DELEGATE

HANDBOOK
JNMUN 6.O

JGI
GENERAL GUIDELINES

All clothing must portray professionalism as expected

in diplomatic settings. If attire is deemed inappropriate

by JNMUN staff, individuals may be asked to leave the

session and return with appropriate attire

Any kind of inappropriate

behavior will not be tolerated. If
anyone is found violating these
guidelines, they will immediately be
barred from the conference.


REPRESENTATION
SECRETARIAT

The Secretary-General or any representative of the Board of

Directors and/or the Secretariat can speak in any committee

meeting and their statements will be final and cannot be

appealed.

DEPARTMENT OF ACADEMICS AND CRISIS

The Department of Academics and Crises has the final say in

interpreting the rules and is responsible for ensuring that they

are followed during the conference. They can speak in

committees and assist the chairpersons, as well as approve or

decline official documents. They can also overrule any decisions

made by the chairpersons.



REPRESENTATION
CHAIRPERSONS

The Committee Chair has complete control over meetings and can

enforce the rules, open and close sessions, and make decisions. If

necessary, they can suspend the rules to clarify an issue. If a

participant is disruptive, the Chair may take appropriate measures.

In the case of a procedural issue not covered by the rules, the Chairs

will make a decision that is in line with the spirit of the rules and

inform the council. The Committee Dais staff will subject to these

rules and be accountable to the Secretary-General.

DELEGATES
Delegates are not allowed to make inflammatory or offensive

comments to other delegates. They are encouraged to speak with

the Chair if they think their country's policies require such

behaviour. However, they are allowed to engage in robust and

respectful debate. Delegates must attend all sessions and will be

marked absent if they are not present during roll call. Attendance

is a factor in choosing the best delegate.

 TERMINOLOGY
ADJOURN :
All UN or Model UN sessions end with a vote to adjourn. This means that the

debate is suspended until the next meeting.

CAUCUS :
A break in formal debate in which countries can easily and informally discuss a

topic. There are two types: moderated caucus and unmoderated caucus.

CHAIR :
A member of the dais that moderates debates, keeps time, rules on points and

motions and enforces the rules of procedure. Also known as a Moderator.

DECORUM :
The order and respect for others that all delegates at a Model UN conference

must exhibit. The Chair will call for decorum when he or she feels that the

committee is not being respectful of a speaker, of the dais, or of their roles as

ambassadors

ABSTAIN :
During a vote on a substantive matter, delegates may abstain rather than vote yes

or no. This generally signals that a state does not support the resolution being

voted on, but does not oppose it enough to vote no.

DRAFT RESOLUTION :
A document that seeks to fix the problems addressed by a Model UN committee.

If passed by the committee, the draft resolution will become a resolution.

 TERMINOLOGY
FORMAL DEBATE :
The ‘standard’ type of debate at a MUN conference, wherein delegates speak for a

certain time based on the order in the speaker’s list.

MEMBER STATE :
A country that has ratified the Charter of the United Nations and whose application to

join has been accepted by the General Assembly and Security Council. Currently,

there are 193 member states.

MOTION :
A request made by a delegate saying that the committee as a whole should do

something. Some motions might be to go into a caucus, to adjourn, or to introduce a

draft resolution.

OPERATIVE CLAUSE :
The part of a resolution that describes how the UN will address a problem. It begins

with a verb (decides, establishes, recommends, etc.).

RESOLUTION :
A document that has been passed by an organ of the UN that aims to address a

particular problem or issue. The UN equivalent of a law.

POSITION PAPER :
A summary of a country's position on a topic, written by a delegate before a Model UN

conference.

MODERATED CAUCUS :
It a formal procedure. During moderated caucus, delegates speak on different sub-

agendas of the main agenda.A moderated caucus has no Speakers List; delegates

must raise their placards and wait for the Chair to call on them to speak.
 TERMINOLOGY
UNMODERATED CAUCUS :
A type of caucus in which delegates leave their seats to mingle and speak

freely. Enables the free sharing of ideas to an extent not possible in formal

debate or even a moderated caucus. Frequently used to sort countries

into blocs and to write working papers and draft resolutions.

PREAMBULATORY CLAUSE :
The part of a resolution that describes previous actions taken on the topic

and reasons why the resolution is necessary. It begins with a participle or

adjective.

SIGNATORY :
A country that wishes for a draft resolution to be put on the floor and

signs the draft resolution to accomplish this. A signatory need not support

a resolution; it only wants it to be discussed. Usually, Model UN

conferences require a minimum number of sponsors and signatories for

a draft resolution to be approved.

SPEAKERS LIST :
A list that determines the order in which delegates will speak.

SPONSOR :
One of the writers of a draft resolution. A friendly amendment can only be

created if all sponsors agree.

