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Delegate’s

Guide

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Contents

What is the Model United Nations……………………………………………………………………………………….. 3

Acronyms……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5

Glossary…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………6

Participants in the Model United Nations……………………………………………………………………………..10

Preparation for the conference…………………………………………………………………………………………….10

Research on countries…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Research on an Organization………………………………………………………………………………………

Research on conference topics……………………………………………………………………………………

Resolution…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….12

How to write a resolution?..............................................................................................

Operative and Perambulatory clauses………………………………………………………………………..

A Sample Resolution……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Position Paper………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………19

How to write a position Paper…………………………………………………………………………………….

Sample ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

Opening speech……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………21

How to write an Amendment………………………………………………………………………………………………22

Debate………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..23

How debate works……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Tips ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Lobbying and Merging………………………………………………………………………………………………………..23

Motions and Points…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….24

Yielding………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………24

Attire………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….25

Resources…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..26

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What is the Model United Nations?

Security Council The main concern of the Security Council is to maintain international peace and security. The

establishment of peacekeeping operations, international sanctions, and the authorization of

military actions are the main issues addressed in this forum, outlined by the UN.

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ECOSOC

ECOSOC is concerned with the economy, social, and environmental challenges of the world. It

represents 54 member countries. The ECOSOC serves as the central forum for discussing

international economic and social issues, and for formulating policy recommendations addressed

to member states and the United Nations system.

Human Rights commission

HRC is an inter-governmental body within the UN responsible for strengthening, promoting and

the protection of human rights violations and make recommendations on them. It has the ability

to discuss all human rights issues and the situations that requires its attention throughout the

year.

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Acronyms

AOSIS Alliance of Small Island States

CSO Civil society organizations

ECOSOC Economic and Social Council

FAO Food and Agriculture Organization

G77 Group of 77

GA General Assembly

GRULAC Latin American and Caribbean Group

ICJ International Court of Justice

IGO Intergovernmental organization

ILO International Labour Organization

IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature

LMDG Like Minded Mega-Diverse Group

MUN Model United Nations

NAM Non-Aligned Movement

NCCA National Collegiate Conference Association

NGO Non-governmental organization

NMUN National Model United Nations

OPCW Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

OPEC Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

PGA President of the General Assembly

SAPF Specialized Agencies, Programs and Funds

SEED Sustainable Environmental Education Development

SC Security Council

SG Secretary-General

UN United Nations

UNBISNET United Nations Bibliographic Information System

UNITAR United Nations Institute for Training and Research

UNODS United Nations Official Documents System

WEOG Western Europe and Others Group

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Glossary

Abstention A vote during the voting process; to abstain is

to be considered as not voting. An abstention

does contribute to the passage of a draft

resolution/report segment. Note: Member

States may only abstain if they are “Present”

during formal roll call. Example: A draft

resolution that received 30 votes in favor, 10

votes against, and 40 abstentions would still

pass due to a larger number of votes in favor,

as compared to votes against.

Appeal of the Chair A motion to challenge the decision of the

Chair and refers to a specific NMUN rule.

Chair Persons who are in charge of leading the

committee’s formal debate in accordance to

the NMUN Rules of Procedure.

Economic and Social Council The Economic and Social Council is the

principal organ of the UN responsible for the

economic and social work of the organization.

Explanation of Vote Allows a sponsor of a draft resolution/report

segment to explain why they voted against the

draft resolution/report segment after it had

been amended or changed by a division of the

question

Friendly Amendments Amendments proposed by ALL the sponsors

of a draft resolution; once approved by the

Dais these amendments are automatically

included in the draft resolution

General Assembly The main deliberative organ of the UN system,

comprised of all Member States of the UN.

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Majority Vote A threshold at which many motions pass. A

motion passes with majority vote if more

people vote yes than vote no (in the case of

substantive votes, ignore abstentions). To

determine if something passes, compare yes

votes to no votes only. Tie votes fail.

Model United Nations Educational conferences that simulate the

purpose and practices of the UN.

Motion A request to do something during formal

debate; motions are voted on by the body (see

below). Procedural: all members of the

committee vote; Substantive: only Member

States vote.

