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CWMUN TRAINING MATERIAL 2016 - 2017
Associazione Diplomatici
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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
1. THE MODEL UNITED NATIONS
The Model United Nations (MUN) are prestigious simulations which reproduce the functioning and
dynamics of the main organs of the United Nations, such as the General Assembly (GA) , the Security
Council (SC), the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), among others. Such simulations are organized
yearly. The most important one for us is held in New York City at the UN Headquarters entirely (with a
historical first time in March 2016). Many students, coming from the best high schools and universities
of the world, take part in these working simulations in which the only official language is English: all
students will represent one of the 193 Member States of the International Organization and compete
on a particular topic which is already set by the CWMUN Staff Board for each specific committee. Think of
it as an exercise of empathy combined with public speaking and diplomacy, as well as an intellectually
engaging venue of cooperation and competition.
Inside each Committee, a state is represented by a delegation made up of two students coming from
the same academic institution, or by a single delegation.
The topics are different in each one of the committees. As you will see, each committee discusses
specific problems that are appropriate to each committee’s respective functions. For example,
delegates taking part in the Security Council will face problems concerning the international security and
politics (e.g., “Peace and conflict Resolution in a specific territory”), and the members of the
World Health Organization (WHO) could analyze topics about health: (e.g., “Ultraviolet radiation:
protecting children”). Each delegation will discuss a topic with other delegates following and observing
particular rules of procedure. The committee’s work develop in several days in order to produce and
vote, with a majority, one Resolution or more, which are the official documents of the United Nations
and express the positions agreed on about the discussed topic.
What really makes such simulations interesting and competitive is the aspect of delegates staying in
character, i.e., is the ability of a single delegate to face the topic in relation to the assigned country they
are representing like in a role-playing game.
All delegates will have to gather as much material, and research as much as possible, in order to be able
to re-build and personify the historical, political, cultural and economic background of the
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country becoming real ambassadors of that state for some days.
Staying in character plays an important role inside the committee and a delegate must put aside his/her
real political identities and ideologies to discuss the topic in connection to the real position they are
representing. If the topic is Death Penalty, the positions of the delegations of Italy and United States, for
example, would be radically different. It may influence the possible alliances which can be established
during the working sessions.
This reaches high levels during the simulation work inasmuch delegates recognize each other by calling
themselves as the names of the represented countries in committee (i.e., “France”, “Argentina”, “New
Zealand”, etc).
2. THE AWARDS
Another common characteristic at Model United Nations is the competition for Best Delegate and
Honorable Mention awards. Although some conferences have more awards, in CWMUN you will only find
these two aforementioned ones. But the most important aspect of these recognitions being awarded,
and the underlying basis, is the collaboration and educational aspect personified by the delegates
nominated to these awards. Delegates staying in character and exemplifying excellence by being
diplomatic and collaborative will be given special awards by the CWMUN Staff Board
- The “Best Delegation”: is the most important award that goes to the best delegation in a
Committee,
- The “Honorable Mention”: goes to all delegations which have been recognized and noticed
during the simulation. The number of such mentions differs according to the size of the
committee and the number of present delegations. The bigger the committee is, the more
honorable mentions there are.
The Staff Board uses two different elements to value each single delegation’s performance:
- Delegates staying in character;
- Global Citizenship and Responsible Leadership: a responsible leader is a point of reference
inside a group or coalition, who expresses and shows authority in their opinions and speeches
and gives concrete pragmatic solutions. A person informed thoroughly, engages with the
world they live in, is the point of reference for this cosmopolitan leader .
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The simulation tools are basically three and they will be better analyzed in the next chapters:
- Rules of Procedure: These regulate the participation of all delegates in the debate and in the
simulation, and work by dividing the different moments and phases of the conference in more
specific parts.
- Speech: It is the public discourse that a delegate can give in front of the audience in particular
moments.
- Resolution: It is the final product of the whole committee about the discussed topic.
A third award exists and it is called “Best Position Paper”. As you will see in the next chapters, all
delegates must write and send an official political document (Position Paper) several weeks before the
Conference starts. It is essentially a one-page-long document which summarizes the political position
of the assigned country in connection to the topics to be discussed. Such an award will be assigned in
each committee to one delegation which wrote the best position paper observing grammar, form, and
contents.
3. THE COMMITTEES
As you well know, the Model United Nations reproduce the functioning of the major organs of the
United Nations. All committees differ from each other in size and in functioning. There are plenary
committees – for example the General Assembly which is made up of 193 countries representing the
United Nations – as well as other committees such as ECOSOC (54 seats) and the Security Council (15
seats) in which not all the countries are represented, but they usually follow and observe a shift of two
years. It is possible that a country has a seat in certain committees and not in others. Azerbaijan, for
example, had their members at the General Assembly during the CWMUN 2013 (which was a plenary
body) and at the Security Council (had one of the fifteen seats for the biennium 2012-2013) but had no
seats at the ECOSOC. The committees will be physically present in the actual United Nations where
delegates will have their seats already assigned. All the committee work will be conducted only in
English and in formal dress. Another important body represented by the International Staff which leads
and guides every committee is the Dais. It is collocated around the desk in a high position in front of
the delegates. The Dais is always composed by three different members:
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The Chair who guides the works as a moderator during the committee and ensures respect
towards the rules of procedure.
The Director who takes care of the educational aspect of the work, writing the background
guides, as well as bridging the delegates in Unmoderated Caucuses, and correcting the Draft
Resolution’s format.
The Rapporteur who has several tasks related to the rules of procedure: at the beginning of
each session they start with a Roll Call. They write down the motions moved by the delegates
and counts all votes in favor and those against.
Sometimes in large Committees, for example the General Assembly, the Dais is wider and could
be made up of some other helpers for the conference (e.g., Assistant Director).
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CHAPTER
II HISTORY AND STRUCTURE OF THE UNITED
NATIONS
WORLD WAR I AND THE CREATION OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS
On November 1918, after more than 4 years of
fighting and millions of killed and wounded,
World War I was over. The end of the war led to
the rapid dissolution of four of the biggest
European empires, which either lost the war
(Austria-Hungary, Germany, Ottoman Empire) or
withdrew before its end due to internal issues
(Russian Empire); at the same time, two other
non-European international actors emerged as economic and military powers: the United States and the
Japanese Empire. For the first time in the modern history Europe was not the only center of the world
anymore.
LEAGUE OF NATIONS (1919 – 1946)
Right after the end of World War I – at the peace conference of Paris in 1919 – the international
community, thanks to the decisive impulse of the US President Thomas Woodrow Wilson, decided to
establish a brand new international organization: the League of Nations. At the time, this represented
the first attempt of the international community to institutionalize bilateral and multilateral diplomacy
by creating a global headquarter where national states were allowed and incentivized to meet, discuss,
and possibly avoid escalation of future crisis in one single global forum in Geneva, Switzerland.
The League had four main aims that were defined in its charter:
-To encourage nations to disarm.
-To discourage aggression from any nation.
-To improve the living and working conditions of people in all parts of the world.
-To encourage countries to co-operate - especially in business and trade.
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In practice, the main goal of the League had
been summarized in Article 10 of its
Covenant, which stated: “The Members of
the League undertake to respect and
preserve as against external aggression the
territorial integrity and existing political
independence of all Members of the League.
In case of any such aggression or in case of
any threat or danger of such aggression the
Council shall advise upon the means by which
this obligation shall be fulfilled”. In other words, the international community as a whole wanted to
guarantee all member states over their integrity, independence and defend them against a possible
future aggression from another country.
The League itself had been structured in a very similar way, compared to the contemporary United
Nations: a Secretariat, an Assembly, the Permanent Court of Justice, the International Labor
Organization, various commissions and a Council. This was a small group, made up of about a dozen
countries (the exact figure of the council varied throughout the League's history). There were two types
of members: permanent members – initially Britain, France, Italy and Japan – and temporary members,
which were elected by the Assembly on three-year terms.
The League held its first council meeting in Paris on 16th January 1920, six days after the Versailles
Treaty and the Covenant of the League of Nations came into force. On 1st November 1920, the
headquarters of the League was moved from London to Geneva, where the first General Assembly was
held on 15th November 19201, with 41 out of 42 founding countries. The League’s greatest extent was
between 1934 (when Ecuador joined) and 1935 (when Paraguay withdrew) with 58 members.
The decisions taken right after World War I – especially during the
Peace Conference – the sudden non-participation of the United
States2 and some far too ponderously executive mechanisms
endangered from the beginning the fate of this organization.
The decision-making process required a sort of consensus (no votes
against), which was very difficult to reach due to both a widespread
egoistic vision of many member states and a tense diplomatic
framework as a result of World War I. Defeated – but never invaded –
1http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B8954/(httpAssets)/3DA94AAFEB9E8E76C1256F340047BB52/$file/sdn_chronolo
gy.pdf 2 the new Republican US Senate decided not to ratify the Covenant, in spite of Wilson’s efforts
Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
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Germany was deliberately left out from the League, its institutional structure radically changed from an
Empire to a Republic, its territory torn apart in favor of France, Denmark, Poland and Czechoslovakia and
its colonies transformed into mandates and allocated to other countries. The same happened to Austria,
Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria and Russia, the latter guilty of an early withdrawal from the war.
Germany was finally admitted in the
League in 1926 as a permanent member
of the Council, causing the furious
protest of Brazil – which was a candidate
for a permanent seat – and its
subsequent withdrawal; the German
experience within the League would
come to an end in 1933, when Adolf
Hitler took power and decided to
withdraw. To replace it, the other
members invited the USSR to join the League, but also its experience would have been short-dated: in
1939, due to the war against Finland, USSR was expelled from the League. In 1932 and 1937 two
founding members with permanent seat within the Security Council withdrew: Japan, after the illegal
occupation of Chinese Manchuria, and Italy, after the threat of sanctions consequently the invasion of
Abyssinia.
Over its 27 years of duty, the League of Nations has never been able to tackle the serious issues of 1920s
and 1930s: its influence during the many disarmament conferences in the 20s was weak and
overwhelmed by single countries interests. The lack of international credibility and the substantial
standstill of the Security Council prevented the League from taking reliable countermeasures in
preempting international crises, such as the military expansions of Italy and Japan, the German
rearmament and subsequent seeking for its living space (or Lebensraum), the Spanish Civil War and
many others.
