What is MUN? by Abingdon Print Online

What is MUN?

WHAT IS MUN? Abingdon School MUN Society

What is MUN?

odel United Nations is a student-led simulation of debates and issues present within the actual United Nations. Model United Nations (MUN) is, in essence, a role-playing exercise, in which young people assume the roles of diplomats. Through this, pupils develop their knowledge and understanding of a wide range of international issues, from deforestation to the situation in the Middle East, as well as improving their public speaking and debating skills, and learning how to solve problems constructively. One of the great strengths of MUN is that it is pupil-led, with sixth formers taking the lead in running weekly sessions, and playing a key role in organising our visits to conferences. Model UN work not only educates participants about the problems the world is facing, but also suggests the means by which progress can be made and problems resolved, peacefully and justly. Whether you are a participant or an organiser, we hope that you will enjoy, and be enriched by, your experience of Model UN.

What is MUN?

Benefits of MUN

ith MUN being an undoubtedly time-consuming and often stressful activity, many prospective members ask whether it offers any concrete benefits. The answers are listed below.

Benefits to one’s character: • Development of independent researching skills, as well as the ability to consume large amounts of information and collate only the parts that are relevant to the issue at hand • Time management: balancing of MUN preparation with school and extracurricular responsibilities, as well as compensation for the time lost while away for conferences • Reduction of one’s social constraints, as lobbying will require you to speak to lots of new people in a short period of time and actually come to develop friendships with them over the course of the conference. • Oratory and communication skills: convincing, clear and concise presentation of an argument, keeping an audience’s attention, while balancing the upholding of your delegation’s viewpoint with the need for compromise to find a solution • Development of rebuttal and critical thinking skills, as you will often have to point out flaws or inconsistencies within another delegate’s resolution. Being attentive and having an natural ear for refuting are invaluable in this regard. Benefits to one’s university application: The combination of speech, debate, negotiation, research, and writing makes MUN a nearly perfect extracurricular activity, which is held in high regard by universities around the world. • Universities love the fact that you’ve engaged with a subject that requires actual heavy reading and independent initiative and research on modern issues, something that makes it much more relevant in terms of soft skills (such as researching, organisation, writing, etc.) than any of the sports or artistic clubs. • Gaining a favourable delegation within a committee compels you to take the lead in many regards, as you see your weaker or less relevant allies naturally flock to you during lobbying. The leadership and organisation skills you will develop while dealing with hastily created teams of people that you barely know are highly valued in the business and political sector in particular. • The same applies if/when you make it to the MUN Committee, or chair a committee at an external conference. Both require a degree of maturity, responsibility, and strict adherence to protocol and procedure, as well as thorough organisational and administrative skills • MUN conferences touch upon a wide set of topics that can cover an equally diverse range of possible university courses. Each committee can be tailored to your particular area of interest. For example, prospective medics are drawn to the Health and Environmental committees, lawyers to the Political and Legal committees and the Security Council, Economists to the Economic and Social Council, historians to the Historical Committee, and so on. Just attending will give you a reason and opportunity to research topics you may have previously have been unaware of, hence expanding your “hard” knowledge beyond just the core school curriculum. Universities love this. Please also remember that MUN is something that only a fraction of private schools and an infinitesimal proportion of state schools have the time, resources and interest to actually follow. This means that, as Abingdon pupils, you have an inherent advantage in being able to participate in conferences that other students around the country do not. Use this to your advantage.

What is MUN?

PEACE IS THE MEANS FOR PROSPERITY

What is MUN?

How MUN works 1.

Participants are assigned a UN Member State. They assume the role of that country’s diplomats at whichever UN body is being enacted. The del egations represent the views of ‘their’ country, reflecting that country’s national interests, rather than their own personal opinions on an issue.

The delegates research their country’s position on selected topics, paying particular attention to their country’s perspective on the topics to be dis cussed at the Model UN. The topics are issues of regional or global importance – such as provision of clean water, economic justice or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The delegations come together and enact the UN meeting, based on agreed rules of procedure. The delegates present statements of their countries’ positions and debate and negotiate with the other delegations, both through formal and informal debate.

