MVMUN
RULES OF PROCEDURE
UNITED NATIONS
1.Applicability: The below mentioned rules are applicable to the INTERPOL, UNSC, UNEP,
AIPPM, DISEC, UNODC, UNHRC, ECOFIN(MVMUN VERSION) Any deviation from the rules
mentioned requires written permission from the Secretary-General of the organization.
STANDARD RULES:
2.Representation : All councils shall have delegate/Õs representing one country having one
vote. Non-governmental Organizations & Special Observers shall be allowed to vote on
working papers, amendments and resolutions that pertain to them i.e. in an agenda which is
directly concerning them. On all other agendas they will be allowed to vote on all issues
except working papers, amendments and resolutions. In case of a dispute Chairperson shall
be final and binding.
Official Rules of Procedure
3.Language:
The official language for the conference shall be English. Delegates are free to utilise Hindi
or any other regional language, submitting a written request at least 14 days prior to the
conference. And this should be submitted to the Secretary General of the Organisation.
4.Attire:
Delegates and the Executive Board members are expected to wear either WesternFormals
or Traditional Formals as per the conference itinerary. Western formals for boys are
defined as a formal trousers, a formal shirt, a formal tie, a blazer and formal shoes.
5.Use of Electronic Equipment:
The use of mobile phones, laptops, notepads and suchother electronic devices is allowed
during committee time. However, a delegate if found accessing the internet during the
committee sessions then the delegate will be barred from the council.
6.Sessions:
Each session of the conference shall not be longer than 3 hours, which will be followed by a
mandatory break for 10 minutes. The Conference shall have a minimum of 5 and a
maximum of 10 such sessions.
POWERS OF THE ORGANISING COUNCIL & EXECUTIVE BOARD:
7.Executive board:
The decision of the chair on matters regarding debate is final and binding on all delegates.
Any deviation from the rules of procedure, which is final and binding on the delegate needs
written permission and consent from the secretary general of the organization. Also if a
delegate is not behaving in a parliamentary fashion he/she can be barred from council after
being given three warnings. The Executive board has the power to question any delegate
and ask for justification about his/her stand on a particular issue if they feel it is contrary to
their country policy or could help enlighten committee better. However, a decision of the
Executive board can be appealed against (Rule 8) and so also the chair impeached (Rule 9).
8.Appeal:
The delegates have an option to appeal to the chair, if dissatisfied with the verdict of the
chair or if they wish to question the chair about the way they are conducting the committee.
A delegate if further dissatisfied with the verdict of the Executive board can raise a plea to
follow up. A maximum of two pleas will be allowed which may or may not be recognised.
9.Impeachment:
If the delegates in the committee are extremely dissatisfied with the way the chair is
conducting proceedings, a written request signed by at least 15 of the committee members
can be submitted to the Director-General for the ouster of the chair. The Director general
will then relay the information to the Secretary-General of the Conference whose decision
shall be final and binding.
10.Organizing Council:
If any delegate or observer is found to be behaving in an inappropriate manner he/she can
be barred from the conference for an entire day or for the complete conference by the
Director-General whose decision on matters apart from conference debate shall be final and
binding.
11.Secretary-General:
The Secretary-General has sweeping powers bestowed upon him/her and his/her decision
is final and binding and cannot be challenged in relation to matters regarding debate.
12.President:
In case there is a dispute regarding the verdict given by the Director Generalor General
Secretary, then a written request can be made to the President .
RULES REGARDING DEBATE
A) NORMAL DEBATE
13.Quorum:
The minimum number of members present in council should be at least 1/5th
of total committee strength.
14.Setting an Agenda:
A committee shall decide for the agenda in the following manner:
a.
The Chair will call for any points or motions on the floor, to which a delegate can rise to a
motion to set the agenda to a particular topic area.
b.
The chair shall call for those who are against the motion. If there is any opposition then here
shall be 1 speech for and 1 against the topic area both to a maximum of one and a half
minute each.
c.
This shall be followed by an informal vote by a show of placards, a 51% or more majority is
required 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.
15.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 unmoderated
caucus. A speakers list is a place where a delegate expresses his/her country’s stand on the
topic area. The time limit is pre-set to one and a half minute per delegate. At least 20
speakers or the committee size, whichever is low should be exhausted, alphabetically, to
move on with the debate.
16.Yields:
At the end of a speech in the speakers list (yields cannot be exercised during any other part
of debate), a delegate has the following ways to yield which are compulsory:
a. Yield to another delegate:
This is only applicable if the delegate has more than 15 seconds of his/her time remaining.
He/she can give his/her remaining time to another delegate.
b. Yield to questions:
The delegate can yield to questions, a maximum of two Questions can be asked and
maximum two follow ups per question can be entertained with the permission of the chair.