With the end of World War II and the establishment of the United Nations Organization, the League
became unnecessary and was officially dissolved on 20th April 1946. During the final meeting on 18th
April 1946, delegates from 34 nations transferred assets (including the Palace of Peace and the League's
archives) to the UN, returned reserve funds to the nations that had supplied them, and settled the debts
of the League.
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UNITED NATIONS
In the aftermath of World War II among the Allied Powers, which had been fighting against the Axis for
almost six years, arose the urgent need for
safeguarding future peace and stability all over the
world. Since 1941 – before the US intervention
against Nazi Germany and Japan – President
Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill started to
discuss and imagine a future, international and shared
world order. On these presumptions, on 24th October
1945 the United Nations Charter entered into force,
as well as the activity of the Organization.
The following stages show a deeper and closer description of the
historical path, which led to the establishment of the UN.
Historical path
The United Nations Organization was officially established in 1945. In spite of this, the diplomatic
process that led to the Organization started during World War II through several meetings among the
main leaders of the Allied Powers, in particular the United States, the United Kingdom and the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics (or Soviet Union).
St. James Agreement (12th June 1941): this meeting was held in London among representatives of the
United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, and of the exiled
governments of Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and
Yugoslavia, as well as General de Gaulle of France. The Agreement strengthened the relations among
these countries, which committed to “work together, and with other free peoples, both in war and
peace to this end”.
Atlantic Charter (14th August 1941): signed during a meeting on the British battleship HMS Prince of
Wales in the Atlantic Ocean by US President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Churchill. The Charter
named a list of principles to establish an international collaboration for the maintenance of peace and
security.
The San Francisco Conference
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Declaration of United Nations (1st January 1942): signed in Washington by the representatives of 26
countries3 at war against “those members of the Tripartite Pact” (Germany, Japan and Italy), which
decided to subscribe the Atlantic Charter; thereafter, 21 other countries would decide to join the
Declaration. This represented the first time where the word “United Nations” – suggested by US
President Roosevelt – was officially used.
Moscow Declaration (30th October 1943): signed during the Moscow Conference by the United States,
the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and Nationalist China, its complete name was “Declaration of the
Four Nations on General Security”. It was one of four declarations signed at the conference: the other
three were the Declaration on Italy, the Declaration on Austria, and the Declarations on Atrocities. The
declaration formally established the four-power framework that would later influence the international
order of the postwar world, along with the first steps for the creation of an international organization
explicitly tailored for the maintenance of peace and international security; a second, and ultimate step
would be taken during the following Tehran Conference (28th November – 1st December 1943).
Washington Conversations on International Peace and Security Organization (21st August – 7th October
1944): better remembered as Dumbarton Oaks Conference, was a set of meetings organized to carry
out paragraph 4 of the Moscow Declaration of 1943, which recognized the need for a postwar
international organization to succeed the League of Nations. At the conference, delegations from
Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States deliberated over
proposals for the establishment of an organization to maintain peace and security in the world. The
discussion regarded in particular which states would be invited to become members, the formation of
the United Nations Security Council, and the right of veto that would be given to permanent members
of the Security Council. The Conference left open some important questions: the first one regarded the
number of Soviet Republics to be admitted as founding members; another one concerned the number
of countries to admit and be given the permanent seat and the veto power within the Security Council.
At that time, relations between Republic of China and USSR were tense, as the Soviet government was
still bound with a secret neutrality Pact with Japan and, therefore, could not help Nationalist China in
their fight against the enemy: this tension resulted in a severe disregard of Soviet delegation towards
the Chinese one so that the conversations were held in two phases, since the Soviets were unwilling to
meet directly with the Chinese.
3 A Joint Declaration by the United States, the United Kingdom, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, China,
Australia, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Poland, South Africa, Yugoslavia
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Yalta Conference (4th – 11th February 1945): held in Crimea (USSR) among the so-called “Big Three”
leaders F.D. Roosevelt, W. Churchill and J. Stalin. The Soviets had agreed to join the United Nations,
given the secret understanding of a voting formula with a veto power for permanent members of the
Security Council, thus ensuring that each country could block unwanted decisions. The leaders agreed to
establish a future UN Security Council with 5 permanent members with veto power, namely United
Stated, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, France and Republic of China. It was also accepted the request
from USSR to admit as founding members two of its republics (Ukraine and Belarus). Finally, it was
proposed a new conference to be held in San Francisco to discuss and draft the Charter of the new
organization with the other members of the United Nations coalition.
United Nations Conference on International Organization (25th April – 26th June 1945): also known as
“San Francisco Conference”, was a convention of delegates from 50 Allied Nations which drafted 111
articles of the United Nations Charter. The Charter was unanimously signed on 25th June. Poland was
the only founding member, which could not be physically present at the Conference and signed the
Charter some days later. Italy and its cobelligerent government worked very hard to participate to the
Conference in a spirit of redemption but its recent past beside Nazi Germany was not so far away and its
request was declined.
The United Nations Organization was officially founded on 24th October 1945 right after the Charter
had been ratified by the 5 permanent members of the Security Council and the majority of the other 46
countries that participated to the San Francisco Conference. On December 1945 the US Senate and
Congress unanimously requested that the UN Headquarter was host on United States’ soil. The request
was accepted and between 1948 and 1952 the UN Headquarter was built in Manhattan, New York, on
the East River. The United Nations has three additional, subsidiary, regional headquarters, or
headquarters districts. These were opened in Geneva (Switzerland) – at the former League of Nations
Headquarter – in 1946, Vienna (Austria) in 1980, and Nairobi (Kenya) in 1996.
The choice of moving the Headquarter from European to American soil represented a clear sign of the
ultimate decline of European hegemony in favor of a new world order dominated by the United States
and the USSR.
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United Nations Headquarters, New York
Structure: main organs
The United Nations is currently the international organization consisting of the widest membership
worldwide. Member states must accept, sign and ratify the obligations included in the “Charter of the
United Nations”: nowadays 193 states have been accepted as members – the last one was South Sudan,
admitted on 14th July 2011. Italy became part of the UN on 14th December 1955, even though the
Italian government already applied for membership in 1947: its request remained frozen for almost a
decade and was accepted just right after a deal between the US and the USSR, which had been vetoing
the Italian application for years. The reasons of this veto regarded not only the Italian alliance with Nazi
Germany during World War II, but also the composition of the General Assembly at the time, which was
predominantly pro-US and its allies.
Another relevant mention on UN membership regards the status of the Republic of China (or Taiwan):
this country was originally granted with a permanent seat in the Security Council as representative of
mainland China; after the end of the Chinese revolution and the subsequent takeover by the newborn
People’s Republic of China, the Republic of China was forced to exile on the island of Taiwan, though
claiming sovereignty over the whole China. The US backed Taiwan’s government and repeatedly vetoed
USSR’s resolutions to admit Communist China instead of Taiwan. This standstill changed during the
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1960’s and in 1971 – through a UN resolution – People’s Republic of China was finally admitted as a
member, grating previous Taiwan’s seat in the Security Council and expelling the latter.
Moreover, there are two other territorial entities – the Holy See and Palestine – which have not been
accepted as members yet, but are granted a special status as “permanent observer”, “non-member
States having received a standing invitation to participate as observers in the sessions and the work of
the General Assembly and maintaining permanent observer missions at Headquarters”.4
The scopes and the principles set by the UN founding members are widely described inside the UN
Charter, specifically in articles 1 and 2:
-To maintain international peace and security;
-To take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for
the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace;
-To bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international
law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the
peace;
-To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-
determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace;
-To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural,
or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for
fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion;
-To be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends.
Article 7 of the Charter briefly describes the structure of the Organization:
“There are established as principal organs of the United Nations: a General Assembly, a Security Council,
an Economic and Social Council, a Trusteeship Council, an International Court of Justice and a
Secretariat. Such subsidiary organs as may be found necessary may be established in accordance with
the present Charter.”5
These organs are vital for the functioning and the administration of the Organization. In addition to
these organs, the UN structure can count on plenty of “minor” organizations within it such as, agencies,
funds, programs and commissions, which together form the so-called “United Nations System”.
4 https://web.archive.org/web/20070209033633/http://www.un.org/members/nonmembers.shtml
5 http://www.un.org/en/sections/un-charter/chapter-iii/index.html
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General Assembly (UNGA)
The United Nations General Assembly is one of
the vital organs as stated in the UN Charter (art.
7). Every member of the UN has the right to seat
and be represented in the General Assembly
(art. 9). The Charter specifies how this organ
works in order to fulfill its duties.
The Charter grants the General Assembly with a
general competence to intervene on every
matter related to the competences of the
Organization (art.10): the General Assembly has the floor to discuss, for
example, every matter related to the maintenance of peace, security and international cooperation.
Moreover, every member state – and even non-member ones – is allowed to request the Assembly to
discuss a specific topic/fact/matter of its particular concern. It is though crucial to bear in mind that the
General Assembly is an exclusively consultative organ: its notes and recommendations have no power to
force members to do (or not to do) anything, as the coercive power of the Organization is secured – only
in some cases and under certain circumstances – to the Security Council.
The General Assembly can thus produce recommendations (art. 12) both to member states and the
Security Council; the latter, eventually, is the one entitled to take all the necessary measures to tackle a
given situation of concern.
Other duties of the Assembly regard the approval of the annual budget of the Organization and the
acceptance of new member states: in this case the Assembly – given the previous approval of the
Security Council – approves (or rejects) with a two-thirds majority the application of a new potential
member state. The Charter specifies that membership is reserved to “peace-loving states” (art. 4) that
accept all the obligations of the Charter and are willing and able to respect them.
The way the UN General Assembly works respects some basic equality rules, so that every country can
count on one single vote, no matter its geographical or economic size (the so-called “one State-one
vote” principle). The Assembly gathers ordinarily on every Fall with the beginning of the annual session
scheduled on the third Tuesday of September, till the first half of December.
United Nations General Assembly
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Under extraordinary and special circumstances – and when convened by the Secretary General, the
Security Council or the majority of member states – the General Assembly is allowed to congregate in
special session meetings: in 2016 the Assembly held a special session from 19th to 21st April in New
York discussing the world drug problem.6
In 2005 the then Secretary General Kofi Annan criticized the functioning of the Assembly itself in a
report called “In Larger Freedom”7; he suggested to provide the General Assembly with the necessary
tools to become the main decision-making organ of the Organization, as it is the unique example within
the UN system, which always granted a full democratic and equal decision process.
