee.
15. Your Ideas. Include in your binder your position papers, working papers, notes,
thoughts, as well as blank lined paper – Don’t rely on a conference to bring enough paper
for draft resolutions and note passing. You can do all the research you want, and you can be
really fast and efficient at it, but none of that matters until you boil down what you’ve read
into ideas that you can explain in your own words.

Role and significance of

chits in an MUN :
How to Write Chits?
In large committees, it is often felt by the delegates that the amount of recognition is quite less to
cover all the points that they want to bring up in the committee. It has been observed that many
delegates, generally, have certain issues with the chit system and its working and therefore, they tend
to lose marks in this aspect. This document shall aim to clear your doubts and give you a better
understanding of the chit system. There are three types of chits –

1. To Executive Board Chits

2. To Delegate and From Delegate Chits
3. To Delegate Chits via Executive Board
It is important for you to know about the chits that contribute to the committee and the chits that are
usually concerned with a delegate’s personal wishes. Therefore, for your understanding these chits
are divided into Procedural Chits and Substantive Chits.

Procedural Chits are concerned with Points of Personal Privilege such as if the delegate wants to be
excused, if a delegate wants his/her name to be added to the GSL, or questions pertaining to points of
parliamentary enquiry such as what is a GSL. These chits are not marked by the Executive Board.
Substantive Chits are the chits that contribute to the debate. They are related to the agenda and can be
addressed to the Executive Board or another delegate via Executive Board or both.

To Executive Board Chits:

To Executive Board Chits, as the name suggests, are addressed to the Executive Board. In these chits,
delegates convey their content directly to the members of the Executive Board for evaluation. These
chits when sent should portray a proper analysis and should be related to the agenda to be called
substantive. We request you to highlight the points to make it easy for us to see your main points in
the chits.

In chits you can straight away go to your point. There’s no need for you to write any introductory
line such as the delegate of so and so would like to say… and so on. Try explaining your point as
adequately as possible as you have ample time to write a chit.

It is difficult to speak all the points in the stipulated time of the moderated caucus, or GSL, or PSL.
In such a situation, if you have more points to add but could not mention them in your speech, then
you can send them in a chit to the Executive Board. Irrespective of whether you have sent the chit to
us or not, we expect you to convey your points to the committee as well, whenever you get time. In
the end you are here to debate with the delegates and not with the Executive Board. We are just mere
facilitators.

In our experience we have often observed that delegates copy text from the background guide or
from some other sources and send us in a chit. In such a case where you find that a particular point
requires attention, you need to paraphrase it in a way that it looks like it needs to be discussed in the
committee. For that you can tell us in a chit why that point is important for us. For instance, if you
came across the point in the background guide about rural-urban migration of displaced people; then
send a chit which addresses the questions – why is it important to discuss in the committee, a brief
introduction to the issue, how is it relevant to the agenda being discussed and if possible your
country’s stance on that issue. Please ensure that you are paraphrasing. Any person can copy the
entire background guide and send us in different chits. This is not what we want. We want you to
understand it and then explain it to us in your words. Also, one should try to raise issues or points
that guides the debate further.

A few delegates write in chits that they want recognition. We understand your concerns but at the
same time where you write you want recognition, tell us why you want the recognition and what
point you wish to raise. Even if we fail to give you recognition, we can make note of your point. But
this does not mean you would not speak those points in the committee which you have sent to us.
You should make sure you share those points with your fellow delegates as well.

Try elaborating your points while writing chits. Just don’t mention facts or figure or what you wish
to discuss. It is very important for us to know why you think it is relevant to inform us about the
point. We have seen that they would say, for instance that they wish to discuss a particular topic but
fail to tell us how they have conceptualised that topic. Some of them give facts and figures but fail to
give analysis of the same. For example, do not just mention that 1 lac people were displaced from a
country. Tell us, what exactly happened, how discussing that country is important to the debate, and
so on. Understand this, it becomes difficult for us to assess your chits, if you are not communicating
each point to us. As an Executive Board member we are not allowed to use our knowledge to draw
links for you; it would become unfair for the committee.

Some of the delegates send different parts of the same point in different chits. You can send them all
in one chit only. Executive Board does not mark according to the number of chits you are sending but
how much sense you make in that chit. So a delegate who sends 5 chits and makes only 1 sensible
point is equal to a delegate who sends 1 chit and makes 1 sensible point. Also at times, if you have
written a chit well and analysed it from multiple perspectives then you can fetch quite a lot of marks
from that single chit.
There are delegates who try to predict future scenarios with the help of their research and analytical
skills. They write their conclusions in the chits. In case you feel there is a need for you to do this, you
should explain how you derived that conclusion instead of just writing the conclusion.

To Delegate and From Delegate Chits:

To delegate and from delegate chits only involve the delegates concerned, without the involvement
of the Executive Board. They help you in lobbying, which is convincing others or building
consensus. Exchange your ideas and points by writing chits to other delegates during the committee.
Seek for clarifications, if you have any, from the delegates you think did not explain their point
adequately. Try convincing others about your points. These are the chits which can bring committees
to a consensus if used effectively.
Do not ignore these chits. We have seen that these are the chits that delegate hardly answer. These
chits might not get marked but in the end seeing the committee we can actually make out how
effectively you used these chits and there we can see your lobbying skills and diplomacy. So for the
betterment of the committee use these chits properly.

To Delegate Chits via Executive Board:

These are chits which are addressed to another delegate but are first received and read by the
Executive Board and then forwarded to the mentioned delegate. They may consist of a question that
the delegate has or an answer/reply to a question or if a delegate wants an explanation regarding a
point spoken. These chits are sent to the Executive Board for them to be recognised and marked
accordingly.

Use these chits when you have points of information from the other delegate. At times, delegates
engage into a discussion in these chits on an issue which is not relevant to the agenda. We appreciate
your knowledge but we want you to discuss only those themes that are considered to be a part of the
agenda.
It is important, in these chits, to make a demarcation where exactly you need to involve the Executive
Board Members. When you need clarification regarding a point that some other delegate spoke,
instead of sending via EB chits, send a chit to that delegate directly. Try involving Executive Board
only when you think that your discussion with the other delegate will guide the debate further or
when you feel the point that you have raised to the other delegate needs to be acknowledged by the
Executive Board Members.