Model United Nations - Delegate Handbook - IIT (BHU)

8/18/2019 Model United Nations - Delegate Handbook - IIT (BHU)

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Delegate Handbook


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FROM THE SECRETARY GENERAL’S DESK

Dear Delegates

It gives me immense pleasure and honour to extend to you a most cordial invitation to thevery first edition of the IIT(BHU)MUN to be organized on January 25-26, 2013 in thebackdrop of the city, considered to be the knowledge capital of the world since ages,Varanasi.

The conference will put to test and simultaneously provide a golden opportunity to honeand sharpen the diplomatic and leadership skills of the delegates. Such involvement

promotes a constructive exchange of ideas and cultural networking amongst theparticipants, all the while offering them an excellent opportunity to think in a strategic andanalytical manner as well as to solve key problems of the human race with creative andbold ideas.

In this first edition of the IIT(BHU)MUN, we put forward 4 committees viz. General Assembly, UNICEF, UNAIDS and the Security Council, which would be involved in somefast paced and cutting edge discussions and dialogues leading to a greater understandingand some plausible solutions to the issues that ‘WE’ as a global community face today.

I, on the behalf of the organizing committee of the IIT(BHU)MUN, promise that the

conference would challenge delegates to be their very best, keeping them on their toes atall times. But this doesn’t mean that the IIT(BHU)MUN is all about the verbal tussles, thepoints and the counterpoints, there is more to it than just the global issues. This is a verynice time to visit Banaras, from the misty sunrises to the pristine sunsets by the banks ofthe holy river Ganges, there is a lot in store in the oldest living city of the world, for you toexplore.

I, in the capacity of the Secretary General of the IIT(BHU)MUN, once again welcome youall with an endeavour and belief, that this goes down as one of the most memorableexperiences of your life, both on and off the record.

On behalf of the IITBHUMUN Secretariat and the organizing team,

Warm regards

Ankur VyasSecretary GeneralIIT(BHU)MUN 2013Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi


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INTRODUCTION

Ever since the time the Mahajanapad of Kashi, the cultural capital of the world’s biggestdemocracy has been witness to diplomacy of varied levels at the zenith of governance.2k13 would be seeing the return of such times. With the celebration of the life and times ofone of the pioneers of democratic development and our visionary founder, Mahamana Pt.Madan Mohan Malviya, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi proudly presentsthe First Edition of IIT-BHU MUN to celebrate his 150th birth anniversary.

Model United Nations (also Model UN or MUN) is an academic simulation of the UnitedNations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in internationalrelations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda. The participants role-play as

diplomats representing a nation or NGO in a simulated session of a committee of theUnited Nations. Participants research a country, take on roles as diplomats, investigateinternational issues, debate, deliberate, consult, and then develop solutions to worldproblems. More recently, simulation of other deliberative bodies, such as the UnitedNations Security Council, has been included in Model United Nations, even if they arecompletely unrelated to the UN or international affairs as a whole.

Being a confluence of not just great thinkers, an MUN would definitely witness theoutcome of a whole new dimension of thought process and development of ideas to tackleglobal challenges. Being held in conjunction with Kashiyatra’13, this is the ideal platform tobring out the diplomat in you. Come join us, witness this spectacle and enjoy all that this

city has to offer!

The committees that will be simulated during IIT (BHU) MUN are:1. GENERAL ASSEMBLY:-

a. DISEC: Agenda - Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty

b. SOCHUM: Agenda - Elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and relatedintolerance

c. WTO: Agenda – Movement to free or freer trade in specific sectors.

2. UNICEF:- Agenda - Violence against Children in South Asia

3. UNAIDS:- Agenda - TB and AIDS (Co-infection)

4. SECURITY COUNCIL:- Agenda - Children and Armed Conflict


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RULES OF PROCEDURE

RULE 1 – THE SECRETARIATThe Secretary General, or any person acting on their behalf, may make written or oralstatements to committees and interpret the Rules accordingly.

RULE 2 – COMMITTEE PRESIDENTS & HEAD CHAIRSCommittee Presidents shall have powers to act as adjudicator on disputes of the Rules ifsuch arises within their relevant committee. They shall be vested with the other powersdetailed in these Rules, which are not granted to the Head Chair. If a Committee Presidentsits as a chair they will adopt the role of Head Chair with their powers of adjudication and

other powers being vested in the Secretary

General.Head Chairs shall have general powers to conduct, open and adjourn sessions and ensurethat discussion moves towards consensus. Head Chairs can, at their discretion, transferduties concerning the committee to other chairs or any member of the Secretariat, exceptthe Secretary General, Deputy Conference Secretaries or Logistics Officers. All chairs areanswerable to their respective Committee President.

RULE 3 – LANGUAGEEnglish is the official language of the conference. No delegate may address another duringa committee session or submit a document in any other language than English.