Security Council (UNSC)
The United Nations Security Council is the
main executive organ of the UN system. It
is the only body entitled to allow – under
certain circumstances – restrictive
measures against people and member
states and even coercive measures, such as
embargoes and military interventions. The
functions and powers of the Council are
specified in article 24 of the Charter, which
grants the Security Council the “primary
responsibility for the maintenance of
international peace and security”, acting on
behalf of all member states; unlike the General Assembly, the Council stays always fully operational in
case of any call for extraordinary meetings.
Its composition is narrowed to few member states, some of them granted with a permanent seat (the
so-called P-5) and others elected by the UN General Assembly for a 2-years- term. This composition,
especially as regards the permanent members, reflects the outcome of World War II, giving the 5
permanent seats – and the veto power – to the 5 major winning Powers of the war: the United States,
the Russian Federation (USSR till 1992), France, United Kingdom and People’s Republic of China
(Republic of China till 1971). Article 23 of the Charter, amended in 1965, now states:
6 for further information on this topic: https://www.unodc.org/ungass2016/
7 http://www.un.org/en/events/pastevents/in_larger_freedom.shtml
United Nations Security Council
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“The Security Council shall consist of fifteen Members of the United Nations. The Republic of China,
France, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland, and the United States of America shall be permanent members of the Security Council. The
General Assembly shall elect ten other Members of the United Nations to be non-permanent members
of the Security Council, due regard being specially paid, in the first instance to the contribution of
Members of the United Nations to the maintenance of international peace and security and to the other
purposes of the Organization, and also to equitable geographical distribution.
The non-permanent members of the Security Council shall be elected for a term of two years. In the first
election of the non-permanent members after the increase of the membership of the Security Council
from eleven to fifteen, two of the four additional members shall be chosen for a term of one year. A
retiring member shall not be eligible for immediate re-election.
Each member of the Security Council shall have one representative.”
The UN General Assembly elects five of the non-permanent members every year for a two-years-term
starting from 1st January of the coming year. The criteria followed to elect these members are two: first,
the contribution of member states to the UN for the maintenance of peace and international security
(theoretically) and, secondly, a balanced geographical distribution. Till 31st December 2016, non-
permanent members of the Security Council will be:
2015-2016: Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain and Venezuela;
2016-2017: Egypt, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine and Uruguay.
Every UN member state has the right to participate to every Security Council meeting – especially if
directly involved in the agenda of the Council – but without voting power. Also the Secretary General
has the right to seat in the Council, with no authority to vote as well.
“Decisions of the Security Council on *non-procedural] matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of
nine members including the concurring votes of the permanent members” (art. 27).
Permanent members could indeed use this implicit veto power to block any undesired non-procedural
decision. For existing practice, abstention is not considered just as a veto.8
8 ICJ Advisory opinion of 21
st June 1971, p. 22 “*…+By abstaining, a member does not signify its objection to the
approval of what is being proposed *…+” http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/53/5595.pdf
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From 1946 to 2016, vetoes were issued on 236 occasions. For the considered timescale, it has been used
as follows:
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_veto_power
As stated before, veto power cannot be claimed and used on procedural matters.
The main duty of the UN Security Council – as repeatedly affirmed – is the maintenance of peace and
international security. The Charter envisages different tools in order to grant the most peaceful solution
to international disputes.
By Chapter VI (art. 33), “*the+ parties to any dispute, the continuance of which is likely to endanger the
maintenance of international peace and security, shall, first of all, seek a solution by negotiation,
enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or
arrangements, or other peaceful means of their own choice.
The Security Council shall, when it deems necessary, call upon the parties to settle their dispute by such
means.”
At this stage, the UNSC has the power to investigate to assess the dangerousness of the matter.
Whether a threat to international security is detected, the Security Council shall intervene through the
tools disposed by the Charter, bearing in mind that a peaceful solution must always be preferred.
If such a solution cannot be reached, under articles 40, 41 and 42, the Security Council is entitled to
consider concrete and effective measures – legally binding for all member states – to avoid an escalation
of events and prevent from the use of force, not permitted by the Charter itself (art. 2, par. 4). These
measures are:
To “call upon the parties concerned to comply with such provisional measures as it deems necessary or
desirable. Such provisional measures shall be without prejudice to the rights, claims, or position of the
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parties concerned. The Security Council shall duly take account of failure to comply with such provisional
measures” (art.40);
To “decide what measures not involving the use of armed force are to be employed to give effect to its
decisions, and it may call upon the Members of the United Nations to apply such measures. These may
include complete or partial interruption of economic relations and of rail, sea, air, postal, telegraphic,
radio, and other means of communication, and the severance of diplomatic relations” (art. 41);
“Should the Security Council consider that measures provided for in Article 41 would be inadequate or
have proved to be inadequate, it may take such action by air, sea, or land forces as may be necessary to
maintain or restore international peace and security. Such action may include demonstrations,
blockade, and other operations by air, sea, or land forces of Members of the United Nations” (art. 42).
All member states have to contribute to the maintenance of peace and security both by making
effective the necessary measures approved by the UN Security Council and by granting part of their
military force available for an eventual Security Council’s deployment.
The functioning and the composition of the Council have led to severe criticism over time. The main one
regards its permanent members: a restricted group of privileged members – decided by default during
the last stages of the war in 1945 – reflecting the consequences of World War II and which no longer
represents the major global powers nowadays. The exclusion, for crystal-clear political reasons, of
countries like Japan and Germany (respectively the 2nd and the 3rd major contributors of the UN) and
others like Brazil and India has been generating more and more demand for reform of this organ.
The crucial obstacle lies in the fact that every reform of the UN Security Council must be approved by
the P-5 themselves, which are obviously not willing to share with other countries the privilege that the
Charter acknowledge them since 1945.
Another criticism concerns the veto power: over time, especially during the Cold War, the Security
Council has been paralyzed by the political and ideological confrontation between the two Superpowers
– the US and the USSR – undermining the credibility of the Council itself and interfering with the essence
of this organ: maintain peace and international security.
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Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of the principal organs of the UN, consisting of 54
member states elected by the General Assembly for a 3-years-mandate. The election system reflects the
one adopted for the non-permanent members of the Security Council. So that every year 18 member
states replace other 18 in a turn over system: this allows the ECOSOC composition not to be completely
reset every three years.
Every elected member can count on one representative and a single vote; decisions are taken through a
simple majority system (50% + 1 of presents and voters).
Article 62 of the Chapter states:
“*the+ Economic and Social Council may make or initiate studies and reports with respect to
international economic, social, cultural, educational, health, and related matters and may make
recommendations with respect to any such matters to the General Assembly to the Members of the
United Nations, and to the specialized agencies concerned.
It may make recommendations for the purpose of promoting respect for, and observance of, human
rights and fundamental freedoms for all.
It may prepare draft conventions for submission to the General Assembly, with respect to matters falling
within its competence.
It may call, in accordance with the rules prescribed by the United Nations, international conferences on
matters falling within its competence”.
Last but not least, the Economic and Social Council “may furnish information to the Security Council and
shall assist the Security Council upon its request” (art. 65).
21
UN Economic and Social Council
22
United Nations Trusteeship Council (UNTC)
The United Nations Trusteeship Council is a UN organ thought and created to “establish under its
authority an international trusteeship system for the administration and supervision of such territories
as may be placed thereunder by subsequent individual agreements” (art. 75).
The main goals of the Trusteeship System were to promote the advancement of the inhabitants of Trust
Territories and their progressive development towards self-government or independence. The
Trusteeship Council is made up of the five permanent members of the Security Council.
At the moment – and since 1994 – this organ’s activity is “frozen”: the UNTC suspended its operations
on 1st November 1994, right after the independence of Palau, formerly part of the Trust Territory of the
Pacific Island.
By a resolution adopted on 25th May 1994, the Council amended its rules of procedure to drop the
obligation to meet annually and agreed to meet as occasion required – by its decision or the decision of
its President, or at the request of a majority of its members or the General Assembly or the Security
Council.9
United Nations Trusteeship Council
9 http://www.un.org/en/sections/about-un/trusteeship-council/index.html
23
The International Court of Justice (ICJ)
The International Court of Justice incarnates the principal judicial organ of the UN. Article 93 states:
“*all+ Members of the United Nations are ipso facto parties to the Statute of the International Court of
Justice.
A state which is not a Member of the United Nations may become a party to the Statute of the
International Court of Justice on conditions to be determined in each case by the General Assembly
upon the recommendation of the Security Council”.
The ICJ exerts an arbitral jurisdictional function in the sense that a member state can undergo a
judgment by the Court if, and only if, it has made explicit its unconditional will to proceed with the trial
(basis of consent).
ICJ’s Headquarters are located in The Hague (The Netherlands) and the Court is composed by a judging
panel nominated both by the General Assembly and the Security Council.
Once the ICJ publishes its decisions, member states that accepted the judgment are obliged to comply
with it. In the event of a dissenting member state, and thus not complying with the decision, the Court
can appeal to the Security Council, which can decide whether to take every necessary measure to
execute the judgment.
Besides its jurisdictional function, the ICJ could be requested to give an advisory opinion on any legal
question both by the General Assembly and the Security Council (art. 96).
Over the last 25 years, after the end of the Cold War, international judgment regarded mainly “gross
violations of international law”, such as genocides and crimes against humanity; the international
community and the Security Council decided to accompany the ICJ with different tribunals and courts
with the specific aim of judging these violations:
the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of
International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991 (ICTY);
the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR);
the International Criminal Court (ICC).
These courts have been established over time in order to deal with the lack of international jurisdiction
and thus granting that no international crime would have been dropped with impunity.
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Secretariat (UNSG)
The Secretariat is led by the UN Secretary General and it consists of offices and departments in order to
run the administrative system of the UN.
The Secretary General is the head of the
department and acts both as Administrative Chief
and diplomatic mediator among the various
organs of the Organization (UN General
Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC, etc.)
One of the duties of the SG is to present the
annual relation on the activities carried out by the
UN to the General Assembly and – when needed
– draw the attention of the Security Council on
every matter that could endanger peace and international security.