A resolution is written, debated, negotiated and amended, in line with each country’s interests and in response to the debate. Votes are held on the resolution and amendments are submitted and debated. A final reso lution is produced, which is acceptable to a majority of delegations and represents the final product of the meeting.

One of the resolutions that has been passed within the committee (usually that concerning the most important topic that is also of the highest quality) will be selected by the Chairs and submitted for a wider debate within the General Assembly (GA) on the last day.

What is MUN?

Preparation

nce we have signed up and received our countries from a conference, preparations will begin. The most important thing is to be inquisitive ask questions to me Sam Farrar, Giannis Giortzis or Blake Jones about any queries you have. These typically have three stages: 1. • • • •

Get a General Overview of Your Country Use the following databases: BBC Country Profiles CIA World Factbook Encyclopedia Britannica’s Countries of the World

You may wish to visit the official website of the country you’re representing as well to see recent notable events and whether it has any special affiliation with any other countries. 2. Research the Committee-Specific Details • Go on Wikipedia.org and search for the issue or conflict that you will be discussing in your committee. Skim-read through the article (some may be quite long), focusing only on the areas directly relating to the issue at hand • Find your Background Papers on the conference website and read about the specific topics your chairs want to discuss or resolve. Be aware that most chairs are lazy and may use the exact same sources (usually paraphrasing the material) as you! • Consider your country’s aims and goals for the committee you will be participating in beforehand something that will inevitably define your stance on the issue. Note that some countries may be neutral or have no interests in a certain issue, leaving you free to choose sides and alliances. • For more advanced candidates, try www.foreignaffairs.com or your country’s official website and foreign affairs department. • For the Human Rights Commitee, check out the Human Rights Watch website www.hrw.org so that any criticisms of your country’s human rights record can be refuted if necessary. • Crucially, don’t get hung up on the context or the details, but rather consider how the content you’re absorbing will be relevant to a modern debate on the matter! 3. Write a resolution Once you know your issue, think about what your countries aims are. Consider what problems are affecting your country and then think about how you can solve those through your resolution. These will be discussed in more detail in the following section.

What is MUN?

RESOLUTION WRITING HEADERS PREAMBULATORY CLAUSES OPERATIVE CLAUSES

What is MUN?

he ultimate aim of every committee is to pass a resolution to be debated in the General Assembly. This means you want a resolution that not only makes sense and will not be fiercely opposed by the majority of the committee, but also one you can defend and build up. An MUN resolution has a very specific format, that is more tedious than challenging.

Header

A header will always look like the example below; “Your Committee” Committee The Question of “Issue Name As On Conference Website” Submitted by; “Your Delegation” So an example would be; Health Committee The Question of Maternal Mortality Submitted by: Venezuela

Preambulatory Clauses

Preambulatory Clauses always start with a Preambulatory phrase and end with a comma. The aim of the Preamble is to explain the why? of a resolution - why the United Nations should discuss the said issue, as well why your solutions are relevant and necessary. This is usually best done by quoting a prominent member of the UN (such as a current or former Secretary General), or any of their aims such as the Millennium Development Goals. Remember you are solely relaying information. Solutions should not be proposed in the preamble, however it is common to describe other efforts to solve the issue and their respective strengths and weaknesses. The preambular verb is always in italics and underlined. The rest of the clause is in regular text, but at the end of each clause there is a comma. Good Preambular Verbs to Use:

Acknowledging Desiring Noting with approval Affirming Emphasizing Noting with concern Appreciating Expecting Noting with satisfaction Approving Expressing Observing Aware Fully Aware Realising Bearing in mind Guided by Recalling Believing Having adopted Recognising Commending Having considered Seeking Concerned Having noted Taking into consideration Conscious Having reviewed Underlining Considering Mindful Welcoming Convinced Noting Whereas For Example:

Alarmed by the fact that every 24 hours, 800 mothers and the resulting average of 962 children die due to maternal complications that can be prevented with less than 20 hours of training, Reaffirms the state of maternal mortality as one of the key issues of the Millennium Development Goals,

What is MUN? Deeply concerned with the state of maternal care in developing and transitional countries, Recognizing that 98.9% of all maternal deaths take place in developing countries, Noting with deep concern that 80% of maternal deaths are a result of one of three delays - seeking care, arriving at a care facility and receiving appropriate care, Fully Alarmed with South Sudan’s disproportionate amount of maternal mortalities (2,054 in 100,000 live births), There are usually around 10 or more preambulatory clauses in a resolution, although there is no maximum limit on their number. You should aim to include everything that is relevant to the matter at hand, instead of being restricted by an arbitrary limitation on the number of such clauses.