RULE 4 – POWER OF APPEAL & ARBITRATION A delegate may appeal any decision of the chairing staff unless otherwise stated in theRules in the form of a motion to appeal the decision of the chair. This motion requires asecond. The committee will move directly to vote on the motion and a two-thirds majority of‘No’ votes is required to overrule the chair’s decision. A decision of a Chair is appealed to the respective Committee President. A decision of aCommittee President is appealed to the Secretary General. Any decision of the SecretaryGeneral cannot be appealed.

RULE 5 – CONFERENCE ETIQUETTEDelegates shall be courteous to other delegates, the Secretariat, all chairing staff and theprofessional staff of the venue. They shall present themselves in formal business attire.The chairing staff must call to order any delegate who fails to comply with this rule. TheSecretary General may expel any delegate for failing to adhere to this rule.

RULE 6 – ATTENDANCE AND QUORUM At the beginning of the opening session, and other sessions at the discretion of thechairing staff, the Committee President or Head Chair will call on Members and Observersin English alphabetical order to state their attendance. Members will reply ‘present’ orpresent and voting’, where ‘present and voting’ means the Member cannot abstain on thesubstantive vote.


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The Committee President or Head Chair may declare a session open and permit debatewhen at least one third of the committee is present. The presence of a majority of thoseMembers in attendance at the opening session shall be required for any decision on the

substantive question to be taken. A quorum will be assumed to be present unlessspecifically challenged and shown to be absent by a roll call.

RULE 7 – SETTING THE AGENDA A motion to set the agenda is in order as the first motion during the opening session oronce debate on other items is complete. The delegate making the motion to set theagenda will state the item to be debated first. This motion requires a second. A speakers’list will be established to discuss the motion. On closure of debate, the committee willmove directly to vote. A simple majority is required. If the motion fails, the committee willautomatically adopt the alternate agenda item for debate

A motion to proceed to the alternate Topic Area is in order only after the passage of amotion to close debate. A motion to proceed to the second agenda item after a resolutionhas failed requires a second and is debatable to the extent of one speaker in favour andone against. This motion requires a two-thirds majority of members to pass. All motions forcaucuses shall be ruled dilatory during the consideration of the Agenda. Also, delegatesmay only yield their time to the Chair.

RULE 8 – SPEAKERS’ LIST After the agenda has been determined, one continuously open speakers’ list will beestablished (called the General Speakers List) for the purpose of general debate of theagenda item under consideration. The speakers’ list will be followed for all debate on theagenda item, except when superseded by procedural motions or debate on amendments.Speakers may speak generally on the agenda item being considered and may discuss anydraft resolution or working paper currently on the floor. Separate speakers’ lists will beestablished as needed for procedural motions and debate on amendments.

Any delegate may add its name to the speakers’ list by submitting a request in writing tothe chairing staff or by raising their placards when asked. Once the end of a speakers’ listhas been reached, debate is considered automatically closed and a vote must be taken on

the agenda topic under discussion at that time.

RULE 9 – TIME LIMITSThe minimum individual speakers’ time will be thirty seconds. The maximum individualspeakers’ time will be three minutes. The chairing staff shall have discretion to set thespeakers’ time at the start of debate. If a delegate objects to the time limit proposed by thechairing staff they can put forward their suggestion for a speakers’ time and a vote will betaken on all competing time limits with a simple majority needed to pass.

CAUCUS TIME LIMITS--No caucus shall last for more than a total of twenty minutes. No

caucus may be extended to last more than twenty minutes.


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RULE 10 – CAUCUSESUNMODERATED CAUCUS- A motion to enter an unmoderated caucus is in order at anytime when the floor is open. The delegate proposing the motion must briefly explain itspurpose and specify a time limit for the caucus. A simple majority of members is requiredfor passage. Once the caucus time limit has elapsed, a motion to extend may beconsidered in order at the discretion of the chairing staff. The decision on extension cannot

be appealed.

MODERATED CAUCUS- A motion to enter a moderated caucus is in order at any timewhen the floor is open. The delegate proposing the motion must briefly explain its purposeand specify a time limit for the caucus and a time limit for individual speeches. A simplemajority of Members is required for passage. Once the caucus time limit has elapsed, amotion to extend may be considered in order at the discretion of the chairing staff. Thedecision on extension cannot be appealed.

RULE 11 – CLOSURE OF DEBATE

A motion to close debate can be proposed on the item currently under discussion at anytime when it is in order and the floor is open. If closed, debate ends and the committeemust vote on the matter currently under consideration. A second is required. Permission tospeak may only be granted to two delegates opposing the closure, after which the motionshall be put to a vote. Closure of debate shall require a two-thirds majority.

RULE 12 – YIELDS A delegate granted the right to speak in general debate might yield, at the conclusion oftheir speech, in one of three ways:

(i) Yield the remaining time available to them to another delegate whocannot subsequently yield to another delegate.