 TERMINOLOGY
ROLL CALL :
At the beginning of each session, the Chairs will conduct a roll call in

alphabetical order. Delegates shall establish their presence in the Committee

in either of the two following manners:

1.Present and Voting : A Delegate that declares themselves “Present and Voting” shall

vote in favour or against any substantive matter

without the possibility of abstention.

2.Present : A Delegate that declares themselves “Present” shall vote in

favor, against or abstain on any substantive matter.
 CAUCUSING
Caucusing provides an opportunity for delegates to collaborate,

negotiate, and formulate draft resolutions. During a Model UN

conference, caucuses can either be moderated or unmoderated.

When a motion for a moderated caucus is passed, the Chair calls upon

delegates as they raise their placards to address the committee for a

specific amount of time. Here, speakers are usually able to convey one

or two key points to the entire committee or share new ideas that have

developed through the course of the debate.

During an unmoderated caucus, the committee breaks for a

temporary recess from formal proceedings so that delegates can work

together in small groups , during this time delegates can meet

informally with each other and the committee staff to discuss draft

resolutions and other issues. Many delegates feel that this is the easiest

way for them to collaborate and start to formulate draft resolutions.

 CAUCUSING
TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE CAUCUSING :

1. Enter the caucus with a plan in mind: Develop ideas based on what your

country would like to see included in a resolution. Decide which clauses you

are willing to negotiate on and which you are not. This will help you be more

effective in the caucus.

2. Provide ideas: Tell others what your country is hoping to achieve. If you do

not agree with an idea, do not hesitate to say that it is against your country’s

policy.

3. Negotiate: While it is often necessary to give up something that you want,

make sure that you are not giving up anything too important.

4. Listen: Listening to what others are saying will enable you to build on their

ideas and add more to the discussion. Additionally, listening shows respect

for each delegate in your group.

5. Record ideas: Start to develop a resolution in writing. Rather than waiting

until the last minute, begin recording fellow delegates’ ideas right away.

6. Stay calm: In caucuses, delegates can sometimes “lose their cool.” Staying

calm will not only help your group be more effective but will be noticed by

the conference staff.

 CAUCUSING
7. Use time effectively: Try not to waste time arguing over small details that

will not seriously affect the draft resolution.

8. Establish connections with other delegates: Establishing connections with

other delegates is important. Avoid referring to them by country names like

"Pakistan" or "Brazil," and instead learn their names and where they come

from. Ask them about their ideas and impressions of the debate. Showing

interest in your fellow delegates at the beginning of the conference will help

you gain their support and form lasting friendships.

 MOTIONS
Motion to open speakers list- To open the speakers list, a motion must be made

and voted on with a simple majority of 50%+1. This allows delegates to sign up

and present their arguments.

Motion to set agenda- This motion will be automatically accepted by the chairs

without voting as there is only a single agenda per committee.

Motion to suspend debate- This is done for the purpose of holding a caucus. Be

sure to specify the purpose and amount of time while raising the motion.

Requires a simple majority to pass.

Motion for Moderated/Unmoderated Caucus – Mentioned in “Flow of Debate”.

Require a simple majority of 50%+1 to pass, or by chair’s discretion.

Motion to extend Moderated/Unmoderated Caucus/POIs – If the delegate wishes

to extend the time for the mod/unmod/POIs, then the delegate may introduce

this motion. Requires a simple majority of 50%+1 to pass, or by chair’s discretion.

Motion to introduce the draft resolution of the delegate’s bloc – This motion will

be utilised to begin discussion upon their bloc’s draft resolution.

Motion to adjourn the meeting- Ends the committee session until the next

session. Requires a two-thirds majority vote to pass.

 POINTS
Point of Information – After a delegate has finished their speech, they may yield

their time to ask for Points of Information (POIs) from other delegates. POIs are

questions that other delegates can ask the speaker about their debated topic. It is

important to note that interrupting the speaker to ask for a POI is not allowed.

Point of Personal Privilege – If a delegate needs to use the washroom or is having

difficulty hearing the speaker due to technical issues, they may use the point of

personal privilege. Only a point of personal privilege due to inaudibility may

interrupt the speaker during their speech.

Point of Parliamentary Enquiry – When a delegate has a doubt about the rules of

procedure or the flow of the committee, the delegate may utilise this point. This

point cannot interrupt the chair or speaker, but only when they are done

speaking.

Point of Order – If the chair makes a mistake with the rules of procedure, or a

delegate makes a mistake in his/her speech, this point may be utilised. This can

only be introduced when a delegate/chair is finished with his/her speech.

Right to Reply – If a delegate feels that his/her country has been offended by

another delegate’s remarks, they may use the right to reply. This may not

interrupt a speaker during their speech.