Operative Clauses

Operative clauses are the active core of your resolution. They are what your delegation is recommending the UN do. Often, when people read your resolution, they will skip straight to the operative clauses so they see what you want to do rather than why you want to do it. The operative clauses should be what your delegation wants the UN to recommend. This is where most of your research of your country’s aims and goals will come into play. For instance, if your issue is the “exploitation of Human Rights by Saudi Arabia”, and your delegation is France, then you will not be pushing for sanctions against Saudi Arabia as they are your largest provider of oil. The operative clauses are always numbered and the operative verb is always underlined and in bold. An operative clause is ended with a semicolon “;”, and the final operative clause is ended with a full-stop to signify the end of the resolution.

For Example

1. Recommends all affected states should share information on what is happening on their coastlines and their neighbours coastlines; 2. Encourages joint training activities between multiple states to improve trust, handling of technology, training and general security; 3. Supports all states that face maritime and piracy challenges to develop strong legislation to prosecute criminals; 4. Invites the UN set aside a budget for development of protection and infrastructure for the safekeeping of merchant vessels; 5. Authorises any economies to put strict checks on the origin and meth odology of oil acquisition, and check these with the oil-wells that they specified to screen stolen oil; 6. Requests the arming of merchant ship security personnel with long- range weapons focused on disabling the propellers of the ship - mecha nised bolas or non-explosive torpedoes; 7. Urges the education of impoverished people most susceptible to engage in piracy to remove cultural narratives that may lead fishermen to become pirates

What is MUN?

There are usually 5-10 operative clauses in a resolution. Make sure to cover the whole issue, but most specifically deal with how the issue affects your country. So for example if the issue was piracy in East Africa, as Egypt your issue may be that pirates drive trade away from the Suez Canal, so one of your operative clauses could be: “Recommends nations on the Gulf of Aden (Somalia, Kenya, Djibouti, Eritrea) participate in joint naval exercises to improve efficiency when dealing with pirate threats” This is a successful operative clause because: • Your delegation (Egypt) doesn’t have to spend its own resources to deal with the issue • More collaboration between the countries can have more benefits than just dealing with pirates - may extend to other areas of law enforcement or more general co-operation • It is highly specific in which actions should be undertaken by each nation. There is no “perfect” operative clause that solves an entire issue, which is why there are usually many in a resolution. Make sure to ask a member of the MUN Committee if you have any questions or you want us to read through a resolution.

What is MUN?

MOTIONS MOTIONS AND OTHER IMPORTANT FEATURES OF MUN CONFERENCES

What is MUN?