Motion Out of Order An incorrect (non-NMUN) motion or a

motion used at the incorrect time during the

conference.

National Model United Nations An experiential education program in which

groups of students are organized as

delegations and are assigned to play the role

of Member States of the UN.

Non-governmental organization NGOs, also known as civil society

organizations or CSOs, are nonprofit groups

independent from governments. Normally

organized around specific issues, NGOs

deliver a variety of public and humanitarian

services.

Operative Clauses Proposes a new measure(s) and/or an

extension of an existing measure(s), which

has not already been outlined in a previous

resolution.

Point of Order Corrects an error in procedure and refers to an

NMUN specific rule.

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Perambulatory Clause Sets up historical context and relevant

international law for a resolution, which

justifies future action.

Present Establishes a delegation as present in the

committee, with the opportunity to abstain

during substantive votes.

Present and Voting Establishes a delegation as present in the

committee. There is no opportunity to abstain

during substantive votes; delegations must

vote “yes” or “no.”

Principal Organs Principal Organs are established pursuant to

the Charter of the United Nations. There are

six principal organs of the UN: the General

Assembly (Art. 9), the Security Council (Art.

23), the Economic and Social Council (Art.

61), the Trusteeship Council (Art. 86), the

International Court of Justice (Art. 92), and

the Secretariat (Art. 97). Each organ

maintains its own area of responsibility from

international peace and security (Security

Council) to human rights and economic

affairs (ECOSOC). The only organ that is

currently inactive is the Trusteeship Council.

Programs and Funds Programs and Funds are established pursuant

to Article 22 of the Charter of the United

Nations in order to meet needs not envisaged

in the founding of the UN, such as addressing

the needs of Palestinian refugees,

development assistance, food aid, or the

environment. They are subordinate to the UN,

but since they are immediately controlled by

distinct inter-governmental bodies and are

financed through voluntary contributions

rather than assessed contributions.

Proposal In the NMUN Rules of Procedure, “proposal” means any

working paper, draft resolution or draft report segment, an

amendment thereto, or a portion of a draft resolution or draft

report segment divided out by motion.

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Related Organizations Related organizations are not officially part of

the UN, but their support and cooperation is

outlined by special arrangement. Related

organization's all have their own separate

members, governing bodies, executive heads,

and secretariats.

Right of Reply Response to comments that have purposefully

disparaged the sovereign integrity of a

delegate’s state.

Secretariat The Directors, the Assistant Directors, the

Under-Secretaries-General, and the Assistant

Secretaries-General, are designates and agents

of the Secretary-General and Deputy

Secretary General, and are collectively

referred to as the “Secretariat.”

Secretary-General Member of the NMUN Secretariat. Chief

administrative officer of the Conference.

Security Council The Security Council is the primary organ of

the UN mandated to maintain international

peace and security.

Signatories Member States/NGOs or Observers who are

interested in bringing the working paper

forward for consideration of the committee.

Note: a combination of 20% sponsors and

signatories or five—whichever is greater—is

required for all working papers to become

draft resolutions/report segments.

Specialized Agencies Specialized Agencies are established pursuant to Article 57

and 63 of the Charter of the United Nations. There are

currently more than 14 Specialized Agencies that have an

agreement with the UN that work under the auspices of

ECOSOC. Each agency has a separate function it carries out

on behalf of the UN; they have their own principles, goals,

and rules. In addition, they are autonomous insofar as they

control their own budgets and have their own governance

structure.

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United Nations An intergovernmental organization

established in 1945, designed to promote

international cooperation.

Participants in the model united nations:

Secretary General: Chief Administrator of the conference and final arbiter in all disputes.

Assistant Secretary General: Assists Secretary General in the smooth running of the Conference.

Chairperson: Chairs Commissions.

Head of Delegation: is the leader among the group representing a country.

Delegates: are students representing countries at the Conference.

Delegation: is a group of usually 4 students representing one country at the conference.

Secretaries: those who help the Chairperson in commissions and the General Assembly.

Security Guards: those who ensure security during the Conference.

Press Officers: Those who gather information and help in the publication of the MUN journal

that gives an account of the day’s work.