Both the Secretary General and his staff must act independently from the other organs of the
Organization and, above all, from member states: as a matter of fact, article 100 of the Charter states
that “in the performance of their duties the Secretary-General and the staff shall not seek or receive
instructions from any government or from any other authority external to the Organization. They shall
refrain from any action which might reflect on their position as international officials responsible only to
the Organization.
Each Member of the United Nations undertakes to respect the exclusively international character of the
responsibilities of the Secretary-General and the staff and not to seek to influence them in the discharge
of their responsibilities”.
The Secretary General appoints his own staff following the rules and procedures approved by the UN
General Assembly. The SG is elected by the Assembly – and backed by the Security Council – for a
renewable 4-years-term.
The outgoing Secretary General is His Excellency Ban Ki-moon, while Mr. Antonio Guterres, former
prime minister of Portugal, will be the next Secretary General after on October 5 the UN Security Council
agreed on his appointment. His appointment comes as a surprise, since there were high expectations
that a candidate representing the so-called “Eastern European Group” – which is the only Regional
Group during UN history not to have been represented in the office yet –was to be elected.
H. E. Ban Ki-moon, outgoing UN Secretary General
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A consolidated UN practice prevents to appoint a Secretary General whose citizenship is one of the 5
permanent members of the Security Council.
Follows the chronological list of former Secretary Generals:
Gladwyn Jebb (United Kingdom) – 1945/1946
Trygve Lie (Norway) – 1946/1952
Dag Hammarskjöld (Sweden) – 1953/1961
U Thant (Burma) – 1961/1971
Kurt Waldheim (Austria) – 1972/1981
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (Peru) – 1982/1991
Boutros Boutro-Ghali (Egypt) – 1992/1996
Kofi Annan (Ghana) – 1997/2006
Ban Ki-moon (South Korea) – 2007/ 2016
Antonio Guterres (Portugal) – 2017/ ….
FUNCTIONS OF THE UNITED NATIONS TODAY
As it was in the past, the main function of the UN today is to maintain peace and security for all of its
member states. Though the UN does not maintain its own military, it does have peacekeeping forces
which are supplied by its member states. On approval of the UN Security Council, these blue helmet
peacekeepers are often sent to regions where armed
conflict has recently ended to discourage
combatants from resuming fighting. In
1988, the peacekeeping force won a Nobel
Peace Prize for its actions.
In addition to maintaining peace, the UN
aims to protect human rights and provide
humanitarian assistance when needed. In
1948, the General Assembly adopted
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a standard for its human rights operations. The UN
currently provides technical assistance in elections, helps to improve judicial structures and draft
constitutions, trains human rights officials, and provides food, drinking water, shelter, and other
humanitarian services to peoples displaced by famine, war, and natural disasters.
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CHAPTER III
POSITION PAPER
1. THE POSITION PAPER
Before proceeding with all single simulation tools (rules of procedure, speech and Resolution), it
is necessary to focus on the Position Paper whose drafting and delivery or dispatch occurs several weeks
before the CWMUN Conference starts, according to the schedule and timetable which are fixed by the
Diplomatici.
The Position Paper is an official political document on which each delegation in a committee must
summarize the real position of the represented Country in relation to the topics in the agenda.
It is important and advisable to study and understand both the topic and the politics of the assigned
country observing in order to write a good position paper.
For example, if the topic of the SC is the fight against cyber terrorism, each delegation will write the
official position and role of the represented country against cyber terrorism outlining the previous
actions of the past to face the phenomenon under consideration, indicating the subscribed and signed
treaties, reporting declarations and statements of the national government, suggesting new potential
solutions, and advocating for making this situation to be solved.
2. HOW TO WRITE A POSITION PAPER
The political nature of the Position Paper needs a deep analysis and research of both the topic and the
country to represent. The main purpose is to write a position paper that is connected to the reality as
well as coherent to the politics of the country represented.
For good research and study it is advisable to answer the questions below:
- What is the main problem? How much does it involve your country?
- What did your country or the international community (the assigned CWMUN Committee in
particular) do to face the problem in the past?
- How much did your country contribute to solve the problem?
- What are the possible solutions that your country suggests to solve the problem?
- Are there any proofs or statistical data to strengthen your country’s solutions?
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- What countries or coalitions of countries could support your solutions?
- Which arguments or strategies could be used to convince the international community?
Responding these questions will give you a basic guide to write a good position paper.
1. WRITING TECHNIQUES FOR A GOOD POSITION PAPER
A correct Position (PP) Paper requires formal criteria which are set by the CWMUN Staff Board.
Generally speaking, a PP is approximately X number of Word-pages-long document (Times New Roman,
12 pt. and double spacing), with X being the number of topics to be discussed by the committee.
English is the only official language of the simulation. Such a document begins with a headline at the top
left with the indication of the Committee, the represented Country and the Topic (following this order).
As regards to the content, a good position paper should include
- A very short introduction to the topic in general. It is possible to mention what the international
community did in the past
- The past actions of the represented country in relation to the topics in agenda
- The Resolutions, treaties, statements and agreements which your country signed in order to
solve the problem
- Quotations of renowned politicians or of the international community about the topic
- Statistical data and analysis on the topic
- The suggestions and ideas of your country to solve the problem.
In case a delegate wants to cite particular official documents it is necessary to recall the main Organ
which has issued them and their code.
Quotations are permitted but delegates must put them in quotation marks specifying the name and the
role of the personality under consideration (for example: Argentina supports the statement issued by
UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon in such-and-such publication acknowledging that “Immigration is
an inevitable and important part of the solution to international labor shortages”).
It is important to cite the source of the statistical data and possible acronyms: the first time they
are cited, they must be written detailed first, then the abbreviation, e.g., Secretary General (SG).
Afterwards the acronym can be used only (for example: “First, Brazil strongly believes that the
Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding goals, most recently reaffirmed in the Monterrey
Consensus must be achieved by 2015.
Under this agreement, developed countries will provide at least 0.7% of their Gross National Product
(GNP) to developing countries and 0.2% of their GNP to the least developed countries in the form of
ODA”.).
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Considering the PP a very formal document, all delegates must use the official name of the represented
state (for example: Federal Republic of Germany) always writing and speaking in third- person and
avoiding expressions such as: I/We think, suggest, promote...
Each position paper, once written, must be sent to the predetermined e-mail addresses which the
international CWMUN staff will provide to all delegates. They will be analyzed and evaluated by the
Committee Directors. The timetable and delivery deadlines will be provided by the international Staff as
well.
After having received all position papers, the Committee Director will proceed to value,
analyze and judge the documents in order to decree the winner of the award for “The Best Position
Paper”.
The position paper represents a fundamental source and tool for delegates during the whole simulation
work. Such a document is useful as a base of the Opening Speech or to write parts of the Resolution
as well.
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(SAMPLE POSITION PAPER; Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference (NPT), 3 Topics in Agenda)
Delegation from Thailand Represented by University of Catania
Position Paper for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference
1. Practical measures to implement Article VI
In order to assure and maintain a long-term peace in the world and considering how dangerous and destructive the
use of nuclear-weapons was in the past, Thailand is completely committed to the implementation of the Nuclear
Non - Proliferation Treaty (NPT). As the Article VI states, each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue
peaceful negotiations relating to cessation of nuclear arms race and to nuclear disarmament under strict and
effective international control. This safeguard system is guaranteed by the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA), which holds an important verification role recognized as an integral part of the nuclear non-proliferation
regime. Taking into account the statement by the Ambassador of Thailand, H.E. Mrs. Nongnuth Phetcharatana, to
the IAEA in September 16, 2009: “Thailand supports all the efforts aimed at strengthening the effectiveness and
efficiency of the IAEA safeguards system”. As the depositary State of the Treaty of Bangkok of 1995,
establishing the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ), Thailand also expresses its hope on a
future cooperation between the ASEAN Countries and the IAEA to build up a regional safeguard system as
well as to foster regional cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear technologies in order to improve the fields of
medicine, agriculture and industrial production, considered the hallmark of partnership between Thailand and IAEA.
Thailand has further declared in the statement by the Ambassador Mr. Norachit Sinhaseni to the United Nations at
the 2010 NPT Review Conference its desire for a world that is free of nuclear weapons and considered the interest
of both Nuclear Weapon States (NWS) and Non-Nuclear Weapon States to work together toward the ultimate goal of
the complete elimination of all weapons of mass destruction. Thailand therefore recommends all NWS to fully
implement the Article VI of the Treaty in order to make real progress in the field of total elimination of nuclear
weapons. In the same Statement: “Thailand welcomes the recent signing of the Treaty between the Russian
Federation and the United States on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms
on 8 April 2010 as an important step in nuclear disarmament”. For this reason Thailand endorses the United States
of America and all the other States which want to achieve the same goals in the NPT.
2. Nuclear security as the “Fourth Pillar” of the NPT
As the Ambassador Mr. Chirachai Punkrasin said at the General Debate of the First Committee of the 63rd
session of
the UN General Assembly in 9 October 2008: “A world of peace and security is in our collective interest, and its
advancement rests upon our shoulders”. Recalling the first two articles of the NPT, Thailand is fully convinced that
the Non-Nuclear States must not be involved in the transfer of nuclear arms and the exchange of fossile materials
from the other NWS, due to the several risks that the nuclear traffic carries. According to the Article III of the
Treaty, Thailand joined the Nuclear Security Recommendations on Radioactive Material and Associated Facilities
of IAEA in 2011, recognizing the role of security and control of the use of nuclear resources as an important step to
avoid the increase of nuclear terrorism. In such Statement Thailand declares that a more stable and secured world is
the basis for a more prosperous world. That is the reason why the Thai Kingdom strongly urges all the other States
to consider the nuclear security as the “Fourth Pillar” of the NPT, because of its important role in the non -
proliferation regime. Thailand hopes that the State Parties of the NPT will understand the matter of this purpose and
will approve it for the human safety that the world absolutely needs. Thailand regrets the refuse of some States to
take part in the Treaty and shares with international community an interest to see a peaceful, stable and
denuclearized world. Looking at the past events, Thailand believes the steps made by the United States of America
in April-May 2010 represent great incentives to the ratification of the NPT in 2011, which has never been
considered before due to the absence of relevant motivations. Thailand trusts the NPT States’ cooperation in th
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building of the “Fourth Pillar” supporting the IAEA’s role in assisting Member Parties to establish and maintain effective nuclear security sustainability and risk reduction. Referring to the Statement by the Ambassador H.E. Mrs.
