THE PSBB MILLENNIUM MUN 2014 Delegate Manual

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THE PSBB MILLENNIUM SCHOOL

1. Introduction!

2. Procedure!

3. Rules and Regulations !

1. Parliamentary Points !

4. Position Paper and Foreign Policy Statement!

5. Resolutions !

6. Clauses!

1. Pre-ambulatory!

2. Operative!

7. Rubrics!

8. Awards !

9. Resources !!

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THE PSBB MILLENNIUM SCHOOL

A Note from the Millennium MUN OC When we were first timers at the CVMUN organized by Chettinad Vidyashram, we

were quite daunted; all that research, getting that position paper done on time, exams looming over our heads and how exactly were we supposed to act all formal and not sass around when people unwittingly wronged us really did destabilize our

confidence.

Turns out, we weren’t upto the mark, mostly because we lacked confidence; doing something extremely research oriented and oratorically intensive for the very first time in front of a crowd of highly experienced orators was not an easy task. And added

to that, we were completely oblivious to the protocols and atmosphere of the conference.

For the same reason, The Organizing Committee of the Millennium Model UN is putting together this Delegate Manual, for your reference and convenience, so that

even the inexperienced may shine through.

After attending 6 Model UN Conferences in total, we now know that confidence is the key to it all. If anything good is to come out of your research, you need to have

confidence in your oratorical skills.

And this very basis led to the creation of The PSBB Millennium School’s very first Model United Nations Conference - The Millennium Model UN 2014.

This conference will be a platform to bring out the potential MUNer in you.

So get out there and put up the best stance you can muster, because after all,

You are the acting diplomats of the United Nations;

You are the pursuers of progress,

and most importantly,

You are the citizens of tomorrow!

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THE PSBB MILLENNIUM SCHOOL

INTRODUCTION !One of the most common questions we are asked is what exactly is a Model United Nations (or MUN in short).

Well, politically speaking, a MUN is a simulation of an actual UN Conference, where students play the role of delegates, forming and debating the solutions for some very realistic situations.

To a commoner, a MUN is an excellent opportunity for students interested in current affairs and building on their social skills.

Procedures in a MUN are actually really straight forward and once you get the hang of it, it really feels more sophisticated and formal.

And that’s where this manual comes in. The target audience - first timers. This manual is your bible. All rules, regulations, procedures and everything in between, it’s all here in a language easy to understand and comprehend.

So all the very best, go through this manual carefully, take a print out if required (that’s what I did for my first MUN) because this will save you time and again from sticky situations.

For additional information, you can get in contact through our mail, millenniummunoc@gmail.com or access some resources from the official website www.millenniummun.ml.

See you on 11th and 12th January!!

- Head Of World Press

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PROCEDURE !So how does a MUN work? A MUN demands that you be uber-formal and sophisticated. This is an absolute necessity. Penalties could be anything ranging from being gagged in committee to being suspended, and this could seriously affect your credits, which the moderator will be tracking.

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• ROLL CALL The Roll call begins with the moderator calling out the name of your country, and the delegates must reply, with either “Present” or “Present and Voting” instead of using casual phrases such as “yes ma’am” or “here”. The term “Present” indicates that the delegate will not vote on the resolution on the floor or rather, abstain from voting. “Present and Voting” makes it obligatory that the delegate votes.

Succeeding this, Any delegate can propose a motion to begin formal session. This marks the presentation of the Opening Speech..

• OPENING SPEECH The opening speech is a very brief speech made by a delegate regarding either one or all the agendas. Also, no points will be entertained during these speeches. The number of Point of Orders to be entertained after a certain number of speakers will be decided by the chairs of your respective committees.

NOTE: Opening speeches will be entertained only on the first day at the beginning of the session.

• SETTING OF THE AGENDA Next up is voting on your agendas, and if your committee has multiple agendas, you can choose which one will be discussed first. The delegate will assign a speaking time and give a very brief introduction on what the topic is and why it is of importance. Other delegates, if they agree, will vote for it and it should be passed with simple majority. However, it can be passed even with the Chair’s discretion.

