COBIS MUN Rules of Procedure

RULES OF PROCEDURE Committee Proceedings Conduct during Committee Sessions Delegates are expected to respect the speaker on the floor and to follow the instructions outlined by the Chairs of the committee.

When speaking, delegates should stand up and remain standing until the speaker has finished answering their inquiries.

Delegates may not speak out of turn, and as such, may speak only when they are yielded the floor.

Delegates should always use the Third Person when speaking to one another. Terms such as “honourable speaker” and “fellow delegate” must be used and speakers should never address each other using informal speech such as “You” or “I”. When presenting their speech, delegates must always address the chair and the house, for example “Honourable Chairs, Distinguished Delegates…”

Inappropriate or offensive language addressed toward any participant of the conference (fellow delegates, chair, staff) may result in expulsion from the committee session and/or from the conference depending on the gravity.

In maintaining diplomacy and formality, informal actions such as cheering etc. are strictly out of order.

Personal conflicts, apologies and affronts are not admissible, and will be deemed out of order, within a conference session.

With respect to Less Economically Developed Countries, they may be referred to formally as LEDCs, i.e. not "Third World Countries".

The dress code for men must always include a jacket and a tie – ladies’ dress code must always be formal. Please refer to the Code of Conduct.

During the committee sessions, the only persons who are permitted to be in the committee rooms are the delegates, Chairpersons, members of the Secretariat, members of the Organizing Committee, members of the Press team or accredited guests.

Position Papers All delegates are expected to prepare for the conference by reading the Study Guides written by the Chairs of each committee. Furthermore, delegates are expected to conduct thorough research on their country’s stance and policy on the agenda items. It is as well recommended that delegates seek to identify the key allies on the topics, in order to have effective lobbying and negotiations with other delegates.

Roll Call After each call to order by the chair at the beginning of each session, the Chairpersons shall establish the Quorum by a Roll Call. The delegates shall state their presence when called, by raising their placard and stating, “Present” or “Present and Voting”. The delegates who declared that they are “Present and Voting” may not abstain during the voting on substantive matters.

The delegates who arrive during or after the Roll Call are required to send a note to the Chairperson stating whether they are “Present” or “Present and Voting” in order to be recognized by the Committee. Only after the Chairpersons have acknowledged their presence, may the delegates take part actively in the debates and voting procedures. The established quorum and any changes thereto, must then be communicated by the Chair to the delegates.

Debate Procedure1 The procedures detailed here apply to all committees except the Security Council (UNSC).

General format of Debate will provide exclusive time slots for lobbying (aka unmoderated caucus) and for formal debate (aka moderated caucus).

Lobbying Lobbying is at times also referred to as “unmoderated caucus” and is a means for the delegates to find allies and start working on resolutions.

During lobbying, delegates are free to move around and talk to each other about their position on each topic for a set amount of time.

Formal Debate Formal debate is initiated by the Chair of the committee, who will introduce the nature and time period assigned for the debate. They floor will be yielded to the Main Submitter of a resolution (order of resolutions debated to be established by the Chair). The Main Submitter is expected to read out the resolution, followed by the floor being opened for Points and Motions.

Once the floor is open, the Chair will entertain speeches for and against the motion, in no particular sequence. Though a set time period for debate on the motion will be established, the Chair will not separate this with regard to time limit for vs time limit against the motion.

Yielding When a delegate has finished his or her speech with time to spare, then the delegate is required to “yield” the floor. There are three options available: 

Yielding to the Chair



Yielding to another delegate

Ideally this is done towards another delegate from a country which is allied to the perspectives of the speaker. It is within the discretion of the Chair to allow this (depending on time constraint). Yielding to another delegate may only be done once consecutively.



Yielding to the House for questions or comments

Appeals A delegate who wishes to appeal a decision of the Chairpersons that is appealable requires at least a second. The Delegate who appeals a decision of the Chairpersons shall be afforded 1 (one) minute in order to explain his/her reasons for the appeal. The Chairpersons shall then be afforded 1 (one) minute in order to justify their decision. The appeal requires a 2/3 Majority in order for the committee to adopt the altered decision. If the appeal passes, the decision of the Chairpersons shall be overturned.

Right of reply A delegate may ask for a Right of Reply if he/she considers that his personal or national integrity has been infringed by the speech of another delegate and only immediately after this speech. The Right of Reply may only be requested in Formal Debate. It is at the discretion of the Chairpersons if they grant the Right of Reply or not. If the Chairpersons grant the Right of Reply, the delegate whose personal or national integrity was infringed shall receive a floor for duration of time established by the Chairperson. No Right of Reply shall be granted to a Right of Reply.