Nongnuth Phetcharatana at the 53rd
Regular Session of the General Conference of the IAEA in 16 September 2009,
Thailand, at the regional level, acknowledges the productive role of the Asian Nuclear Safety Network (ANSN) which serves to share existing and new technical knowledge and pratical experience related to nuclear safety to further improve the safety of nuclear installations in the region. Moreover Thailand agreed to the Office of Atomic Energy for Peace (OAP) and, with the other ASEAN Countries, agreed to develop the Nuclear Energy Cooperation
Sub-sector Network to serve as a regional nuclear safety network in response to the growing interest in nuclear energy in Southeast Asia.
3. Article X and deterring withdrawal from the NPT
The issue about Article X of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons has always been under debate
due to the several threats that a possible withdrawal by a State Party could cause to the safety of the other Members.
Meanwhile it coexists with the right of each State to defend its supreme national interests and the own decision of
not taking part in the Treaty anymore. Since 1998, in a communication sent to the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) regarding the Treaty o f the SAENWZ, Thailand has declared according to the Article X of
the NPT that “Each State Party shall, in exercising its national sovereignty, have the right to withdraw from
the Protocol if it decides that extraordinary events, related to the subject-matter of the Protocol, have jeopardized
its supreme national interests”. This decision must be noticed to all the other Member States in advance and shall be
approved by a majority of them. Thailand further proclaimed its concern about the absolute necessity of
confrontation and constructive dialogue between all the States sharing such plan. In the Statement of the
Ambassador Mr. Chirachai Punkrasin at the General Debate of the First Committee of the 63rd
Session of the UN
General Assembly in 9 October 2008, “Thailand shares with the international community an interest to see a
peaceful stable and denuclearized Korean Peninsula”, aware of the sudden withdrawal of the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea (DPRK) in 2003, caused by the hostile policy of the United States of America. Confident of the
serious motivations which could lead a State to take such decision, Thailand hopes that, in the exercise of Article X,
a State does not develop nuclear weapons and not profit from their violation. Contemplating the risks from a
Member’s withdrawal, Thailand believes in the effective and strict control by the IAEA and the Security Council
on possible violations of the Treaty. As the Ambassador Mr. Norachit Sinhaseni expressed in the Statement at
the NPT Review Conference in 6 May 2010, Thailand and the other State Parties must keep working to bring
remaining countries into the Treaty.
.
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CHAPTER IV THE RULES OF PROCEDURE
1. INTRODUCTION
Each delegate has, for the committee work, three tools they can use to face the simulation, which are
important and fundamental. In this chapter we will address the first of these three instruments.
The organizing body shall determine the rules of procedure. They must be the same for all Committees,
and both the Dais and the delegates are obliged to abide by them. The purpose of the rules of
procedure is to formalize the d i f f e r e n t m e c h a n i s m s f o r negotiation, so that delegates can
produce certain actions to take place (e.g., Ask for a suspension of debate) during the simulation. These
effects can be achieved by proposing a motion, which can be approved by the Committee thanks to a
majority vote. Different motions and different procedures require different majorities as well, with the
most common one being the simple majority, i.e., half of the deliberative quorum plus one more vote.
Every motion has a certain formula that each delegate has to voice in order to produce an effect. The
Chair will ask: "Are there any other points or motions on the floor at this time?" and the delegates
will raise their placards, and after being recognized by the Chair, they will request a specific motion.
Such motions will gradually be noted down and collected by the Rapporteur. Once a couple motions
are collected, the Chair will provide them to be voted according to the most disruptive to less, and then
in chronological order.
The regular procedure of voting consists of raising the placard when the Chair asks: "All those delegates
in favor?" (i.e., in favor with the motion) and "All those opposed?" Except in some rare cases, the
motion passes if it reaches a simple majority (50% + 1 of votes in favor). It is important also to make
a distinction between different kinds of votes that can be used during the simulation:
Procedural vote: Relates to the vote of motions. During such voting process, the
Delegate can NEVER abstain and shall be in favor or against;
Substantial vote: Relates to the vote of the d ocuments written by the Committee. The
delegate can abstain during this process, unless they had stated they were ‘Present and voting’.
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Honourable chair, fellow delegates Germany is present.
The Rules of Procedures can be divided into two groups in relation to the moment of the simulation
in which they operate. This distinction has been made only to clarify that the simulation work is divided
into two phases: the first, called negotiation phase, which in a wide sense has all delegates being
involved in discussing the topics and looking for partners to draft the Working Papers, Draft Resolutions,
and other documents; the second phase, is called the voting procedure, in which delegates are present
and vote for these documents. Both phases happen alternatively during the days of committee work.
2. DECORUM
One of the most important rules in Model UN is Decorum.
It is an unwritten rule of conduct whereby each delegate must necessarily communicate with all
members of the Committee in English, pay attention and keep silence when a delegate or a member of
the Dais (i.e., Chair, Director and Rapporteur) speaks, have formal dress attire during the committee
session and, generally speaking, act in an appropriate and respectfully diplomatic way as an ambassador
does.
The Decorum applies in both phases of the simulation and, in particular, it is very strict during the voting
procedures. The Dais usually calls out the delegate who breaks the rule of Decorum several times, as well
as the points of order generally deal with decorum or rules of procedure being violated. After a number of
violations and warnings, the sanction adopted by the Dais is the removal of the delegate from the
committee and the expulsion from CWMUN.
3. ROLL CALL
The Committee work of the MUN takes place in one or two sessions during each day, usually one in the
morning and another in the afternoon, and which are of variable duration. At the beginning of each
work session, the Rapporteur of the Committee proceeds to take the Roll Call alphabetically: the
Rapporteur calls each delegate, one by one, and marks the presence or the absence of all the delegates.
Once called, the delegate must stand up, hold and show clearly the placard and declare loud to the Dais
and the other members of the Committee the following phrase:
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HIGHLIGHTS
Records the presence of the delegations in the committee;
The rapporteur will proceed with the Roll Call ONLY in the first session of the day;
Delegates should immediately notify late arrivals to the dais through a written note.
If, on the contrary, the country is called and the representative does not respond, the Rapporteur will
mark the absence. In cases where the delegates are late and their country has already been called they
should immediately send a note to the Rapporteur and write: "Honorable Rapporteur, Germany is
present". It would be helpful if you write a couple of words to apologize for the delay.
In big committees, such as the General Assembly, it is possible that the Rapporteur could start the Roll
Call not necessarily from the beginning but from the middle (ex. Egypt) or from the end (ex. Zambia).
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“Honorable Chair, fellow delegates, the delegate moves for the opening of the Speaker’s List”.
4. THE RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE NEGOTIATION PHASE
4.1 THE SPEAKER’S LIST
The Speaker’s List is list visible to the Committee. It could be enough to know that a speech is a
f o r m o f p u b l i c discourse in which the delegates express the position of their country in order to
stimulate a debate and
eventually p e r s u a d e the other delegates that t h e i r position of
is the one that should be better shared inside the Committee.
To be added in the Speaker’s List, it is necessary that a delegate opens
the list with a specific motion. At the question of the Chair: “Are there
any points or motions on the floor at this time?”, the delegate must raise
the placard, and after be i n g r e c o g n i z e d b y th e C h a i r with the
f o rm u la
“Delegate, to what point do you rise?” the delegate must stand up and state:
The opening of the Speaker’s List is the first motion that should be present at the beginning of the
meeting at the first day (after the Roll Call).
When a delegate requires the opening of the Speaker’s List the first time, the Chair usually declares to
open it immediately without voting it. In order to add delegates in the Speaker’s List, the Chair always
asks to raise the placards to those who want to be included in the Speaker’s List so that the Rapporteur
will call the countries and will promptly add them.
Since delegates are interested in sharing their delegation’s opinions, it is likely that most members of the
Committee will raise their placards. Because of not having enough time for every delegate in the first
instances of the Speaker’s List (it is advised that the Chair picks a maximum of ten delegates in larger
committees) the Chair cannot call all of them, so they should invite those who are not called (and
therefore not yet included in the Speaker’s List) to send a note to the Dais saying: “Honorable Chair, The
delegate asks to be placed in the Speaker’s List”.
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HIGHLIGHTS
Records the list of countries who have requested to speak;
Delegations must raise their placards to be recognized as speakers;
The Dais recognizes a speaker by calling out the name of the country;
The order of the countries in the list derives by the order in which the delegations were recognized by the dais;
This motion does not require any vote.
“Honorable Chair, fellow/distinguished delegates, the delegate moves to set the speaker’s time to 1
minute”.
Once a delegation has read their speech, the country is removed from the Speaker’s List. To be
reinstated, (or removed) the delegate should send a note to the Rapporteur.
It is always possible to request the closing (or opening) of the Speaker’s List. This motion will be voted
and can pass with a simple majority after the first Speaker’s List. When the Speaker’s List is closed no
delegate can ask to be placed in. In conclusion we should point out that, if the Speaker’s List is
exhausted (when all delegates have been called to speak and no other country is added), the Board
will immediately pass to vote those documents already submitted to the Dais. The importance of such
an event will be clearer in the next discussion.
4.2. THE SPEAKER’S TIME
When the Speaker’s List is open, it is necessary to define the maximum duration and length of
each speech for all delegates.
Such a temporal fact (precisely the Speaker's time) is defined by the committee through a particular
motion proposed by the delegates. As always, it is necessary that the Chair pronounces the ritual
phrase: "Are there any points or motions at this time?". The delegate raises the placard and after
being recognized by the Chair must pronounce the formula:
The Chair thanks the delegate for the motion and asks if there any other ones on the floor. Usually lots
of delegates propose a motion to set the Speaker’s time. The motions, collected by the Rapporteur, will
be voted according to the order of presentation and the Board will use the time set by the motion
which obtained the favorable vote of the simple majority. In conclusion, it should be clear that Decorum
requires the observance of the limits of time, so it is fundamental that each delegate observes the
time set and expected for each speech. If the Chair interrupts a delegation’s speech because of
expired time, the delegate must stop immediately (even if he has not finished to read his speech),
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HIGHLIGHTS
Defines the time interval available to carry out the speech;
Delegates are encouraged to conclude their speech within the established time limit;
The Dais notifies the start of the final 10 seconds of the speech through a knock of the gravel;
This motion requires simple majority.