uring the debate within the committee, delegates can make motions and points to the chairs, the speaker on the floor or the committee as a whole. Here is the list of points and motions that one may use. Of course, it should be noted that most are rarely, if ever, actually used in reality. • Point of Information (POI): This is a point, accepted by the chair, which allows a delegate to ask a short question to the speaker on speech, the topic and/or the resolution as whole. It is only taken at the end of the speech (unlike in debating, where it may interrupt the speaker). The number of POIs taken depends on the amount of time, but three is the usual number. These may be extended if the chairs know that there is enough time to do so, or if they feel that certain points made by the speaker were controversial enough to worth being allocated more response time. Always express your POI as a question! Be aware that that stating a long paragraph and then quickly adding a “Don’t you agree?” at the end is not only disingenuous, but also something that may lead to the speaker not fully following the point that you’re trying to make. If you are the second or third delegate selected in order to make a POI, and a point identical to yours has already been made, do not repeat it! Simply address the chairs with “My point has been mentioned already”, and sit down. • Point of Order: This is a point only accepted by the chair if a delegate finds another delegate out of order. “Out of order” usually refers to issues such as hostility or inappropriate behaviour or language. This also can also be directed to the chairs as well. The chair will then rule whether the delegate is in fact out of order or not and take action appropriately. Points of Order should never interrupt a speaker, and, as they are conducted only through the chair, dialogue between individual delegates should be avoided. • Point of Parliamentary Procedure: This is a point accepted by the chair if a delegate finds that the committee is not following the correct procedure. This point doesn’t interrupt the speaker and the decision on it lies with the chairs. It is always recommended to have carefully read a word-by-word account of the proper rules and procedure for the conference before going ahead with such a point. • Point of Personal Privilege: This is a point accepted by the chair if a delegate is having difficulties in debate, including someone speaking too loudly or quickly, the room being too noisy or too hot/cold, etc. This is the only point that may actually interrupt the speaker. The chairs usually address the delegate’s complaint quickly and without further discussion, and the debate then proceeds as normal. • Permission to Approach the Chair: This request must not interrupt the speaker and a delegate will ask it, if they need to speak to or give something to the chair. A delegate should not take it upon themselves to walk to the chair without permission. It’s strongly recommended that you only start talking to the chair(s) when you’re at the top of the room, instead of shouting across it as you walk forwards.

What is MUN?

All motions listed next need to be seconded and without objection to be carried by the chair. Some are at the chair’s discretion only. • Motion to Extend Debate Time (at the Chair’s discretion) • Motion to Extend Points of Information (at the Chair’s discretion) • Motion to Evict (at the Committee and Chair’s discretion) • Motion to Move into Time Against (This will only be entertained on the debate of amendments and the closed debate at the end of a resolution by a committee) • Motion to Move into Voting Procedure (This rests with the Committee but if delegates object and/or there are still delegates wishing to speak, the chairs will not entertain this motion) • Motion to Make a Friendly Amendment (This motion rests with the committee and makes grammatical or factual changes to the resolution and/or amendments) • Motion to Divide the House (This will be entertained if, on reading out the results of a vote, there are enough abstentions to pass the resolution if it initially failed. For example if a resolution initially failed (10 votes for, 12 against and 5 abstentions) this motion would be entertained. This motion can only serve to pass a resolution not fail it. The vote will then be redone without abstentions.

What is MUN?

Results

n order to incentivise the delegates to put effort into preparing notes and resolutions before the conference and urge them to stay active during the debate, all conferences have some form of recognition or award system at the end. MUN conferences at a School level have a rubric to define the criteria for award giving, with those for the best delegate of a committee or the conference being similar to the following: • •

Overall great passionate, well researched, active and influential delegate. Demonstrates the following critical skills in committee: • ○ Research and Thinking of Possible Solutions • ○ Research of State Policy • ○ Public Speaking • ○ Resolution/Clause Writing • ○ Coalition Building and Compromise • ○ Parliamentary Procedure • This delegate is smart and makes great points in the committee room. In unmoderated caucus they participate actively in the drafting of bills. In addition the bills she/he submit are well written and are on policy. Possible awards may include: 1. An outstanding delegation, and a set of commended and highly com mended ones; 2. The best and highly commended delegates within each separate commit tee, and possibly the best delegate overall; 3. A range of committee-specific “joke awards”, which are voted for and announced informally within the committee itself at the end of its pro ceedings. 1. and 2. are announced to the whole conference on the closing ceremony on the last day of the conference. The best delegation and delegates are conventionally stored and displayed prominently within the hosting location and the school’s website for future years.

It is undoubtedly true that Model UN has a rather steep learning curve for new members, who have to not only carry out a substantial amount of research, but also have to adjust to the procedures and the vocabulary used. At first, this may appear to be a daunting prospect; however, familiarity breeds confidence and thus allows one to more willingly engage in the “nitty-gritty” of diplomacy, resolution-writing, and debating. The consensus is that your first conference is undoubtedly the most perplexing, as the attempts to consume vast amounts of new information in the course of just one or two days are usually rather overwhelming. However, from the second conference onwards, you fall into the rhythm and pace of an MUN conference, something that allows you to “take control” of the conference and get what you want out of it: whether it be a good debate, thorough research on an interesting issue, or just a chance to have a few laughs along the way.