(ii) Yield to points of information. The chairing staff may select anappropriate number of questioners and may call to order any delegate,whose question is rhetorical, leading and/or not designed to elicitinformation. Follow-up questions will not be permitted. Answers toquestions will be deducted from the speaker’s remaining time.

(iii) Yield to the chairing staff. This is if the delegate does not wish to useeither of the other methods to yield. A delegate must yield to the chairingstaff if their time has run out. After a yield to the chairing staff, the nextspeaker on the speakers’ list will be invited to speak.

RULE 13 – RIGHT OF REPLY A delegate whose national honour or integrity has been insulted by another delegate mayrequest a right of reply. This may not be used to correct a perceived inaccuracy in aspeech. The chairing staff shall have discretion to grant the reply. This decision is not opento appeal. The chairing staff shall determine an appropriate time limit for the reply. A rightof reply to a right of reply is out of order.

RULE 14 – POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGEWhenever a delegate experiences personal discomfort, which impairs their ability to

participate, they may rise to a point of personal privilege. A delegate may only interrupt thespeaker with such a point in reference to audibility or in exceptional circumstances.


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RULE 15 – POINT OF ORDER A delegate may rise to a point of order to indicate an instance of improper parliamentaryprocedure. A delegate may not, in rising to such a point, speak on the substance of thematter under discussion. The chairing staff, in accordance with the Rules, will immediatelyrule upon the point. Points can be ruled dilatory or improper and this decision is not subject

to appeal. Points of order may not interrupt the speaker. The chairing staff may raisequestions of order at the conclusion of speech at their discretion.

RULE 16 – POINT OF PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY A delegate may rise to a point of parliamentary inquiry to ask for clarification regarding therules. A point of parliamentary inquiry shall not relate to a substantial issue underdiscussion and must never interrupt a speaker. The Committee Chair is the ultimateauthority on points of parliamentary inquiry.

RULE 17 – WORKING PAPERSDelegates may propose working papers for consideration that are intended to aiddiscussion, need not be written in resolution format and do not need additional sponsors.Working papers require the approval of the chairing staff to be copied and distributed.

RULE 18 – DRAFT RESOLUTIONS A draft resolution may be introduced when it receives the approval of the chairing staff andis sponsored by twenty percent of Members present. Sponsoring a draft resolution doesnot indicate support of the draft resolution nor creates obligations or ownership of the draftresolution. Once a draft resolution has been approved, copied and distributed, and theagenda has been set, a delegate may propose a motion to introduce a draft resolution. Animmediate vote is taken, with a simple majority required for introduction. Followingagreement to introduce the draft resolution, the operative clauses are read out loud. Morethan one draft resolution may be on the floor at any one time, but only one resolution maybe passed per agenda item.

RULE 19 – AMENDMENTS An amendment is a proposal that adds to, deletes from or revises part of a draft resolution.

Delegates may amend any draft resolution that has been introduced. Amendments mustbe submitted in writing, approved by the chairing staff and require sponsorship of no lessthan one-eighth of Members. A delegate may motion to introduce an amendment when thefloor is open. A vote will be immediately taken, requiring a simple majority to pass. Uponsuccessful introduction of an amendment, a new speakers’ list established for and againstthe amendment. Amendments to amendments and amendments to clauses within the preamble of a draftresolution are out of order. An amended part of a resolution may be further amended. Amotion to close debate will be in order once the committee has heard at least twospeakers for and two speakers against the amendment. Once debate is closed on theamendment, the committee will move to an immediate vote. A passed amendment shall be

treated as an integral part of the draft resolution under debate.


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The chairing staff may call for drafting (‘friendly’) amendments at their discretion. Thechairing staff can initiate such amendments either when a draft resolution or a newamendment is introduced. ‘Friendly’ amendments merely alter the spelling, grammar orformat of the draft resolution or amendment and not alter its substance.

RULE 20 – VOTING AND VOTING RIGHTS A simple major ity requires a greater number of ‘yes’ votes than ‘no’ votes. A tie will fail. Atwo-thirds majority requires at least twice as many ‘yes’ votes as ‘no’ votes. Unlessspecified otherwise in the Rules, decisions of the Committee shall be made by a majorityof the Members. A vote may be considered by the Committee President, if not sitting as achair, on the recommendation of the Head Chair as a ‘key question’. A vote may beconsidered by the Secretary-General on the recommendation of the Committee President,if sitting as a chair, an ‘important question’.

Votes identified as such require a two-thirds majority for passage. Only full Members of acommittee may vote on both procedural and substantive matters. Voting will be by a show

of placards, except where the chairing staff has authorised otherwise or a motion callingfor a roll call vote, as defined in Rule 23(b), has been passed by a simple majority ofMembers. If two or more proposals relate to the same question, they shall, unlessdetermined by a motion to postpone debate, be voted on in the order in which they weresubmitted.