• GENERAL SPEAKERS’ LIST The delegates who are on the speaker’s list will get to present their speeches regarding the agenda. (The delegates need to critically analyse the situation at hand and must mention what they want the committee to do through the United Nations’ resolution). This must be a GENERAL Speech on the topic. At the end of their speech, delegates can “yield” the floor to questions or comments or both. If the floor is opened to questions, other delegates can ask the speaker about certain points the delegate mentioned in the speech, or general clarifications regarding the nation’s policy. Questions do not have to be directly related to the delegate’s speech; but they must be directly related to the topic. After posing a question, the delegate who

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asked the question can request for a follow up question in case the answer was not satisfactory, or if further clarification is required. Typically about 2 to 5 questions will be entertained. Comments are generally two to three sentences about the delegate’s speech. Delegates are not ordinarily allowed to reply to comments. However, the chair may entertain a Right to Reply in case the point is particularly thought provoking.

You have to raise the right Point to be recognized by the chair in case of questions or comments. And please be accurate, crisp and concise while raising your points.

• MODERATED CAUCUS The formal session resumes and any delegate may propose a topic-which comes under the mandate of the committee (but preferably related to the agenda) - for a proposed total time period and a proposed individual speaker time.

• UN-MODERATED CAUCUS The un-moderated caucus is when the delegates will come together to draft their resolutions. During this caucus session, formal rules will not apply and delegates are free to walk around the room and speak to one another informally. The chairs may not necessarily be present in the room at all times. However, irrespective of their presence, delegates are required to maintain absolute decorum as they will be under the constant scrutiny of the moderators in charge, who will be observing their ability to display leadership skills in gathering support for resolutions, and framing credible ones.The time limit for un-moderated caucuses will be specified when the motion is raised by the delegate. Delegates are expected to hand in their resolutions within the specified time frame. Resolutions which fail to reach the chairperson on time may not be debated upon in the committee.

A simple majority is required for passing of a resolution. Amendments for the resolution are appreciated and will be passed with 2/3rds majority. Delegates must bear in mind that the final approval of the resolution is solely the discretion of the respective chairs of each committee.

!*Un-Moderated and Moderated Caucus can be interchanged in the order of events in case all speakers on GSL have not completed their speeches.

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RULES AND REGULATIONS A MUN really requires you to be as diplomatic and formal as humanly possible. So language and behaviour really needs to be brief and formal. Here are some general tips –

• We mention it time and again- FORMAL LANGUAGE is an absolute must and delegates may even be suspended for using informal or inappropriate language.

• Usage of personal pronouns are STRICTLY forbidden during session. This implies that no offhand phrases such as “I got a question for you man.” or the like may be used. If the delegate wishes to refer to himself/herself or others, he/she must strictly use -“the Delegate of (country)” or just “the Delegate.”

• When any Chair, Moderator, Head, or Dignitary enters your committee, your Chair is likely to say “Rise for __________”. When this happens, you are expected to, very simply, raise your placards.

• Attire during the conference is strictly formal. You are NOT permitted to wear jeans and sneakers. It’s either Western or Indian formals.

Boys are expected to wear a formal shirt with formal trousers. Ties and blazers are optional.

Girls are expected to wear a formal blouse with a formal skirt (or) formal pants; or a formal dress. If you are wearing a skirt or dress, it’s not mandatory, but obligatory to wear stockings and if you are wearing sleeveless, you are expected to wear a formal jacket.

Indian formals include kurtas, veshtis, pyjamas (for boys) and sarees or salwars (for girls). Yet again, jeans are not permitted.

• Electronic gadgets are allowed, HOWEVER, the usage of internet is STRICTLY PROHIBITED during Formal session.

• DO NOT make eye contact with any other delegate in the committee. That calls for a couplet:

Look  at  the  ground,  look  at  the  sky  

Anywhere  but  the  delegate’s  eye.  