Plea to Follow-Up – If the delegate wishes to follow up on their initial point of

information, they may utilise this point

 YIELDS
Once a delegate has completed their speech, they may yield their

remaining time either back to the chair, to POIs, or to another delegate.

Yield Back to the Chair – The delegate will not be accepting any POIs and

the chair will move on to the next speaker.

Yield to POIs – The delegate will yield their time to POIs, the number of

which will be set by the delegate.

Yield to Another Delegate – The delegate will yield the rest of the time of

their speech to another delegate, and it then becomes a joint statement

from both delegates. Afterward, any POIs asked will be addressed by both

delegates.
 POSITION PAPER
A position paper is an essay detailing your country’s policies on the topics

being discussed in your committee. Writing a position paper will help you

organise your ideas so that you can share your country’s position with the

rest of the committee. Many delegates use their position papers as their

opening remarks.

HOW TO WRITE A POSITION PAPER :

Writing a position paper might appear to be a daunting task, especially for

new delegates. But with enough research, you will find that writing a

position paper will be easy and useful. Position papers are usually one to

one-and-a-half pages in length. Your position paper should include a brief

introduction followed by a comprehensive breakdown of your country's

position on the topics that are being discussed by the committee.

 POSITION PAPER
A good position paper will include:
-A brief introduction of your country and its history concerning the topic and
committee
-How the issue affects your country
-Your country’s policies with respect to the issue and your country’s justification
for these policies
-Quotes from your country’s leaders about the issue
-Statistics to back up your country’s position on the issue
-Actions taken by your government with regard to the issue- Conventions and
resolutions that your country has signed or ratified
-4 UN actions that your country supported or opposed
-What your country believes should be done to address the issue- What your
country would like to accomplish in the committee’s resolution
-How the positions of other countries affect your country’s position.

Position Paper Guidelines :

A position paper can only be 10% plagiarised. Any more plagiarism will not be

eligible for an award. (quotes and statistics are excluded from this count)
Font : Times New Roman
Font Size : 12- No pictures must be put except country flag, seal or committee

logo
The length of the text can be 1 page long excluding bibliography
 POSITION PAPER
POSITION PAPER TIPS :

Keep it simple: To communicate strongly and effectively, avoid flowery wording,

and stick to uncomplicated language and sentence structure.

Make it official: Try to use the seal of your country or create an “official”

letterhead for your position paper. The more realistic it looks, the more others
will want to read it.

Get organised: Give each separate idea or proposal its own paragraph. Make

sure each paragraph starts with a topic sentence.

Read and reread: Leave time to edit your position paper. Ask yourself if the

organisation of the paper makes sense and double-check your spelling and

grammar.

Speech! Speech!: Do you plan to make an opening statement at your conference?

A good position paper makes a great introductory speech. During the debate, a

good position paper will also help you to stick to your country’s policies.

Let the bullets fly: Try not to let your proposals become lost in a sea of

information. For speechmaking, create a bulleted list of your proposals along

with your most important facts and statistics so that you will not lose time

looking for them during the debate.

 RESOLUTION
The final results of the discussion, writing, and negotiation are resolutions— written

suggestions for addressing a specific problem or issue. Resolutions, which are

drafted by delegates and voted on by the committee, normally requires a simple

majority to pass. Only Security Council resolutions can compel nations to take

action. All other UN bodies use resolutions to make recommendations or

suggestions for future action.

DRAFT RESOLUTIONS :
Draft resolutions are proposals for action that have not yet been voted on. They

can be written by individual delegates or by groups of countries. Draft resolutions

have three main parts: the heading, the preamble, and the operative section. The

heading includes the committee and topic, the resolution number, and the

sponsors and signatories. Each draft resolution is one long sentence with sections

separated by commas and semicolons. The subject of the sentence is the body

making the statement (e.g., the General Assembly, or Security Council). The

preamble and operative sections describe the current situation and the actions

that the committee will take. All clauses in a draft resolution should be underlined

and punctuated with semicolons, except for the final clause, which ends with a

period
 RESOLUTION
A draft resolution must always gain the support of a certain number of

member states in the committee before the sponsors (the delegates who

created the resolution) may submit it to the chair. A staff member will read the

draft resolution to ensure that it is relevant and in the proper format. Only

when the chair formally accepts the document and assigns it a number can it

be referred to in formal debate.

The basic structure of a draft resolution will look like this :

(HEADING) Committee:
i.e. the committee or organ in which the resolution is introduced Topic: the

topic of the resolution.

Sponsors: list of sponsoring countries.
Signatories: list of countries that have signed the draft.

(PREAMBLE)
The preamble of a draft resolution states the reasons for which the committee

is addressing the topic and highlights past international action on the issue.

