Rules of Procedure
To help maintain order, this FOBISIA MUN adopts the following rules of procedure. Below, there is a short explanation of each item of a usual conference agenda.
General Delegate Behaviour
Points/motions a delegate can raise
A point is an enquiry the delegate can raise and it is up to the chair whether it shall be entertained, while a motion should be voted on by the whole house or rejected by the chair (usually due to time constraints or if the motion would be useless). Certain motions can be seconded by the house before the chair receives it but one 'no' is enough to reject the motion even if the whole house seconds it. All motions have specific times on when they may or may not be used:
Formal Language
An important part of MUN is the language used in the conferences.
In regards to follows ups to the second degree and amendments to the second degree, it has not been decided yet whether they are approved for this FOBISIA MUN.
What to expect
Welcome and congratulations in making it to an MUN conference! Here are terms and items of the agenda which you can expect from when you enter the conference room to when you leave it for the final time.
Chairs, roll calls, placards...what?
Some terms can be new to some delegates so to lessen confusion, make sure understand what you're hearing!
Chair(s) - the person/people who are student officers, heading the council and leading the debates. They have final say on all matters and they must be respected and listened to;
Roll Call - when arriving in the morning or come in after lunch, the chairs will call out the countries' names in alphabetical order, and to indicate you are present, raise your placard and say clearly (and loudly) "Present and voting";
Placard - the item with your country's name next to it, with the flag of your representative nation alongside. The placard is used in all voting procedures, roll call and to raise any points or motions;
Superlatives - at the end of the conference, you can vote certain delegates 'next secretary general' or the 'quietest delegate';
Gavel - the hammer the chairs use to silence the council;
Screening - when the admin team pass one delegate's notes to another, they need to check the contents to make sure it is appropriate - the note is screened when the admin member passes the note to the chair if the contents are unsuitable.
What is Lobbying?
When all the delegates have arrived and been introduced on the first day of the conference, the chairs will give them a certain amount of time to put together clauses to make a resolution on their chosen topic (in teams), pass it through the chairs, the directors and then printed in time for the debates. This is usually a time-strained process, so it helps to be prepared, and you must get a certain amount of submitters and co-submitters to the resolution as well, thereby building up your rooster of supporters.
Debate Procedure
The chair holds the floor and hands it to any delegates who wish to speak. It is important to listen to the chairs when they set limits on for or against or remind delegates how much time is left on the resolution. Formal language must be used, and all rules of procedure must be adhered to.
Voting Procedure
When the chair calls for the vote, all note passing must be suspended, and in resolution voting, you can vote for, against or abstain, but in amendments, there are no abstentions. You must raise your placards when the chair calls out for the position you'd like to take. Raise it high and with a straight arm until the chair moves on.
Caucus
There are indoor caucuses where all delegates must remain in the conference room and must ask for permission to leave, and caucuses where delegates may leave as they like but must return at the allotted time.
General Delegate Behaviour
- When raising a point, do so by raising your placard when it is your turn to, but if you are making a point of personal privilege, this can be done at any time;
- There should be no talking between delegates - all communications between delegates must be done so in note form;
- Notes should pertain to the council and be in English or else they will be screened;
- Delegates may not speak out of turn;
- When raising a point, they must state what point they are raising and then their request afterwards;
- To be excused from the conference room when the council is in session, the delegate must raise a point of personal privilege or write a note to the chair.