Caucus of the Board The Chairpersons may suspend the procedures within the committee for 30 seconds in order to clarify and agree on internal matters related to the functioning of the committee.

Points and Motions The following is a reference list of all points and motions that will be accepted within the COBISMUN Conference 2016. However, please note that the committee chairs may establish additional points/motions, and may choose to suspend the use of certain points/motions within a committee, if and when they deem it necessary.

Points raised do not require a vote, and do not require another delegate to second the point.

Points (with the exception of Pont of Personal Privilege) may only be raised when there is a pause in debate, or when the floor has been yielded to points/Chair/delegate. Delegates must wait to be recognised, in order to state their point/motion.

Motions may not interrupt a speaker. Delegates are encouraged to use Motions to “move” the debate into desired direction. The Chair may overrule a motion, though he/she will be obliged to provide an explanation. Each motion must be “seconded” by another delegate.

Point/Motion

Purpose

Procedure

Point of Order

In reference to the Rules of Procedure, when a delegate is in disagreement with the decision of the Chair

May not disrupt the speaker

Point of Personal Privilege

When delegate experiences personal discomfort (i.e. inaudibility of speaker, bathroom break, heat/cold, etc.)

May not disrupt the speaker (unless in the case of inaudibility)

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Point of Information

May be directed to the speaker or to the Chair: seeking to share information on the topic to the house when addressing the speaker, or to obtain clarification on issue being debated when addressing the Chair

Must be phrased as a question; cannot interrupt the speaker

Point of Parliamentary Enquiry

To seek clarification on Rules of Procedure

May not disrupt the speaker

Motion to Move to Voting Procedure (aka: Motion to Move to the Previous Question)

When delegate/Chair believes that discussions on the resolution have been exhausted and calls upon the house to a vote

Requires another delegate to “second� the motion; NOTE: Chair may overrule the motion

Motion to Adjourn the Debate

Used when delegate wishes to table the resolution (i.e. move on to debate other resolutions first)

Delegate proposing the motion will have to give a speech; Delegates invited to speak in favour and against; Majority vote required

Motion to Reconsider a Resolution

Calling for a re-debate and re-vote on a previously tabled resolution

Only accepted after all other resolutions have been debated and voted upon; 2/3 majority required to entertain this motion

Motion to Adjourn the Meeting

End meeting (break/lunch)

Majority vote required

Motion to Extend Debate Time

If debate time is deemed insufficient

Requires another delegate to second the motion; entertained at the Chairs discretion (no vote required)

Motion to Divide the Question

Used when a delegate would like to address a clause separately from the Resolution; allows for a separate vote on a clause to be included/excluded (which will then consequently be moved as an appendix to the Resolution if vote on clause passes)

Delegate proposing the motion will have to give a speech; Delegates invited to speak in favour and against; Majority vote required

Voting Procedures1 All delegates in the committee may vote on amendments or resolutions, however, delegates must clearly indicate during roll call as to whether they are “present and voting”.

Delegates who have stated they are “present and voting” may not choose to abstain during voting procedures.

During voting procedures, no points are allowed and no individuals are allowed to enter or exit the conference room. Silence is mandatory during voting procedures.

A resolution will pass if the number “for” exceeds the number “against” regardless of the number of abstentions; i.e. abstentions do not count either for or against the adoption of a resolution; the Chairs will nonetheless keep a record of the number of abstentions.

A resolution or an amendment with a tied vote “fails”. Roll-call vote is admissible, though it is not encouraged to use this excessively as it can be time-consuming. A re-vote may be initiated (using a Motion to Divide the House).

General statements such as “Passing resolutions is good” are in order. A chair must remain objective.

There are NO informal votes within this conference; all votes are real and count!

After voting for an amendment or a resolution, the submitter has the right to retain the floor (“motion to reply”).

Simple Majority Simple Majority requires the positive votes of at least 50% + 1 of the delegates present in the committee during the voting procedure. If the result of the vote is a tie, the matter will be considered to have failed.

2/3 (two-thirds) Majority For a matter that requires a 2/3 Majority in order to be adopted, it must incur the votes in favour of 2/3 of the members of the committee that are present during the voting procedure.

Resolution Process1 During lobbying sessions, delegates are expected to merge (i.e. combine two or more draft resolutions – often drafted prior to the conference) similar resolutions in order to increase the potential support for the respective resolution. When done merging, a main submitter must be selected. Any draft resolution must include a minimum of three signatories (co-submitters), in order for it to be taken into consideration by the Dias (the Chairs of the committee).

It is important to note that while creating resolutions, delegates are not merging or creating clauses according to their personal ideas; their actions must be based on their country’s ideas.

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NOTE: these procedures do not pertain to the UNSC (Security Council), which will follow Ad Hoc Committee proceedings.