“Honorable Chair, fellow/distinguished delegates, the delegate proposes to set the agenda in the following
topical order: 3, 1 and 2. Thank you chair thank you delegates.”
HIGHLIGHTS
Defines the order of the topics under discussion;
This motion is valid only for the committees that present more than one topic.
This motion requires simple majority.
thanks the Chair and returns to his seat. It is important that the Dais notifies the delegate with the gavel
when 10 seconds are left for the speech, and then when the time is over.
4.3. THE SETTING OF THE AGENDA
Before beginning with the simulation work and all introductory speeches, it is necessary to proceed
with the Setting of the Agenda. Inside each Committee, all delegates will face three topics in agenda
but the order must be set by them after the approval of the whole committee. The formula is:
The Chair will collect the motions and will put them to be voted following the chronological order in
which they were all received. The motion which reaches the simple majority (50% +1) will set the
agenda in that particular order for the whole committee work.
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“Honorable Chair, fellow/distinguished delegates, the delegate moves for the suspension of the meeting
for a period of 30 minutes for the purpose of an Unmoderated Caucus”.
4.4 THE UNMODERATE CAUCUS
After seeing how the rules of procedure work, it is evident that the simulation is strictly formal. The
delegates must stay in their seats, they cannot communicate with other delegates unless they are
sending notes, or addressing the whole committee through their speeches (which are bound, however,
to the rigidity and slowness of being called upon by the Chair). All these limits are enforced by the Dais
and the Staff Board. That is why this type of session is called precisely formal session.
The Unmoderated Caucus, on the contrary, is a request for the suspension of the formal session to
change to an informal one in which a delegate is allowed to stand up and speak – in English – with any
other delegate present in the committee. In this case all delegates can openly discuss, form alliances,
plan strategies, and draft documents. The delegate who wants to ask for an Unmoderated Caucus
must raise their placard after the usual request from the Chair ("Are there any points or motions on the
floor at this time?") and, once recognized, must say:
Several delegates probably will raise their placard to request a Caucus of this nature. The Rapporteur
then will jot down all the motions. The first motion that reaches a simple majority will pass. As it occurs
in the Speaker's Time, delegates can determine the duration of the Caucus that can go from a minimum
of 10 minutes to a maximum duration of 45 minutes (the motions that propose an unmoderated caucus
of a duration longer than 45 minutes will be considered invalid and not in order). In case the committee
requires further time to dedicate to the discussion, a successive motion to propose an
unmoderated caucus can be carried out. This is explained by the fact that only during the "suspension
of the meeting" delegates have the opportunity to draft documents. Considering its function (which
allows the delegates to establish an informal discussion) the Unmoderated Caucus can be requested
at any time except for the phase of the voting procedures. It is no accident that the Unmoderated
Caucus occupies about 60% of the time of the simulation work.
The importance of an Unmoderated Caucus must not overshadow the Speaker’s List. In concrete terms,
these are two "tools" that, although they carry out the same function (that is to allow delegates to
communicate), offer different methods of execution. The advantage of the Speaker’s List lies in the fact
that when a delegate delivers their own speech, they draw the attention of the entire committee but
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HIGHLIGHTS
The unmoderated caucus represents a suspension of the meeting for a period of time dedicated to informal debate amongst the delegations on the topic under discussion;
Delegates are free to leave their seats and to approach the delegations they regard as possible partners in the debate;
Delegates have the opportunity to create coalitions and to proceed with the creation of working papers and draft resolutions;
The minimum duration of an unmoderated caucus is 10 minutes;
The maximum duration of an unmoderated caucus is 45 minutes;
the Unmoderated Caucus takes precedence over all other motions by being the most disruptive of motions.
This motion requires simple majority.
“Honorable Chair, fellow/distinguished delegates, the delegate would like to propose a Moderated
Caucus on the topic of international cooperation regarding the refugee crisis, for 10 minutes, and 1
minute speaking time”
they have to wait to be called upon by a previously arranged order of delegates. The advantage of an
Unmoderated Caucus is, however, the immediacy and level of non-formality, as any delegate can
communicate with others and get immediate answers, but it might not be the most organized way of
centering the topics of debate between delegates. Although the Unmoderated Caucus represents an
informal session period, all delegates must continue to perform duties related to the simulation and,
therefore, among other things, they must keep on communicating in English. The Dais members will
wander around the Committee to ensure that the Decorum is observed and to value the performance of
each delegate and continue building a group of cooperative delegates reaching solutions.
4.4.1 THE MODERATED CAUCUS
A good middle course between these two previously mentioned fundamental tools of communication is
offered by another motion, the Moderated Caucus. To start one, the delegate has to state to the Chair
that they would like to have a Moderated Caucus for X number of minutes, X number of speaking time
per delegate, and they have to specify the topic that will be discussed. An example would be:
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HIGHLIGHTS
The moderate caucus is a suspension of the meeting for a period of formal debate on a specific sub-topic that branches off the central topic discussed within the committee;
Delegates who wish to take part in the discussion must raise their placards;
Once a delegation is called by the dais, the delegate has the floor for a fixed time interval;
A minimum of one moderate caucus per day is required;
This motion requires simple majority.
The Moderated Caucus is another alternative which involves a period of time destined by a motion, in
which delegates speak to the whole committee without being in the Speaker’s List, and which flows by
delegates raising their placards and the Chair recognizing them for the time decided by the committee
beforehand. Any delegate can participate in this Caucus without being in a previously arranged list. In
order to facilitate the debate, the dais will request at least one moderate caucus per day of simulation.
4.5. POINT OF ORDER
The Point of Order is a tool which can be used by all delegates when there is a violation of a
procedural rule committed by the Chair (e.g., when the Chair did not follow the order of the motions on
the floor) or by another delegate (e.g., when a delegate is abstaining during the procedural votes).
Technically, the Point of Order is not a motion but a point because each delegate does not have to
wait for the Chair’s request for motions on the floor. In this case, a delegate (even during the voting
procedures) must raise the placard and state a Point of Order, whenever they notice the violation. After
that, the Chair will ask for what point the delegate wants to raise, and delegate will bring the violation
to the attention of the whole committee. At this point, if the Chair sees that the violation was
committed, then they will declare the Point in order and will proceed with the correction of the
irregularities. On the contrary, the Point can be not in order. It may occur that a delegate abstains
during the voting procedure of a procedural vote and they will be called and reminded by the Chair
that the abstention is not allowed during such a moment. If, however, the Chair does not consider the
Point of Order, the Chair can explain the existence of the irregularities to the committee.
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Honorable Chair, fellow/distinguished delegates, the delegate moves for the closure of debate”.
4.6. POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE
Such a point is used by delegates to signal uncomfortableness in the environment: air-conditioning, heat
or cold, malfunctioning of microphones, are some examples. The Point of Personal Privilege can be
requested raising the placard and, once recognized by the Chair, signal the inconvenience after stating
it is a Point of Personal Privilege.
4.7. POINT OF INQUIRY
The point of inquiry occurs when a delegates asks for a clarification of the rules of procedure applied
inside the Committee. When a delegate does not understand the operation and function of a rule or
when they need something to be clarified, or they want to know how to complete a particular
procedure, the delegate can raise the placard and raise this point. The Chair, Director, or the Rapporteur
will give explanations in relation to the request or question.
4.8. RIGHT OF REPLY
This tool is used to have a reply against accusations moved by another delegation during their
speech against the person representing the delegation, or when the policy of a State is under
indictment during a speech. It is not valid when the accusation is directed to the behavior of a
delegate during the formal session. That is why it is so important to pay attention to all speeches
because it is possible not only to express the position on the topic under discussion but also to
condemn the position of other states. The Right of Reply, as the Point of Order, is not a motion, so it
is not necessary to wait for the request of other motions on the floor by the Chair. But one must
remember to be respectful and opportune when this is to be used. The delegate who reckons to be
under indictment stands up and exclaims: “Right of Reply!” The Chair will analyze if the reply is
justified and well-grounded and its decision is unquestionable. If the request for this right takes
place after a speech, and i t i s approv ed b y t he Dai s , the reply is immediate. Otherwise, it
is possible to send a note to the Dais to ask for this.
4.9. THE CLOSURE OF DEBATE
This motion has the function to close the debate on the topic under discussion when there are enough
documents to be voted on the table of the Dais (i.e., the Draft Resolutions) and when the topic
discussion has been exhaustive. It is clear that such a motion is conceivable only in a mature part of the
committee work, usually the last day of a simulation. After the reading of the speeches, after the
discussion of the topic, and the production of a particular number of documents, delegates can suggest
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HIGHLIGHTS
The closure of debate is a motion that closes the discussion upon the topic of the committee;
If no delegations are left on the speaker’s list, the committee will automatically proceed to a closure of the debate;
The motion can be proposed only if there is at least one draft resolution on the floor;
A preliminary debate with two delegations against the closure of the debate is required;
In order to pass, this motions requires 2/3 majority.
Honorable Chair, fellow/distinguished delegates, the delegate moves for the adjournment of debate”.
to close the debate and pass to the voting stage. Such a situation also explains why the Chair often
suggests to the committee to propose this motion. The formula that introduces the motion is:
Before voting for this motion, it is required that only two delegates express their position opposed to
this motion, and that it is voted favorably by a majority of 2/3 of the members which are present inside
the committee (i.e., qualified majority). Once approved the Closure of Debate, the committee will pass
to the Voting Procedures that will be detailed in the last chapter. It should be noted that all the motions
presented about the negotiation phase cannot be used during the voting procedures. Only a few
special tools are accepted and they can affect the Draft Resolutions which are developed during the
simulation work.
5.0. THE ADJOURNMENT OF DEBATE
This motion is poorly used in the Model United Nations. It is applied to close permanently the
formal debate on the topic under discussion without moving to the voting procedure so passing
directly to discuss the second topic on the Agenda. The adjournment of the debate is practically
used in case of diplomatic stalemate, that is when all delegates are not able to blend or
conceive a solution in order to face the topic, and to write the final document which must be
approved by the committee.