• Chit (or Note) passing is almost always in order (But beware, we are like the NSA to your Russia. If you get this… you might just be the best delegate).

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Parliamentary Points !POINT OF INFORMATION After a speaker has finished a speech about a resolution, a clause, or an amendment, she/he may open the floor to questions and comments. Any and all questions and comments directed towards the delegate must be raised in the form of a Point of Information. You must raise your placard and get recognized by the board before speaking.

RIGHT TO REPLY It is raised if the delegate feels that his or her personal or national integrity has been compromised or insulted.

POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE Point of personal privilege refers to personal comfort. You have the right to request this point if you cannot hear another delegate or the chair, or did not receive one or multiple materials. This point should not deliberately be used to interrupt another delegate’s speech. If you feel the need for this point, you may raise your placard at any time of the conference; however, you may not speak until recognized by the chair. Any points such as a request to visit the restroom or permission for a water break must be requested through a note to the chair.

POINT OF ORDER A point of order is raised when one recognises a Factual Inaccuracy or a Foreign Policy Violation. You may raise this point at any point of time another delegate’s speech and must merely QUOTE the incorrect fact(s) from the delegate’s speech.

POINT OF PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE/ POINT OF INQUIRY If you are unsure of a rule or procedure, you can request an explanation from the chair, but this does consume debate time, so it is strongly recommended that such enquiries be made via a note to the chair.

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FOREIGN POLICY STATEMENT (POSITION PAPER) !It is held in general view that perhaps the compilation of the Foreign Policy Statement (FPS) is the most challenging thing about a MUN. Albeit, as hard as it may seem, it is merely a matter of good research and will be supportive and elementary throughout the Conference.

An FPS should include:

i. Your country’s policies with respect to the issue and your countries justification for these policies;

ii. Quotes from your country’s leaders about the issue;

iii. Statistics to back up your country’s position on the issue;

iv. Actions taken by your government with regard to the issue;

v. UN Conventions and resolutions that your country has signed or ratified;

vi. UN actions that your country supported or opposed;

vii. What your country would like to accomplish in the committee’s resolution.

!• Do not forget, you are marked even for your FPS.

• Last date of submission: 6th January 2014

• Send your FPS to the respective committee emails

Security Council - millenniummunsc@gmail.com

DISEC - millennenniummundisec@gmail.com

UNEP - millenniummununep@gmail.com

HRC - millenniummunhrc@gmail.com

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Sample FPS !Committee: Disarmament and International Security Committee

Topic: The security concerns regarding arms transfers, with conflict states and non-state actors, with special reference to Nuclear Proliferation.

Country: Argentine Republic (Argentina)

Delegate: name xyz (school abc)

Arms trafficking, as the name suggests, is the contraband of weapons and ammunition. Although arms’ trafficking is predominantly seen in countries facing political turmoil, it is most definitely not restricted to these areas. Arms’ trafficking, for obvious reasons, poses a great threat to the civilian security of any country. Apart from security reasons, it may even be the cause of political pandemonium. These weapons are used as a means of violating human rights, including jeopardizing the peace of a nation, in particular, through the resurgence of crime and armed gangs as well as road blockers and mercenaries; Small arms and light weapons are also at the root of a new wave of crisis and conflicts that compromise any prospect of peace and security.

The growing availability of arms has been a major factor in the increase in the number of conflicts, and in hindering smoother rebuilding and development after a conflict has ended. It is estimated, for example, that there are around half a billion military small arms around the world; Some 300,000 to half a million people around the world are killed by them each year; They are the major cause of civilian casualties in modern conflicts.