Plagiarism is strictly prohibited and delegates must not use clauses or phrases copied from the Internet or any other platform.

Amendments While a resolution is being debated, delegates may submit proposed amendments to operative clauses, by clearly indicating how they would like the respective clause to be amended. The options available: add, delete or change an operative clause. This can be done using the Amendment Sheet included in the Conference Pack. Chair will entertain speeches in favour and against the amendment, followed by a vote.

Amendments to the second degree are permitted within this conference; i.e. delegates may move to amend an amendment under debate.

Note-passing Delegates may use the “Official Note Paper” provided in their COBISMUN pack in order to exchange opinions pertaining to the main topic being debated, form alliances, or to initiate general conversation between delegates. Notes may also be passed to the Chair (often to seek clarification either on the topic at hand or regarding procedures). However, the Chair may choose to suspend note-passing, if needed.

Special Procedures as pertaining to the Security Council (UNSC) The rules that govern the proceedings of the Security Council are provided in a separate sheet for delegates and members of the Security Council only.

Approval Panel The Approval Panel will be comprised of MUN Directors from the various schools. The directors, who will volunteer on a rota basis, will have experience with the appropriate format, structure and syntax of MUN resolutions. All approved resolutions will be corrected by the Approval Panel before voting procedures. The approval Panel will check resolutions and make corrections to ensure that all approved resolutions adhere to the recommended format.

Note that the Security Council will only submit passed resolutions to the Approval Panel.

In extreme cases (such as major inconsistencies, or plagiarism) the Approval Panel may reject draft resolutions.

Special Rules Applicable to the Security Council Votes in Security Council In the Security Council a simple majority is required for procedural matters, whereas a twothirds majority is needed for substantive matters.

During voting on procedural matters there are no veto rights. During substantive matters the Permanent 5 members (China, USA, UK, France, Russian Federation) may vote either Yes or Abstain in order for a Draft Resolution, Amendment or Draft Agenda to pass.

The “Veto” vote refers to the use of veto power from one state from the Permanent 5. If one of these states votes “No” then the Draft Resolution, Amendment or Draft Agenda fails even if it had a majority of “Yes” votes.

Motion for a Permanent Members Meeting A Representative may at any time when the floor is open, but not during speeches, introduce a Motion for a Permanent Members Meeting (P5 caucus). A time and a topic must be introduced with the motion.

During a P5 meeting only the five permanent members shall remain in the room. They may not use any electronic devices during this meeting. The non-permanent members as well as other representatives will be expected to take a break that is not disruptive to any other sessions.

The P5 shall be in the status of an “unmoderated caucus” (lobbying). Notes sent to the Permanent Members are in order.

The time proposed for this motion shall not exceed 20 minutes, and the meeting may be extended only once.

Special Powers The Security Council may appoint a Commission or Committee or a Rapporteur for a specific question.

Debate Procedure within the Security Council The Ad Hoc Debate Procedure debates only one clause at a time individually. This is done through the closed debate. Amendments to the clause are entertained. If the committee passes the clause being debated (following time for and time against) it enters the clause into

the resolution being prepared. Debate continues until all clauses have been voted on. The Preambulatory clauses are debated as a whole right before the resolution is voted upon.

Draft Resolution During lobbying sessions, delegates are expected to merge (i.e. combine two or more draft resolutions) similar resolutions in order to increase the potential support for the respective resolution.

NOTE: In preparation for the UNSC, delegates are expected to prepare clauses for negotiations.

When done merging, a main submitter must be selected. Any draft resolution must include a minimum of three signatories (co-submitters), in order for it to be taken into consideration by the Dias (the Chairs of the committee).

In order for a resolution to pass within the UNSC, all P5 members must have either voted yes or at least abstained; in addition there must be a two-thirds majority.

Resolutions should reflect perspectives of nations represented by the delegates, i.e. not personal views, and should be phrased and formatted in accordance to the guidelines for resolutions.

Note that resolutions will be checked for plagiarism, format and overall adherence to the perspectives of the submitter nations by both the Chairs and the Advisory Panel.

Request to declare a State as a Party to the Dispute Any delegate may propose to invite any other Member State of the United Nations, which is not represented in the Security Council to attend the meeting of the Security Council as an Observer until the end of the debates on the Topic Area. The author of the request shall mention the reason for advancing this request. The Chairpersons shall entertain a speaker against the motion, then put the motion to a vote. The matter shall be considered substantial, and as such requires a two-thirds majority.

Presidential Statement The Security Council may choose to issue a Presidential Statement on issues not warranting a Resolution. The Statement may either be produced as “Presidential Statement” or as “Presidential Statement of Consensus”. This motion requires a unanimous vote.