A roll call vote shall be taken in English alphabetical order of the Members. Members willrespond ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘abstain’ or ‘pass’. Members who respond ‘pass’ must respond either‘yes’ or ‘no’ when asked a second time once the roll call has finished. No Member orObserver may register a vote of ‘no with rights’ or be asked to explain their vote.

SECURITY COUNCIL VOTING RULES- All procedural motions requir e at least 9 ‘yes’votes with no procedural motion failing if a Permanent Member votes ‘no’. All substantivemotions require at least 9 ‘yes’ votes and that no Permanent Member of the Council votes‘no’. The ‘veto’ power of a Permanent Member is only applicable to substantive votes. Allvotes within the Security Council must be in accordance with Article 27 of the Charter.

VOTING RIGHTS: All committee members, including observers, shall have one vote onprocedural motions including votes on amendments. There can be no abstentions onprocedural matters. The only substantive question concerns the adoption of resolutions,where only full Members may vote. Each vote may be a ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘abstain’ unless a

Member has registered as ‘present and voting’ under Rule 7. A point of order or a point ofpersonal privilege may interrupt voting procedures and must relate to the actual votingprocedure.

RULE 21 – DIVISION OF THE QUESTION

After debate on any resolution has been closed, a delegate may move that the operativeclauses be voted on separately. The Preamble and sub-operative clauses may not beseparated in a division of the question. If there are calls for multiple divisions, they shall bevoted upon in an order to be set at the discretion of the chairing staff. A motion to divide

the question requires a second and shall be voted upon, requiring a simple majority topass. Permission to speak on the motion for division shall be given only to two speakers in


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favour and two against. If the motion is accepted, the resolution will be divided accordingly,and a separate procedural vote will be taken on each divided part to determine whether ornot it is included in the final draft. Parts of the resolution that are subsequently passed willbe recombined into a final document and then put to a substantive vote.

RULE 22 – COMMITTEE COMPETENCE

A motion to question the competence of the committee to discuss a resolution or anamendment is in order only immediately after the draft resolution or amendment has beenintroduced. The motion requires a two-thirds majority to pass and is debatable to theextent of one speaker for and one against.

RULE 23 – ORDER OF PRECEDENCE FOR POINTS AND MOTIONS

The order of precedence shall run as follows and shall not be open to challenge by any

committee or Secretariat member:

a) Point of Personal Privilegeb) Point of Orderc) Point of Parliamentary Inquiryd) Motion to Set the Agendae) Motion to Appeal the Decision of the Chairf) Motion of No Competenceg) Motion to Close Debateh) Motion to Enter an Unmoderated Caucusi) Motion to Enter a Moderated Caucus j) Motion to Postpone Debate (Motion to Table Resolutions)k) Motion to Divide the Questionl) Motion for a Roll Call Vote


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EXECUTIVESSECRETARIAT:

Secretary General : Ankur VyasDeputy Secretary General : Pranay BansalChief of Staff : Tanmay Sharma

Under SecretariesCommittees : Parth DadhaniaCommunications : Achintya K V SPublic Relations : Rittic KashyapInternational Press : Vyom Vats

COMMITTEE CHAIRS:

General Assembly : Vishwam Jindal, Aparna Dubey

UN Security Council : Punyashlok Dwibedy, Mukul Bhatia

UNAIDS : Sanchit Saini, Lavni Kashyap

UNICEF : Shrey Rai, Kanishk Singh

ORGANIZING TEAMCO-ORDINATORS : Tanmay Sharma

Ankit MaheshwariBharat Kumar

MEMBERS : Amrita Singh Archana SharmaDebasmita Mukherjee Deeksha SengarJuhi Chaplot Sweta Suman Aayush Ankit Abhilash DhalNiresh Jain Ashray KumarChayan Kothari Harsh ParmarManav Sohal Rajat SharmaVenkatavaradan Sunderarajan Vishesh Jain


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CONFERENCE SCHDEULE

Venue : ABLT Complex, Near Administrative Office

Timings :

Day 1 : Friday, January 25, 2013Registration* : 0800 – 0900 hrsInauguration : 0900 – 1000 hrsFirst Session : 1000 – 1300 hrsLunch Break : 1300 – 1400 hrs

Second Session : 1400 – 1700 hrs

Day 2 : Saturday, January 26, 2013Third Session : 0900 – 1230 hrsLunch : 1230 – 1330 hrsFourthSession : 1330 – 1600 hrsClosing Ceremony : 1600 – 1700 hrs

* Photo ID proof required (college ID / driving license / passport)

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Website: www.mun.kashiyatra.in

E-mail: [email protected]

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Model United Nations - Delegate Handbook - IIT (BHU)

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