This motion requires a debate between two delegates in favor and two in opposition with 30
seconds speaker’s time per delegate. The four delegates are recognized and chosen by the Chair by
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“Honorable Chair, fellow/distinguished delegates, the delegate moves for the adjournment of the meeting until the next scheduled meeting”
HIGHLIGHTS
The adjournment of debate is a motion that closes the discussion upon the topic and allows the committee to move to the second topic on agenda;
The motion can be proposed only in the case of a Diplomatic Stalemate;
A preliminary debate of 30sec with two delegations against and two delegations in favor of the adjournment of the debate is required;
In order to pass, this motions requires simple majority.
raising placards. The motion requires the simple majority to close the topic under discussion
automatically, and then to pass to the next one.
5.1. THE SUSPENSION AND/OR ADJOURNMENT OF THE MEETING
As mentioned, each working day is divided into different sessions: usually one in the morning and one in
the afternoon. The timetable of each session is set in a specific calendar by the Staff Board of the
simulation. The Suspension of the Meeting is the motion through which each delegate can ask to close
the working session and adjourn the Committee to the next scheduled session. Such a motion is
sometimes urged by the Chair and the formula is:
This motion does not have a decision left to the discretion of the delegates (i.e., the beginning and
ending times of the working session are predetermined by the conference staff members). In conclusion
it should be noted that the Adjournment of the Meeting is required during the last session of the last
working day, in this case the motion will be asked to adjourn the meeting to the next year.
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HIGHLIGHTS
The suspension of the meeting is proposed by delegates at the end of the working session;
The aim of this motion is to close the working session and to adjourn it to the next scheduled meeting time;
In order to pass, this motions requires simple majority.
Summary: Rules of Procedure
Motion Formula Purpose Debate Vote
Roll Call Honorable chair, fellow delegates country X is present.
Record the presence of countries None None
Opening of Speaker’s list
“Honorable Chair, fellow delegates, the delegate moves for the opening of the Speaker’s List”.
Open the speaker’s list; records countries who request to speak
None None
Set the Speaker’s time
“Honorable Chair, fellow/distinguished delegates, the delegate moves to set the speaker’s time to X minutes”.
Set or change the Speaker’s time limit
None Simple majority
Setting of the Agenda
“Honorable Chair, fellow/distinguished delegates, the delegate proposes to set the agenda in the following topical order: 3, 1 and 2. Thank you chair thank you delegates.”
Defines the order of the topics under discussion
None Simple majority
Unmoderate Caucus
“Honorable Chair, fellow/distinguished delegates, the delegate moves for the suspension of the meeting for a period of 30 minutes for the purpose of an Unmoderated Caucus”.
Suspension of the formal session during which delegates create coalitions and develop their working papers.
None Simple majority
Moderate Caucus “Honorable Chair, fellow/distinguished delegates, the delegate would like to propose a Moderated Caucus on the topic of international cooperation regarding the refugee crisis, for 10 minutes, and 1 minute speaking time”
Guided debate on a specific sub-topic that branches off the central topic discussed within the committee
None Simple majority
Adjournment of the Meeting
“Honorable Chair, fellow/distinguished delegates, the delegate moves for the adjournment of the meeting until the next scheduled meeting”
Close the working session and adjourn the meeting to the next scheduled session
None Simple majority
Closure of Debate
“Honorable Chair, fellow/distinguished delegates, the delegate moves for the closure of debate”.
Close the discussion on the topic and move to immediate vote
2 con 2/3 Majority
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Adjournment of the Debate
“ Honorable Chair, fellow/distinguished delegates, the delegate moves for the adjournment of debate.”
Closes the discussion upon the topic and allows the committee to move to the second topic on agenda
2 con / 2 pro
Simple majority
Point of Inquiry Point of inquiry In case of any uncertainty of the rules of procedures
None None
Point of Personal Priviledge
Point of personal privilege In case of any personal need None None
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CHAPTER V SIMULATION TOOLS: SPEECH
1. SPEECH
The speech is an important tool which allows all delegates to publicly communicate during the working
formal session. The turn and the moment to give a speech are set by the Speaker’s List while the
duration is given by the Speaker’s Time. The main function of the speech is to communicate and express
the position of all represented countries in connection to the topic under discussion. Giving a speech
represents one of the most important moments of the whole simulation for all delegates. When a
delegation has their time to speak, it will be done from the podium in larger committees or standing up
in smaller ones. The decorum requests silence during public speaking and it allows the speaker to attract
more attention and better reception of their speech. The speech can be delivered during all working
sessions of the simulation, except for the voting procedure.
2. SPEECH IN DIFFERENT PHASES OF THE SIMULATION
The speech does not have a fixed content. It will change according to the progress and development of
the simulation. For example, at the beginning of the session a speech should express the position of a
determined country in relation to the topic under discussion. In this case the position paper plays an
important role as a fundamental source and base of ideas and facts to be used in order to deliver
an opening speech. As the conference progresses, the speech can posit some solutions for the coalition,
as well as ideas and invitations to cooperation between states which share the same goals and positions.
A speech can be useful, especially during the final phases of the working sessions, to convince and
involve more delegates to vote for the Draft Resolution and to support it. Each delegate is suggested to
pay attention to the evolution of the working session and all speeches.
3. STRUCTURE OF A SPEECH AND SUGGESTIONS
A speech has got a very simple and linear structure. It begins with a formal greeting (“Honorable Chair,
fellow delegates”) and finishes with a grateful ending (“Thank you Chair, Thank you delegates”). In the
middle of a speech there is the main body which constitutes the important message from a
delegation to others. It is suggested to add, at the end of the main body and before the final thanks, a
particular phrase which can summarize the whole message and advice other delegates to act. The more
creative and incisive the main body of a speech is, the bigger and heavier the political weight it can have.
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All the efforts of delegates must be focused on being clear and concrete on the exposition of the main
body. For this reason, the following suggestions can be useful:
Short and incisive sentences with preferably active form verbs.
Adding codes and elements of the previous Resolutions which were approved and adopted in
the past at the United Nations. Statistical data and quotations of political authorities with facts
and figures can increase the weight of a speech and make the position and potential solutions
more credible.
Paying attention to the evolution of the simulation and to all speeches so that a delegation can
modify its own discourse according to the development of the committee and showing the
training and attention level.
The duration of all speeches is set by the speaker’s time and it can be changed. In this case a
speech should be modifiable in order to add or eliminate parts of it, and short sentences can
facilitate this process.
It is useful to write speeches with 5-10 seconds less than the fixed speaker’s time. It is useful to
perform and act the speech with pauses and while looking at the audience. Change of tone,
visual contact with other delegates, right pauses, and possibly a final phrase with effect,
contribute to strengthening the content of the speech.
Indeed the speech is an important tool to attract attention and to let all delegates know about the
delegation and its position, so it is important to act and perform a speech in order to be a potential
leader as well.
5. EXAMPLES
For illustrative purposes, we will provide an example of opening speech. It has been given in New York
during the 2012 CWMUN, by the Delegation of Egypt, the Best Delegation winner in a committee. The
topic under discussion was: "After Fukushima: Perspectives on Nuclear Energies". Here it is:
“Honorable Chair, fellow delegates, The accident in Fukushima has d e f i n i t e l y impacted Egypt’s nuclear
program. But Egypt has had the strength to start again, believing in the possibilities of nuclear power and
basing its program on safety principles. Egypt decided in 2007 to re-launch its nuclear program after having
frozen it for two decades, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) backed the decision in 2010.
Why should mankind use nuclear power? Some factors include men being responsible of a greater amount of
greenhouse effect, due to excessive use of carbon dioxide. Nuclear power plants already planned in Egypt will
release only water steam and not CO2. Furthermore, nuclear power produces energy in the long run, as it uses
only small amount of radioactive material, which is abundant in nature! Let’s create a cleaner and better
tomorrow! Thank you Chair, thank you delegates”.
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CHAPTER VI SIMULATION TOOLS: RESOLUTION AND VOTING PROCEDURE
1. THE STRUCTURE OF A RESOLUTION
The third and last simulation tool is represented by the Resolution, the final documents produced and
passed by the committee, which expresses the collective will and contains measures aimed at
resolving the topics under discussion. In most committees these measures take the form of
recommendations and therefore they will not bind the Member States even if they have a great political
value. Please take into account that the only binding Resolutions are those of the Security Council.
The Resolution expresses a common political will. Considering some possible irreconcilable positions
or some alliances which are not compatible (e.g., South Korea - North Korea, Turkey - Syria), several
coalitions of states will be born during the working session which share the solutions and policy on a
particular problem, and will begin to work together in order to write their own Resolutions.
2. THE STRUCTURE OF A RESOLUTION
The Resolution has a fixed structure in all committees. It is composed by:
1. Heading: Contains the committee name, and the topic under consideration
2. Preambulatory Clauses
3. Operative Clauses
The Preambulatory clauses represent the historical and political background of the topic under
discussion. These introductory clauses begin with an infinitive verb and recall historical precedents,
passed Resolutions, adopted articles of the Charter of the United Nations, and others, in order to outline
what has been done previously by the international community to address the topic. They represent
the introduction and a logical base for the executive part of the Resolution, consisting of the operative
clauses. For example, in a committee in which delegates talk about a humanitarian crisis, it may be useful
to include in the preambulatory clauses some articles of the Universal Declaration of the Rights of
Man, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, among others. Pay attention to the
official documents you want to mention: the Dais should then check the truthfulness of this quoted
documents. Each Resolution should contain a good number of preambulatory clauses that testify to
the hard work made by the members of the Committee on the topic under consideration. From the
formal point of view, the preambulatory clauses always begin with a verb in infinitive, written in cursive
concluding with a comma.
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The Operative clauses are the enacting part of the Resolution, drafted by the coalition. Ideas, programs
and new strategies are expressed in the operative clauses to solve the problems of the topic under
discussion. In concrete terms, these clauses recommend or require the international community to take
particular actions. It should be noted that each clause must contain a single solution that should not be
generally repeated in successive clauses. For this reason, although there could be lots of solutions
connected to each other by a logical connection in a Resolution, the coalition must order them inside the
document so that the whole committee, called to judge it by a substantial vote, can understand the
single steps through which the entire solution proposed by the coalition has been developed. In
addition, the operative clauses must analyze all important aspects of the proposed solutions such as:
raising funds, facilities, staff, and what is necessary to give coherence and strength to the proposals.
As with the preambulatory clauses, the operative clauses present a particular formal structure.