The illicit trade in arms and ammunition delivers a global supply of weapons and ammunition to the demand of rogue state and non-state actors. Trade also takes place when a state sells arms to the rebels of another, thus improving their own economic status. While arms do not create conflict, they increase the intensity of violent conflict. The illicit trafficking of small arms contributes to irregular conflicts in the Middle East, a region of persistent conflict and instability. The international community has attempted to regulate the global supply of small arms through non-binding agreement and embargoes, but these efforts have been ineffective in achieving the goal of preventing the flow of weapons to criminal organizations, terrorists, and other de-stabilizing non-state actors.

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Now, with nuclear weapons in the picture, the world has become a more formidable one.

Although Argentina has never produced or used any nuclear missiles from the 1960-1970’s, the country’s uranium-based missile and its ballistic missile program were a source of international concern. This concern was mainly based on the stated intention of the Argentine government to build nuclear weapons and to proliferate missile technologies to other countries. Moreover, Argentina refused to join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) until February 1995, and its nuclear facilities were not covered by any safeguards agreement in the 1960s and 1970s.

But when the authoritarian rule ended in 1970, the nuclear programme was placed under civilian control. Under the pressure from the United States, the Argentine government began to dismantle its missile program in 1993 and joined the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), as well as various export control groups. The accession to the Treaty of Tlatelolco in 1994 and the NPT in 1995 led to further adherence to international nonproliferation norms.

The NPT is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament. The Treaty represents the only binding commitment in a multilateral treaty to the goal of disarmament by the nuclear-weapon States. Opened for signature in 1968, the Treaty entered into force in 1970.

The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) could be the solution for the illicit trade of arms. It is the first ever international treaty to regulate the trade of conventional weapons will open a door of hope to millions of people living in deprivation and fear because of the poorly controlled trade and the proliferation of these deadly weapons.

Although implementation is years away and there is no specific enforcement mechanism, the treaty would for the first time force sellers to consider how their customers will use the weapons and to make that information public. The goal is to curb the sale of weapons that kill tens of thousands of people every year.

As a sponsor and as a signatory, Argentina continues to support the ATT and works toward a more secure and safe world.

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RESOLUTIONS !Resolutions are documents written by participating delegates during caucusing (it’s an actual word). Resolutions are the ultimate results of a MUN Conference. A Resolution is a carefully drafted document consisting of well formulated solutions, keeping in mind the foreign policies of all Nations. These documents have several key concepts attached to them, which must be thoroughly understood:

• Format: A resolution follows a fixed format or pattern. It starts with the name of the submitting committee and country, and proceeds to the list of co-submitters. The resolution then moves into the pre-ambulatory clauses (which highlights the situation at hand), followed by the operative clauses ( which lists out of the actions to be taken to curb the issue ).

• Main Submitting nation: This is the nation that assumes leadership of the group that produces the resolution. The representative delegate of this nation makes the opening speech on the resolution.

• Co-Submitting nations: Member nations, other than the main-submitting nation, which participate in the formation of the resolution, form the list of co-submitting nations. Delegates can only co-submit one resolution on a particular issue.

• Signatories: Signatory nations are those who want the resolution to be discussed. A delegate may be a signatory to more than one resolution. NOTE: A resolution requires a minimum of 1/6th of the committee as signatories for the resolution to be discussed.

• Amendments: An amendment to a resolution is a change in one or more clauses in the resolution. This is proposed by a delegate so that the resolution can be made more effective. Amendments must be voted upon before the suggested changes are made to a resolution. Amendments may add new clauses, remove existing ones entirely, or alter them.

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Clauses !PRE-AMBULATORY CLAUSES These Clauses describe the recent history of the situation and the issue as it currently stands. It is the base for resolution making. Delegates must acknowledge or mention the following in their Preambulatory Clauses:

• Past United Nations actions regarding the issue, if applicable.

• Previous UN resolutions passed on the topic, if applicable. !!OPERATIVE CLAUSES They Include statements of actions to be undertaken to solve the problem at hand. Each clause is numbered and indented. Each introductory word is Capitalized and underlined .

!!Points To Remember • Be accurate in reflecting the views and policies of the country you represent

• Be crisp and concise by using language that is direct and easily comprehensible by all.