Executive Board Members have the option to ask questions to the delegates.
c. Yield to comments:
The chair recognizes two 30-second comments.
17.Moderated Caucus:
A detailed discussion on a sub-topic of the main agenda is possible in a moderated caucus
and the main reason on 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,
example :
Motion to open a moderated caucus to discuss ________ for the time duration _________ (max
15 minutes) and time per speaker ________ (maximum 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 chair shall decide on which one to put
to vote first. A moderated caucus can be started in the middle of the SpeakersÕ list i.e. it
isnot compulsory for the delegates to finish hearing all the speakers on the list. Speakers
should be recognised in lots of two.
18.Points: During the course of debate, the following points are in order:
a. Point of Personal Privilege:
This is the only point that can interrupt a speaker and is used when a delegate cannot hear
the speaker or is experiencing discomfort and wishes to be excused from committee
b. Point of Parliamentary Inquiry:
This cannot interrupt a speaker and is exercised when a delegate wants to know anything
about the procedure from the Executive Board.
c. Point of Order:
This is to point out the procedural inconsistency or deviation from the existing rules of
procedure.
d. Point of Information:
This is a point that helps to clarify any factual inaccuracy in adelegate’s speech. If one finds
that another delegate has misstated a particular fact after the completion of the delegate’s
speech, one may raise his/her placard and on being recognized may ask for valid
documentation supporting the delegate’s facts. This point cannot however be used for
questioning a change in the country’s policy. The accepted sources of documentation for all
committees, organs and special simulations of the United Nations are: Reuters, Amnesty
International and any other such credible source approved by the executive board. For
Indian/Regional Bodies the accepted source is dependent on the presiding officer/chair of
the committee.
19.Order of Recognition of Points:
a. Point of Personal Privilege
b. Point of Information
c. Point of Order
d. Point of Parliamentary Inquiry
20.Unmoderated Caucus:
This is when the committee feels the need to discuss or decide upon a particular issue in an
informal way. It is basically provided in procedure for delegates to help them form working
papers (rule 19) and draft resolutions (rule 20). A delegate can call for an unmoderated
caucus in the following manner: Motion to open an unmoderated caucus for [Purpose]for
the time duration _________ (max 15 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
extended by another 5 minutes for preparing Resolutions/ Declarations and a maximum of
15 minutes are allowed for a working paper. It can be raised for following two reasons:
a. Lobbying;
b. Preparing a Working Paper, Resolution or Declaration.
21.Working Papers:
These are the committee’s views on a particular sub-topic of the main agenda at hand. They
provide direction to the committee and indicate the way in which committee is flowing. A
working paper has no prescribed format and needs no signatories. Before introduction to
committee, a working paper needs to be approved of by the Chair. A working paper needs a
simple majority to be introduced on the floor of the committee and voting can be carried out
in an informal way. In case of multiple working papers, the Chair has the discretion to
decide the order in which they are to be put to vote. If a working paper is passed it has to be
incorporated in the resolution. The voting on a working paper can be done in an informal
way by a show of placards.
22.Resolution:
The solution to the entire agenda is called a resolution. A resolution requires a minimum of
1 author and 3 signatories to be introduced to council. This minimum requirement holds
true for every council irrespective of the council size. An author is one who formulates the
resolution and cannot vote against the resolution, whereas a signatory is a person who
simply consents to having the resolution being discussed in council and can exercise his/her
vote in the way he/she pleases. In case of multiple resolutions being brought to the Chair at
the same time, the one with more number of signatories shall be put to the committee first
for voting. A resolution before being introduced requires the prior approval and signature
of the chair. The voting on introduction of the resolution for debate can be done in an
informal manner however, the voting regarding the passing of the resolution must be done
through Manovikas Model United Nations (MVMUN) formal voting procedure (Rule 33). The
resolution also has to be according to the prescribed format
mentioned in Annexure I.
a. Authors is a person who writes the resolution and structures and ideates over it. He/She
has to abide by the resolution.
b. Signatories are those who give consent to discuss the resolution in the council. However,
a signatory need not vote for a resolution.
23.Amendments:
All amendments need to be written and submitted to the executive board. The format for
this is authors, signatories and the clause with mentioning the add, delete and replace.
There are two forms of amendment, which can be raised by raising a Motion for amendment
and approval of the chair:
a. Friendly Amendments:
An amendment, which is agreed upon by all the author/s does not require any kind of
voting.
b. Normal Amendments:
Amendments that are introduced by any other need not be voted upon by the council and is
directly incorporated in the resolution. You need a simple majority in order to introduce a
normal amendment.
24.E-mendments:
Any correction of grammatical error or deviation from the prescribed format for procedure
writing is called an e-mendment and does not require any voting but a simple approval of
the chair.