Preparation for the conference:

Research on your country:

Country Profile

Part I. Answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

Physical Geography

Cultural Geography

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Political Geography

Economic Geography

1. What is your country’s official name?

2. What region of the world is your country located in?

3. How big is your country in square miles?

4. Who are your country’s neighbors?

5. How would you describe your country’s physical features and climate?

6. How many people live in your country?

7. What is your country’s ethnic composition?

8. What is your country’s official language? What other languages are spoken in your

country?

9. What is your country’s capital? What are some of its major cities?

10. How would you describe the quality of life for the average person living in your country?

11. When was your country founded?

12. What type of government does your country have?

13. Who are some of your country’s leaders?

14. How many people serve in your country’s military?

15. Who are your country’s allies? Who are your country’s enemies?

16. What is your country’s total gross domestic product (GDP)?

17. What are some of your country’s natural resources?

18. What is your country’s currency?

19. What are your country’s major exports and imports?

20. Who are your country’s biggest trading partners?

Part II. Prepare a brief presentation that answers the following the questions.

How do you say “Hello!” in the official language of your country?

Briefly describe the history of your country.

Name one major difference between this country and the United States. What is one important

problem facing your country?

Researching am organization:

When researching an organization, you should know the purpose of the creation of that

organization, basic information including the year it was established and the location of its

headquarters. You must also determine the type of the organization (NGO,IGO,and UNO).

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Research on conference topics:

When researching the topics assigned, develop an understanding of the issues that will be

debated and thoroughly read background materials on these issues.

How does the issue affect the country being represented? What is the position of the represented

country on the issue?

Resolution:

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How to write to write a resolution?

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Position Paper:

Paragraph One – Issue and Position

Utilize this paragraph to clearly outline the main problems associated

with your topic. The point of the paragraph is to provide a basic

foundation as to the current situation associated with your topic. After

generally describing the issue, give your country’s policy regarding the

issue, and state specially why your country supports that policy. Policy

statements can often be as short as stating your country supports a

certain action followed by a detailed qualification regarding this policy

decision. This section of your position paper should not exceed five to six

sentences.

Paragraph Two – Detailed Background Information

This paragraph is an opportunity for you to show the depth of your

knowledge about the past and current situations regard your topic. Be

sure to discuss:

▪ Historical origin of the problem, particularly why the problem arose ▪ How does the issue relate to the international community and why is it

of international concern ▪ Previous actions taken to try and solve the problem (if any) ▪ Successes and failures of past actions and why they succeeded or failed ▪ Problems that continue to exist or ones that have not yet been

addressed Devoting two to three sentences per item on this list should allow you to

have sufficiently discussed the topic and to set the foundations for the

final paragraph of your position paper.

Paragraph Three – Proposed Solutions Regarding the Issue

This paragraph is the one that will set your paper apart from the others.

After identifying the problems in paragraph two, utilize this paragraph to

list your solutions to all the problems you enumerated above. The quality

of your solutions could be a great determinant in the overall evaluation of

your position paper. Be sure to discuss:

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• Specific proposals regarding how to solve specific issues • How each individual proposal will be implemented, including the

feasibility • Global impact of solving the problem or implementing these solutions Mechanically, your position paper should follow the guidelines set forth

by the conference, such as margin width and font size. I would

recommend a few guidelines though to make your paper look and read

professionally. First, limit your position paper to one page, and do not

write about both topics in the same position paper. Write one position

paper for each topic, and print each position paper on its own, separate

piece of paper. Second, place a heading at the top of your paper

including your country, issue, and committee. Feel free to place a picture

of your country’s flag in the header if you so desire.

Sample Position Paper: In the past two decades the rapidly growing world trend has been toward

globalization. With the emergence of the internet as a means of

communication and the increasing accessibility of international trade

physical barriers are not the only barriers withering away. Protective

tariffs are plummeting and free trade agreements are becoming more

prevalent. Romania appreciates that globalization creates favorable

situations for expansion of commercial as well as economic assets. In the

past year Romania has seen a foreign direct investment (FDI) increase of

199%. Inward FDI increased from EURO 234 million in 2005 to EURO 699

million in 2006. However, Romania realizes that increased globalization

does not automatically produce more equality.