• Don’t be blatantly political in the content of the resolution; this may damage efforts to reach a consensus on the issue.

• Remember to end your resolution with ‘Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.’, if you’re in the Security Council.

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SAMPLE RESOLUTION !Main Submitters: United States of America, Russian Federation

Co-Submitters: Japan, Canada, Netherlands

Signatories: Greece, Tajikistan, Brazil, India, Denmark, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa, Indonesia

Topic: "Strengthening UN coordination of humanitarian assistance in complex emergencies”

The General Assembly,

Reminding all nations of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes the inherent dignity, equality and inalienable rights of all global citizens, [use commas to separate preambulatory clauses]

Reaffirming its Resolution 33/1996 of 25 July 1996, which encourages Governments to work with UN bodies aimed at improving the coordination and effectiveness of humanitarian assistance,

Noting with satisfaction the past efforts of various relevant UN bodies and nongovernmental organizations,

Stressing the fact that the United Nations faces significant financial obstacles and is in need of reform, particularly in the humanitarian realm,

1. Encourages all relevant agencies of the United Nations to collaborate more closely with countries at the grassroots level to enhance the carrying out of relief efforts; [use semicolons to separate operative clauses]

2. Urges member states to comply with the goals of the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs to streamline efforts of humanitarian aid;

3. Requests that all nations develop rapid deployment forces to better enhance the coordination of relief efforts of humanitarian assistance in complex emergencies;

4. Calls for the development of a United Nations Trust Fund that encourages voluntary donations from the private transnational sector to aid in funding the implementation of rapid deployment forces;

5. Stresses the continuing need for impartial and objective information on the political, economic and social situations and events of all countries;

6. Calls upon states to respond quickly and generously to consolidated appeals for humanitarian assistance; and

7. Requests the expansion of preventive actions and assurance of post-conflict assistance through reconstruction and development. [end resolutions with a period] !

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Pre-ambulatory Clauses

!Operative Clauses

*A copy of this page is highly recommended for the conference.

Acknowledging Considers Further (e.g. considers) Noting with (e.g. satisfaction)

Affirming Approving Contemplating Guided by Observing

Alarmed by Convinced Having adopted Reaffirming

Approving Deeply (e.g. concerned) Having approved Realizing

Aware of Deploring Having considered Recalling

Bearing in mind Desiring Having examined Recognizing

Believing Determined Having received Referring

Concerned Emphasizing Having reviewed Regretting

Condemns Expecting Having studied Seeking

Confident Expressing (e.g. gratitude)

Keeping in mind Stressing

Congratulates Fully (e.g. alarmed by) Noting Taking note

Affirms Declares accordingly Further reminds Requests

Approves Deplores Further requests Solemnly affirms

Authorizes Designates Has resolved Strongly condemns

Calls Draws the attention Notes Supports

Calls upon Emphasizes Proclaims Takes note of

Condemns Encourages Reaffirms Transmits

Confirms Endorses Recommends Trusts

Congratulates Further invites Regrets

Considres Further proclaims Reminds

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RUBRICS !You will be marked along the following parameters::

• Foreign Policy

• Diplomacy

• Pre-requisite knowledge regarding topics

• Negotiating skills and effectiveness

• Active participation

• Behaviour during formal session.

!AWARDS !In each committee, the following awards will be presented –

• Best Delegate - This award is handed to the best delegate in each committee.

• Best FPS - This is handed to the two best Foreign Policy Statement in each committee.

• Honorary Mentions - These are awarded to two delegates who have put up an excellent performance.

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RESOURCES !1. www.bestdelegate.com

2. www.unfoundation.org

3. www.un.org

4. www.reuters.com

5. www.cnn.com

6. www.amnesty.org

7. www.millenniummun.ml

8. www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

9. www.indexmundi.com

10.Governmental organizations’ websites

11.News networks websites

12.Model UN Application on Play-store and App store.

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