B)EMERGENCY DEBATE:
During the emergency debate at an MVMUN or an affiliated conference, the maximum time
duration for an emergency should be 3 hours. No observers should be allowed in the
committee. Delegates are not allowed to leave the committee during the Emergency Debate.
No updates are permitted on the crisis, but a detailed introduction to the crisis is a must.
Presidential statements are not allowed during the Emergency.
25.Quorum:
At least 1/5th of the member countries that are involved should be present.
26.Recognising Speakers:
In case there is an emergency situation that arises there will be no speakers list and the
chair shall recognize up to 5 individuals with compulsory Yields, in the order of
involvement, to speak for a time period of a minute each.
27.Moderated Caucus:
The chair shall decide upon the topics for the moderated caucus, the time frame and the
time per speaker. A maximum of five moderated caucuses are allowed.
28.Points:
All points mentioned in Rule 17 except for the point of personal privilege shall be
suspended for the duration of the emergency. Also, the mandate of Point of Information has
been extended to clarifications in the Emergency Debate.
29.Unmoderated Caucus:
There shall only be one unmoderated caucus which should be utilised in formulating the
Declaration.
30.Declaration:
This is a combination of a working paper and a resolution but is easier and faster. A
declaration is also in the same prescribed format as a resolution, as mentioned in Annexure
I, and requires 1 author and 3 signatories apart from prior approval from the chair. An
informal vote is enough for deciding which declaration to discuss but for passing a
declaration a formal voting is required.
C) RULES COMMON TO BOTH FORMs OF DEBATE
31.Challenge:
This is when a delegate can challenge another delegate over a particular issue for a specified
period of time; this may be over a particular sub-topic or country policy. This is one on one
debate. A delegate may motion for in the following manner :
Motion to challenge the delegate/delegation of ______ over _____ (topic area) for a time
duration of ____ (maximum 3 minutes).
32.Question Answer Session:
This is when many delegates need to ask questions to a delegate. Any delegate may call for
the same and committee can ask a maximum of up to 10 questions to that delegate. In case
of questioning the of those members involved in the emergency, a maximum of 2 delegates
are allowed to be on the dais to answer questions posed by the committee. To call for the
same, a delegate can motion thus:
Motion to move into a question answer session with the delegate of ___, total time period
____ (maximum 10 minutes) , total number of questions___ (maximum of 10 questions)
33.1 for 1 against:
This is when committee usually cannot decide on a particular issue and therefore before the
final vote needs to hear both sides of the argument. This can be extended to a 2 for and 2
against. The time limit for each speaker is 1 minute each.
34.Formal Voting:
This is required only for passing a resolution or a declaration and takes place in 3 rounds.
No observer other than those who have been bestowed the right to vote since their country
is directly related to the topic area (Rule 2), member of press or administration staff is
allowed to be present during voting. There are 3 rounds of voting:
a. Round 1:
All delegates have an option between choosing:
i. Yes
ii. No
iii. Yes with rights
iv. No with rights
v. Abstain
vi. Pass.
b. Round 2:
All delegates that have opted for rights get to justify their positions. This round is entered
only if there is yes with rights or a no with rights and a pass.
c. Round 3:
Delegates have to cast their final vote which cannot change between a yes, no and abstain. A
resolution passes if it has a 2/3rd majority Clause-by-Clause Voting: This is applicable only
to resolutions and not declarations. A delegate may motion for this and informal voting shall
take place clause by clause. A simple majority is required for each clause to pass. However,
the entire resolution shall be put to vote through formal voting procedure.
35.Tabling of Resolutions/Working papers/ Declaration:
The delegates of the council have a choice to table any of the three mentioned documents at
any point of time during their deliberation in council for which they require a 2/3rd
informal vote.
36.Presidential Statement:
A delegate during the course of debate can make a presidential statement. This will help
him to express his/her stand on a particular issue. This can be followed by a yield to
questions only (maximum 2 questions). This can be done anytime during debate but a
maximum of 3 will be allowed throughout the conference.
37.Joint Statement:
Two countries can come together and make a joint announcement regarding their views on
the topic areas. The Chair can invalidate the statement if it is not important in context to the
agenda at hand. A joint statement can be made at anytime during committee. This is in a
written format which is utilised to make a change in country’s policy.
38.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 2/3rd majority through an informal vote. This motion can be
overruled at the discretion of the chair.
