The Ground Rules for DISMUN
Opening the Debate: Roll Call
We all got to start somewhere, right? Within Model United Nations, the Roll Call is normally used to check who is attending, and how many people are attending. Through this, the Chairs can calculate the majority which is required within procedural and substantial voting. When you hear your Countries name, you can simply reply with “Present.” If you want to spice things up and declare how serious you are about the topic that is being discussed, you can also say “Present and Voting.” But beware! This comes at a cost. If you use “Present and Voting.” you are NOT able to abstain during substantive votes, meaning you must truly have an opinion on a matter. Once the list has been read, you continue to the next Step.
Opening the Debate: Setting the Agenda
If you have been given multiple possible topics to discuss, it will depend on your Chair and Co-chair which one will be chosen first. You raise your hand/placard (if your MUN provides placards, use placard) , and wait until the Chair acknowledges you. You ONLY speak, if the Chair acknowledges you. This is a universal rule, which is present in all sections of the MUN debate (except for the unmoderated caucus). Once you have been acknowledged, you say your country’s name and move to place your preferred topic first on the agenda. Remember to always speak as an ambassador of your Country. No “I’s” allowed! It’s “we”, your country’s name, or “as the representative of Country Name.”
The Debate – Opening Statements
Once a topic has been chosen, each state’s delegate, according to the alphabetical order of each State present, will give an opening speech in which they briefly outline their opinion on the matter at hand. Within your opening speech, you can: position yourself with like-minded countries to already try to secure an alliance and raise specific themes within the topic that your country particularly cares about. As you listen to the other Countries opening debates, it may be a good idea to make some notes, to see who cares about what aspect of a problem, and who you might find yourself to be in agreement or disagreement with regarding certain issues. This is really useful for later on when you have to create Draft Resolutions with other Delegates.
The Debate – The General Speakers List
The GSL is essentially your default section within a discussion. Chairs will establish a time limit that each speaker should adhere to, and Countries can then ask to be added to the list, taking turn to speak in the order the Chairs have provided. To join the GSL, you wait for the Chair to ask who wants to be added to the list, at which moment you should raise your placard, until they acknowledge you. If you finish your speech before your allotted time is over, the Chair may open the remainder of the time for other Delegates to ask you a question, which you then are able to answer, you may let your time seize, or you may give your time to another Delegate. What the best choice is truly depends on your tactical reasoning for it.
Moderated and Unmoderated Caucuses
While the GSL is ultimately a tool to allow general discussions, sometimes one needs to spend more time on certain specifics, in which case one can call for an unmoderated or moderated caucus. A moderated caucus requires speakers to only hold speeches based on the topic at hand. It might be fruitful to raise a motion for a moderated caucus on a certain topic (for a certain amount of minutes, with a certain amount of speakers time), if, within the GSL, a trend towards such a topic was already foreseeable.
Now, an unmoderated Caucus is a whole other tactical game. Within it, general rules seize to exist for a while, and one is able to be within a freeform debate, no turns, no points, no speaking time, You are allowed to move around within a room , you get to meet the other countries in a more personal manner, and you get to negotiate and write your draft resolutions. This is where you look for cooperation amongst other states and try to create something based on your shared values. Like the moderated caucus, a motion for this has to be raised. It’s a procedural vote, so no abstaining is possible. The unmoderated caucus takes time for as long as the allotted time allows.
Draft Resolutions
Ah, Draft Resolutions. The big bad of the MUN world. Having to write a document which follows its very own rules, uses a specific type of language and is generally supposed to be very professional in how it is handled sometimes really makes people want to turn on their tail.
Now- What really is a Draft Resolution? A draft resolution is a document which states the proposed solution of the issue at hand and is supposed to be representing the viewpoints and the agenda of those who have written and signed it. It must have a minimum number of sponsors who support it and will vote in favour of it, once debates have ended. The number of necessary sponsors differs based on the Council and the Chair, according to the size of a committee.
Once a draft resolution is finished, it should be sent to the chair who will then hopefully approve it, at which point a motion may be raised to introduce it to the rest of the Council. You then get to read the operational clauses, one by one, within a certain time frame. Afterwards, countries can ask for amendments regarding the clauses you have written. If an amendment is friendly, that means no one has objected to the change within a clause, and it can be written anew accordingly. If a sponsor however should decide to object, a vote must follow.
Closing the Debate:
For a draft resolution to be voted for, the GSL must first be closed, hence one must either wait until the GSL list runs its course, or one must raise the motion to close the debate. If two-thirds agree and are in favour, the debate will end. If there is more than one draft resolution on the table, the committee will vote on the one which had been handed in first, based on their serial number. Hence, it’s also important to act quick in getting together a group and writing a professional and well worded Draft Resolution.
The Committee then votes on the Draft Resolution.
Voting Procedure:
The voting procedure is a substantive vote for everyone except those countries which said that they are “Present and voting.” Meaning, that everyone who said that they are present at the Roll Call gets to either vote “Yes”, “No”, or gets to abstain. You are furthermore not allowed to abstain if you are a sponsor for the draft resolution at hand.
Once voting is completed. and a proposal has been passed, it becomes the resolution of the committee, at which point the council will move on to the next topic that was on the agenda. If it should however fail, the draft resolution next to the first one will be voted on. Once one has been approved, or all have been voted on, one moves on to the next topic.
Note that delegates are not allowed to talk amongst themselves when formal debate is in session. Any and all discussions can take place during unmoderated caucuses. Use of devices for anything other than MUN related research is prohibited.
DISMUN follows the UNA-USA MUN procedure and so the proceedings will be as follows.