Each clause begins with a present participle (called a preambulatory phrase)

and ends with a comma.

(OPERATIVE SECTION)
•References to the UN Charter
•Citations of past U N resolutions or treaties on the topic under discussion
•Mentions of statements made by the Secretary-General or a relevant U N

body or agency
•Recognition of the efforts of regional or nongovernmental organisations in

dealing with the issue

•General statements on the topic, its significance, and its impact.
 RESOLUTION
Operative clauses :
Operative clauses identify the specific actions or recommendations proposed

in a resolution. They begin with a verb(called an operative phrase) and end with

a semicolon. Operative clauses should be organised logically and each should

contain a single idea or proposal. They are always numbered, and may include

bulleted lists set off by letters or roman numerals for further explanation. The

resolution ends with a period after the final operative clause.

Sponsors and Signatories :

The sponsors of a draft resolution are the primary authors of the document

and agree with its content. They have control over the resolution and are the

only ones who can approve immediate changes.

Signatories are countries that may not necessarily agree with the substance of a

draft resolution, but still want it to be debated so that they can propose

amendments. A certain percentage of the committee must be either sponsors

or signatories in order for a draft resolution to be accepted.

 RESOLUTION
AMENDMENTS : Approved draft resolutions are modified through

amendments. An amendment is a written statement that adds, deletes, or

revises an operative clause in a draft resolution. The amendment process is

used to strengthen consensus on a resolution by allowing delegates to change

certain sections.
 RESOLUTION
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF AMENDMENTS:

1. A friendly amendment is a change to the draft resolution that all sponsors

agree with. After the amendment is signed by all of the draft resolution’s

sponsors and approved by the committee chair, it will be automatically

incorporated into the resolution.

2.An unfriendly amendment is a change to a draft resolution that some or all of

the sponsors do not support. It must be voted on by the committee. This can

also refer to changes proposed by delegates who did not write the resolution,

but see potential in it with certain changes. The sponsors of the amendment

must obtain a required number of signatories in order to introduce it. Before

voting on the draft resolution, the committee will vote on all unfriendly

amendments.

Writing an amendment is very simple. All you have to do is make an operative

clause that adds, deletes, or changes an operative clause in a draft resolution.

Examples include:
a)Adds an operative clause that reads “14. Encourages all Latin
American countries to… ” Deletes operative clause 9.
b)Changes operative clause 1 to read “1. Calls upon the Red Cross to provide low

-cost medicines… ”
 COMMON QUESTIONS
Q: How should I prepare for my Model UN conference?
A: Researching is the first and most important step in preparing for a

conference. Not only is it necessary to have a grasp on information about the

country you are representing and its position on the policies being discussed,
but it is also important to understand the UN body that your committee is

representing.

Q: How do I write a position paper?

A: Before attending a conference, it is necessary to have a clear understanding

of the workings of your country, as well as its position on the issues that are

being discussed. Most conferences will even require a position paper in

advance to ensure that delegates have properly researched their country.

Position papers should contain your country's relation to the topic, as well as its

suggestions for how to solve the issues discussed.

Q. How do I dress for a Model UN conference?

A: Dressing professionally and appropriately is an important aspect of Model

United Nations preparations. Just like being polite and having proper manners,

dressing appropriately is an important way to show respect for the nation you

are representing, for your fellow delegates, and for the United Nations.

Delegates may wear their own national dress. Western business attire, or

international standard business attire, serves as a customary dress for

workplaces.
 COMMON QUESTIONS
Q. How do we select a country?
A. A lot will be taken in order to designate each delegation with a country. Even the

"smallest" member state not only has an important role to play but can sometimes

wield considerable influence. Therefore, bear in mind that size and powers are not

the only important criteria for an interesting country to represent.

Q: What are the rules of procedure at a conference?

A: In order for a committee session to progress smoothly, it is important for

delegates to follow the rules of procedure. These rules ensure that order is kept and

delegates have equal opportunities to contribute to the discussion. Rules of

procedure also provide the proper format to ask questions, make speeches etc.

Q: What is caucusing?
A: Caucusing is an informal debate that occurs during a model UN conference.

Caucusing can be either "moderated" when speakers are called on by the chair after

raising their placards or "unmoderated", which is a designated time for delegates

without the intervention of the chair to have a discussion and work on resolutions.

For more information on the different types of caucuses, as well as tips on how to

use caucus time successfully, refer to the Caucusing sheet.

Q: How do I write a resolution?

A: During a committee, session resolutions are essential to promote debate and

create solutions to issues that are being discussed. Resolutions not only

acknowledge the issues that are being debated, but they also present a series of

steps that can be taken to resolve the conflict. Writing resolutions can be

challenging since they must appeal to a broad range of members with differing

concerns if they are going to be successfully passed.