ANNEXURE A
RESOLUTION/DECLARATION WRITING:
The most important part of a conference is drafting the solution to the agenda or crisis at
hand. The Manovikas Model United Nations (MVMUN) Procedure specifically aims at
providing an easy way to do so. A resolution before being passed is always referred to as a
Draft resolution and is prepared in two parts in the following format:
1) Pre-ambulatory Clauses:
These are clauses which are an introduction to the resolution or solution and often refer to
past resolutions, citations of speeches made and references to the UN charter. Every pre-
ambulatory clause starts with any one of the following pre-ambulatory phases and ends
with a comma:
List of Pre-ambulatory Phrases:
Affirming, alarmed by, Approving, Aw are of, Bearing in mind, Believing, Confident,
Contemplating, Convinced, Declaring, Deeply concerned, Deeply conscious, Deeply
convinced,Deeply disturbed, Deeply regretting, Desiring Emphasizing, Expecting,
Expressing its appreciation, Expressing its satisfaction, Fulfilling, Fully alarmed, Fully
aware, Fully believing, Further deploring, Further recalling, Guided by, Having adopted,
Having considered, Having considered, further, Having devoted attention, Having examined,
Having heard, Having received Having studied, Keeping in mind, Noting with regret, Noting
with deep concern, Noting with satisfaction,Noting further, Noting with approval,
Observing, Reaffirming, Realizing, Recalling, Recognizing, Referring, Seeking, Taking into
account, Taking into consideration, Taking note, Viewing with appreciation, Welcoming.
2) Operative Clauses:
These are the clauses which contain the actual solution to the agenda or crisis. They begin
with an operative phrase and end in a semi-colon expect for the last clause of the resolution
which ends in a full stop.
List of Operative Phrases
Accepts, Affirms, Approves, Authorizes, Calls, Calls upon, Condemns, Confirms,
Congratulates, Considers, Declares accordingly, Deplores, Designates, Draws the attention,
Emphasizes, Encourages, Endorses, Expresses its appreciation, Expresses its hope, Further
invites, Further proclaims, Further reminds, Further recommends, Further requests,
Further resolves, Has resolved, Notes, Proclaims, Reaffirms, Recommends, Regrets,
Reminds, Requests, Solemnly affirms, Strongly condemns, Supports, Takes note of,
Transmits, Trusts.
SAMPLE DRAFT RESOLUTION:
Resolution
Topic Area- Global Counternarcotic Effort
Author- United Kingdom
Recalling
its resolution 48/12 of 28th October 1993 and resolution 1904, Appreciating the efforts
made by UK to counter narcotics in Afghanistan by several means:
a) Funding the Counternarcotic Conference hosted in Kabul on 5-6th Sep 2011 to discuss
ways to enhance co-operation and agree on a number of joint measures to take this
forward,
b) Providing over euro 2.5 million directly to support the ministryÕs work and to
implement its National Drug Control Strategy,
c) Over 2,000 pounds of heroin and 2 bomb makers were intercepted in Afghanistan with
the help of UK and its coalition troops,
d)The UK supports the Counter Narcotics Police Of Afghanistan through training and
equipping the force and the CNPA now operates in 34 provinces all over the country,
Profoundly alarmed by the magnitude of the rising trend in drug abuse, illicit production
and trafficking in narcotics which threatens the health and well-being of millions of persons,
in particular the youth, in all countries of the world, Gravely concerned that, despite
increased efforts by States and relevant International Organizations like the UNODC and the
WHO , the illicit demand for, production of and trafficking in narcotic drugs has expanded
globally, Fully Aware that 85 percent of crimes all around the world are because of illicit
drugs and also that the war on drugs has caused the international committee 18 billion in
the past few years, Convinced of the desirability of closer coordination and cooperation
among States in combating drug-related crimes, such as terrorism, illicit arms trade and
money laundering, and bearing in mind the role that could be played by both the United
Nations and regional organizations in this respect, Reaffirming that a comprehensive
framework for an international co-operation in drug control is provided by the existing
drug control conventions, Emphasizing on the fact that all nations should adhere to the
zero-tolerance policy,
The General Assembly,
1. Calls upon all States to adopt adequate national laws and regulations, to strengthen
national judicial systems and to carry out effective drug control activities in
cooperation with other States;
2. Emphasizes the need for effective government action to prevent the diversion to
illicit markets of precursors and essential chemicals, materials and equipment used
in the illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs;
3. Acknowledges that there are links between the illicit production of narcotic drugs
and the social conditions in the affected countries and that there are differences and
diversity in the problems of each country;
4. Strongly suggests that border security in all nations is made stronger and is kept in
touch with the UNODC;
5. Encouraging protection of human rights, reconciliation, and nonviolent approaches;
6. Instructs Mexico and Afghanistan to provide better facilities for the people of their
county to reduce the number of addicts;
7. Further emphasizes on the amendment of the zero-tolerance policy,USA should try
the criminals in court instead of shooting them on sight because of the gross human
right violations;
8. Appeals to the UN to send UNPKFÕs to patrol the US-Mexican borders;
9. Considers increased action by law enforcement agencies such as the FBI to suppress
of crime rarely is a sufficient response;
10. Decides to remain actively ceased on the matter.