Representing the terms of a logical progression of ideas, they must be consecutively numbered, begin
with a present indicative active form verb written in cursive, third singular person. Each operative clause
ends with a semicolon except for the last, which ends with a dot which indicates the end of the whole
document. Generally speaking, the Resolution is a coherent set of clauses. The first part is formed
by the preambulatory clauses that outline the historical political background of the topic. After these
preliminary remarks, the explanatory and corrective phase begins which is represented by operative
clauses containing the possible practical solutions to the problem examined during the simulation. Finally,
one last clarification: the main subject of the Resolution will never be done by a single coalition of
delegates, but the whole committee, in spite of different political points of view within it.
3. THE APPROVAL PROCEDURE OF THE RESOLUTION
The approval procedure of the Resolution is divided into several stages. It is important to remember that
each coalition will work on its own Resolution inserting concrete ideas to solve the problem under
discussion. Additionally, there is no maximum number of Resolutions that a committee can approve but
it is necessary that, as we will see, they reach a simple majority and they do not contradict each other.
3.1 WORKING PAPER
The first documents on which the delegates will begin to work are called Working Papers, in which the
members of a coalition will introduce preambulatory and operative clauses. As a real draft, it is possible
to insert, delete, and modify clauses. This operation can only take place during the Unmoderated
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Caucuses which are the central moments of the simulation. Once in an Unmoderated Caucus, the
delegates of the same coalition will start to work together and will write the Working Paper.
The Working Papers are not official documents yet and they are subject to constant change due to the
incessant exchange of ideas and political positions between delegates. In spite of not being official, the
formal structure of the Working Paper is the same of the Resolutions. It should be emphasized that the
development of these documents will keep delegates busy for the majority of the working days. The
reason is simple: the Working Papers will be continuously corrected and modified so that they reflect
the evolution of committee’s work and before they become the Draft Resolution to be presented to the
whole committee. Therefore, the main goal for those who participate in Model United Nations, is to
demonstrate the ability to work in a team and to be able to create close alliances by sharing ideas with
the largest number of delegates, always paying attention to the consistency of the proposed solutions,
in order to collect the highest possible consensus during the voting procedure and create the better
lasting solutions. In this working phase delegates will start to play two different roles: Sponsors and
Signatories. These are to be indicated at the beginning of Working Papers.
Sponsors: These are those Member States of a coalition who steadily work on documents. They
can be considered as the real authors of the Draft Resolution. Sponsors, also take care of involving the
highest number of delegates as possible in order to obtain, in the case of substantial vote, the approval of
the Draft Resolution they have created. It necessary to say that only the Member States can be
sponsors. If the committee hosts Permanent Observers (e.g., Palestine), Non-Governmental
Organizations (NGOs) or Inter-Governmental Organizations (IGOs), these may only cover the quality of
Signatories, although they share the ideas of the Working Paper.
Signatories: The Signatories, however, are the Member States, the Permanent Observers ,the NGOs
and the IGOs that, once they analyzed the text of the Working Paper submitted by a Sponsor, they decide
to sign it and to support it through their vote. It’s important to note that the signature of a particular
Working Paper by a member of the Committee does not constitute a guarantee of a favorable vote, just
that the signatory wishes for this Working Paper to be discussed with the whole committee. Although
this may seem paradoxical, it actually has a practical reason: because the signatories hardly contribute
significantly to draft the document – and their role is exhausted physically to sign the Working Papers
prepared by other delegates so that they can be presented to the Dais – it is logical to expect that their
commitment to vote in favor for the document is far lower than sponsors’ one, who have created the
coalition and wrote all the clauses of the document. It must be said, however, that all political alliances
must lie on the basis of a criterion of likelihood: delegates staying in character need to observe and respect
the political coherence of the proposed solutions and the creation of concrete alliances between countries.
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For this reason, a Resolution would be absolutely inconsistent, dealing with, for example, the elimination
of female genital mutilation, that is written by those countries where the practice is culturally rooted,
being defended and signed by states which are fighting in favor of such an elimination.
In conclusion, there is no limit to the number of Working Papers in which a delegation can be sponsor or
signatory, bearing in mind that being sponsors on more Working Papers means to contribute to the creation
and development of the various documents, risking not to be able to effectively follow the dynamics of all
that is working simultaneously. This could cause the elimination of some states by the rest of the coalition
from the list of sponsors of the Working Papers in which they were not steadily working. Further clarification
is appropriate: being both sponsor and signatory of the same Working Paper should therefore not happen.
The Resolution, representing the product of mediation and cooperation, cannot be written before the
simulation, but only during the Unmoderated Caucuses or spaces agreed by the Dais. So all those documents
which are prepared in advance are not accepted because they are not prepared and analyzed by the plurality
of members.
3.2 THE DRAFT RESOLUTION
When the coalition is satisfied of the complete Working Paper, it has the opportunity to show and
deliver the document to the Dais with a list of sponsors and signatories. The only required effective term
to present the Working Papers is the support of a certain number of signatories, 20% of the present
members in committee (e.g, in a committee with 100 Member States, they should need 20 signatories at
least to submit the Draft Resolution). Once the working papers are presented, the members of the
Dais, in particular the Director, will consider the work in terms of grammar, form and content
(especially the proposed solutions). It should be noted, however, the Dais will not censure the content
of the solutions which are included in the document but only correct them. This limit demonstrates
that delegates are the only main characters in the simulation and Dais members are moderators and
facilitators of the working session. Whenever the Director finds mistakes regarding the grammar and
the form, he will show all these problems to the sponsors and will invite them to make the
necessary changes in order to correctly resubmit the Working Paper. When the document is approved,
the Director will put an alphanumeric code. For example, the first Working Paper approved in the
Security Council will have the code SC/1/1 and so on. The Working Paper then officially becomes a Draft
Resolution. The Draft Resolution will be subject to substantial vote and, therefore, will be distributed
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among the members of the Committee who will have the opportunity to study the content before voting
it. The Draft Resolution will be strictly voted according to the fixed alphanumeric code.
4. THE VOTING PROCEDURES
Once the simulation work is in the point that there is one Draft Resolution at least on the Chair’s desk,
delegates can ask for the Closure of Debate through the usual ritual of a motion. If there are no drafts
on the Dais’s desk, the Chair declares the Closure of debate to be not in order. Remember that the
Closure of the debate is the only motion that requires a higher majority than the other motions (i.e.,
equal to 2/3) and once approved, it involves the entry in a new final phase of the simulation: the voting
procedures. This step is critical for the Committee work and can have a great strategic utility. If the
Closure of debate is approved, all Working Papers (that still have not received an alphanumeric code by
the Director) will be immediately rejected. During the voting procedures all delegates will vote the Draft
Resolutions produced in various Committees. If a Draft Resolution is approved, it becomes an official
Resolution of the United Nations. Please remember that there is no maximum number of Resolutions
that the Board may approve. This phase of work is characterized by two fundamental aspects:
All the motions previously described cannot find any application. Since the motions are related
to the debate, they have run their function out. For the same reason no delegate can read
their own speech.
Decorum has stricter characteristics. No delegate must speak except for expressing their voting
in the prescribed form; the exchange of notes between delegates is not permitted and, whoever
leaves the Conference room can no longer come back until the voting procedures are
completed; for these reasons, the Chair frequently suggests a final Unmoderated or
Moderated Caucus to allow delegates to discuss before voting.
4.1. AMENDMENTS
The Amendments are the only means through which delegates can change their own Draft Resolutions
before the vote. During the last Caucus before the voting procedure, it is therefore possible for
delegates to come closer to the Dais and propose (on a sheet of paper) an amendment. Thanks to this
tool all delegates are able to ask to edit, add, and remove a word or phrases of a Draft Resolution. The
o n l y amendments allowed are:
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Friendly: These amendments which are intended to clarify the meaning of one or more operative clauses
without altering the substantive meaning. They must be accepted by all the sponsors of the Draft
Resolution and they are incorporated in it without a vote. Concretely speaking, such amendments are
proposed during the Caucus orally requiring the sponsors to change some words of one or more
operative clauses. If it is approved, the modification takes place. Otherwise no modification occurs.
4.2. PRESENTATION OF THE DRAFT RESOLUTIONS Once delegates have entered the voting procedures, the Rapporteurs will project the Draft Resolutions
(all committees apart the Security Council) to the entire Committee. The Chair will give the possibility to
all sponsors to present their Draft Resolution and to answer the questions of the Committee, in particular
7 minutes per Draft Resolution (i.e 2minutes for the presentation and 5 minutes for the Q&A). It is not
unusual that the Chair, in case there is more time left, allows some extra time for each presentation. All
this is temporally Moderated by the Chair. Needless to say, the qualities of a leader should spring in
such moments: the leader is the one who presents the Draft Resolution, written after days of hard work,
can answer to any questions coming from the audience and, at the same time, puts forth the solutions
proposed answering to the delegates’ questions and observations.
Once the presentation time is over the Committee moves to voting the draft resolution just presented.
4.3. VOTING
In this phase, delegates express their approval or not on each Draft Resolution which has been drawn up
by each coalition and whether it can be an official Resolution of the United Nations. It is necessary that a
Draft Resolution reaches at least 50% + 1 of the votes. Otherwise it will be tabled. There are three different
ways to vote:
Raising Placard: Represents the standard demonstration of the vote and the committee proceeds
with no motions which can change the voting method (Standard Procedure)
Roll Call: The committee proceeds to vote by Roll Call only if a delegate requires it. In this case, the
motion does not require a vote but, depending on the time left before the closing ceremony, the
Chairman can decide to accept or not the motion. The Rapporteur will proceed to call all countries
represented in the Committee and they will express their vote one by one respectively answering in favor,
against or abstain. The abstention is not a negative vote but it will lower the quorum. This procedure is
quite long but it makes the vote to more noticeable, and therefore it will be easier for the sponsors to
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verify the behavior and of its signatories. The signatories do not have any obligation to vote for the Draft
Resolutions previously signed.
Consensus: The committee adopts this method of voting in the hypothesis that the Draft Resolution
under consideration is shared and approved by all the members without voting. The Draft Resolution will
become a Resolution by acclamation. Once a Draft Resolution by acclamation is approved, the committee
keeps proceeding to vote following the alphanumeric code.
When the work is completed, one of all delegates has the honor to raise the placard after the usual
invitation of the Chair and to propose the adjournment of the meeting to the next year.