Points/motions a delegate can raise
A point is an enquiry the delegate can raise and it is up to the chair whether it shall be entertained, while a motion should be voted on by the whole house or rejected by the chair (usually due to time constraints or if the motion would be useless). Certain motions can be seconded by the house before the chair receives it but one 'no' is enough to reject the motion even if the whole house seconds it. All motions have specific times on when they may or may not be used:
- Point of Personal Privilege can be used whenever during the conference, and is used to better the comfort of the delegate. For example; "Point of personal privilege, audibility," when the delegate wishes the speaker to talk more loudly;
- Point of Order is used when the delegate believes the chair has made a procedural mistake (has not taken the roll call, forgotten to ask if there were any POIs (see below), etc.);
- Point of Information is used when a delegate has finished speaking and can receive questions. The chair will pick delegates to ask, and it is sometimes referred to as a POI;
- Point of Inquiry is used when a delegate has a question to pose to the chair, and can be used at any time except when a delegate is speaking;
- Motion to move straight to voting procedure can be brought up when the delegate believes the allotted time for the currently discussed amendment or resolution is no longer necessary and the house can move straight to voting procedure on it, and can only be used if the chair is wielding the floor;
- Motion to enter a caucus is used when the delegate believes a caucus is necessary, and can only be used if the chair is wielding the floor also;
- Motion to appeal the decision of the chair is used in the case where the delegate believes the chair has made a serious error and asks the chair to reconsider their decision, used only when the chair holds the floor;
- Motion to divide the house is used after voting and the abstentions may change the overall voting outcome.
- Follow up is asked after the POI has been made and the delegate would like another chance to ask the speaker a question pertaining to their first point;
- "This delegate does not believe their question has been answered" (asker only);
- "Can the chair ask the delegate to rephrase his answer/question or speak more loudly?" (for both asker and speaker);
- "This delegate will answer in note form" (speaker only and sometimes the chair may ask this of the two delegates).
Formal Language
An important part of MUN is the language used in the conferences.
- The third person must be used (no I or you, refer to yourself as this delegate or he/she);
- Proper points, motions and terms must be used;
- Refer to other delegates not by their name but by 'the delegate of _______" or he/she (this also applies to the chairs).
In regards to follows ups to the second degree and amendments to the second degree, it has not been decided yet whether they are approved for this FOBISIA MUN.
What to expect
Welcome and congratulations in making it to an MUN conference! Here are terms and items of the agenda which you can expect from when you enter the conference room to when you leave it for the final time.
Chairs, roll calls, placards...what?
Some terms can be new to some delegates so to lessen confusion, make sure understand what you're hearing!
Chair(s) - the person/people who are student officers, heading the council and leading the debates. They have final say on all matters and they must be respected and listened to;
Roll Call - when arriving in the morning or come in after lunch, the chairs will call out the countries' names in alphabetical order, and to indicate you are present, raise your placard and say clearly (and loudly) "Present and voting";
Placard - the item with your country's name next to it, with the flag of your representative nation alongside. The placard is used in all voting procedures, roll call and to raise any points or motions;
Superlatives - at the end of the conference, you can vote certain delegates 'next secretary general' or the 'quietest delegate';
Gavel - the hammer the chairs use to silence the council;
Screening - when the admin team pass one delegate's notes to another, they need to check the contents to make sure it is appropriate - the note is screened when the admin member passes the note to the chair if the contents are unsuitable.
What is Lobbying?
When all the delegates have arrived and been introduced on the first day of the conference, the chairs will give them a certain amount of time to put together clauses to make a resolution on their chosen topic (in teams), pass it through the chairs, the directors and then printed in time for the debates. This is usually a time-strained process, so it helps to be prepared, and you must get a certain amount of submitters and co-submitters to the resolution as well, thereby building up your rooster of supporters.
Debate Procedure
The chair holds the floor and hands it to any delegates who wish to speak. It is important to listen to the chairs when they set limits on for or against or remind delegates how much time is left on the resolution. Formal language must be used, and all rules of procedure must be adhered to.
Voting Procedure
When the chair calls for the vote, all note passing must be suspended, and in resolution voting, you can vote for, against or abstain, but in amendments, there are no abstentions. You must raise your placards when the chair calls out for the position you'd like to take. Raise it high and with a straight arm until the chair moves on.
Caucus
There are indoor caucuses where all delegates must remain in the conference room and must ask for permission to leave, and caucuses where delegates may leave as they like but must return at the allotted time.