Globalization and Development can contribute to the advancement of the

overall international human condition; however, the delegation of

Romania recognizes that without proper regulation the potential for

advancement will remain limited to an elite few individuals, businesses,

and nations. Unless checked and aimed toward the common good,

globalization cannot effectively serve the global community. Crucial in

dealing with the complexities of globalization, good governance must act

with solidarity and responsibility. Romania believes that in involving

people in globalization we must promote moral values, democratic

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principals, inclusive global political culture, institutions that safeguard

both individual civil rights and inherent freedoms, and the common good.

In addition, coping with the influx of information from globalization

governments must act with solidarity and insight. Access to digital

education will undoubtedly result in the confidence of citizens in their

respective administrations and allow for a greater degree of

transparency, and therefore a lesser degree of corruption.

Romania believes the multinational business community has the ability

and the obligation to support pertinent values in human rights, labor

standards, and environmental preservation. As stated by the president,

Mr. Traion Basescu, Romania feels a "heartfelt attachment to

multilateralism, as an effective instrument designed to identify the

adequate answers to the challenges brought by globalization."

Romania is party to the majority of multilateral treaties and conventions

identified as such by the Secretary General in the context of the

Millennium Summit in 2001. Romania has always supported innovative and

effective ways of establishing cooperation within and between regional

organizations. As one of the newest members of the European Union,

Romania is an active member of the World Trade Organization, and looks

forward to offering its support to the redirection of globalization to best

benefit the global community.

Opening Speech:

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Role call

Resolution announced to be debated

Main submitter called to the floor

Main submitter reads operative clauses

Main submitter makes a 3 minute speech about the resolution (why

is it good?

Main submitter answers points of information (questions)

Main submitter yields the floor back to the chair or another

delegate (“I yield the floor back to the chair”)

Tips:

1. Come Prepared.

2. Maintain Diplomacy.

3. The best debater is the best listener. 4. Find a “universal principal” everyone agrees on. 5. Capture the audience’s attention. 6. Use Facts. 7. Capitalize on your strengths.

Lobbying and merging:

In lobbying and merging, you must group up with your allies

You will merge your resolutions to come up with one ready resolution on

every topic

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Motions and points:

There are different points in MUN which have different purposes

Point of personal privilege

Refers to the comfort of the delegate.

For example: “Point of personal privilege! Can you open the window?”

“Point of personal privilege! May the speaker raise their voice”

Point of order

used when there is a wrong fact stated by one of the delegates. You say

“point of order! And then correct them” after they have finished speaking!

Point of Parliamentary Enquiry

Point of information to the Chair concerning rules of procedure.

Example: “Could the Chair please explain to the house what is meant by

closed debate?”

A point CANNOT interrupt a speaker UNLESS it’s a point of personal

privilege due to audibility (voice of speaker)

“Motion to move into voting procedure”

It’s a request to stop debate and move directly into voting procedure

Delegates can agree by saying “Seconds”

It can be granted or denied by the chair

Yielding:

Delegates can only yield once consecutively. One delegate can not take the floor,

speak, then yield the floor to another delegate and then have them yield the floor to

a third delegate.

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Attire:

Formal clothing for both men and women Suit and tie for males

Formal pants/ skirt with a formal shirt for females

Resources

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http://bestdelegate.com/the-dos-and-donts-of-model-un-a-beginners-guide-to-achieving-

success/

http://www.google.jo/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBwQFjAAa

hUKEwjmv8C8pMzHAhVoWdsKHYPlCHQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nmun.org%2Fd

ownloads%2FNMUNDelegatePrepGuide.pdf&ei=A5jgVaayMeiy7QaDy6OgBw&usg=AF

QjCNG6BU-_b6EkSuw749OFUD7gvKhfJA

http://www.google.jo/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CCgQFjACa

hUKEwjmv8C8pMzHAhVoWdsKHYPlCHQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nmun.org%2Fn

y_archives%2Fny13_downloads%2FDelegate_Prep_Guide2013.pdf&ei=A5jgVaayMeiy7Q

aDy6OgBw&usg=AFQjCNEkXuqpXxYuhcbKv9DoCH6C_a_vNQ

http://www.nmun.org/ny_preparations.html

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USEFUL LINKS

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