What is MUN?

GLOSSARY A PLACE OF REFERENCE FOR COMMONLY USED MUN TERMS

What is MUN?

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. Ambassador - The leader of a Model UN delegation or team. This is the most senior and experienced member of that delegation. Amendment - A change to a draft resolution on the floor. It can be of two types: a “friendly amendment” is supported by the original draft resolution’s sponsors, and is passed automatically, while an “unfriendly amendment” is not supported by the original sponsors and must be voted on by the committee as a whole. Background guide - A guide to a topic being discussed in a Model UN committee usually written by conference organisers and distributed to delegates before the conference. This is the starting point for any research before a Model UN conference and is also known as a topic guide. Binding - Having legal force in UN member states. Security Council resolutions are binding, as are decisions of the International Court of Justice; resolutions of the General Assembly and Economic and Social Council are not. Bloc - A group of countries that form a logical combination because of geographical, economic, or cultural similarities (e.g. G8, African bloc, Arab League). Caucus - A break in formal debate in which countries can more easily and informally discuss a topic. There are two types: moderated caucus and unmoderated caucus. Usually some of a committee’s most productive work is accomplished during caucuses. Chair – Also known as a moderator, this is a member of the dais that moderates debate, keeps time, rules on points and motions and enforces the rules of procedure. Delegate - A participant acting as a representative of a member state or observer in a Model UN committee. Delegation - The entire group of people representing a member state or observer in all committees at a particular Model UN conference, usually each delegation will be from a certain school. Draft resolution - A Working Paper which has been signed by sponsor countries and approved for debate by the chair. A draft resolution seeks to fix the problems addressed by a Model UN committee and must be submitted in the correct format. If passed by the committee, the draft resolution will become a resolution. Flow of debate - The order in which events proceed during a Model UN conference. Formal debate - The “standard” type of debate at a Model UN conference, in which delegates speak for a certain time in an order based on a speakers’ list. They must also formally yield the floor to questions, the chair, or another delegate.

What is MUN?

Gavel - The tool, shaped like a small wooden hammer, which the chair uses to keep order within a Model UN committee. Lobbying - Informal caucusing between a small group of delegates, usually outside the committee room while debate is still in progress. One may wish to lobby another delegate for support on a resolution or policy option, but must be used with caution. 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. Moderated caucus - A type of caucus in which delegates remain seated and the Chair calls on them one at a time to speak for a short period of time, enabling a freer exchange of opinion than would be possible in formal debate. Motion - A request made by a delegate that the committee as a whole does something. Some motions might be to go into a caucus, to adjourn, to evict, to enact a right of reply, or to move into voting bloc. Non-member / observer - A state, national organisation, regional organisation, or non-governmental organisation that is not a member of the UN but participates in its debates. Observers can vote on procedural matters but not substantive matters. Examples are the Holy See, Palestinian Authority or Red Cross. On the floor - At a Model UN conference, when a working paper or draft resolution is first written, it may not be discussed in debate. After it is approved by the Director and introduced by the committee, it is put “on the floor” and may be discussed. Operative clause - The part of a resolution following the Preamble which describes how the UN will address a problem. These numbered clauses set out actual solutions and initiatives for the committee to undertake, and always begin with a verb (such as: decides, establishes, recommends). Placard - A piece of card with a country’s name on it that a delegate raises in the air to signal to the Chair that he or she wishes to speak. Point - A request raised by a delegate for information or for an action relating to that delegate. Examples include a point of order, a point of inquiry, and a point of personal privilege. Position paper - An informal paper written by a delegate before a Model UN conference summarising their country’s position on a topic, including its track record on the issue, policy targets and proposed solutions. Preambulatory clause - The clauses at the beginning of a resolution that introduce the issue by describing previous actions taken on the topic and reasons why the resolution is necessary. Each begins with a participle or adjective (noting, concerned, regretting, aware of, recalling, etc.). They are not numbered. Resolution - A document that has been passed by a UN body aiming to address a particular problem or issue. The UN equivalent of a law.

What is MUN? Right of Reply - A right to speak in reply to a previous speaker’s comment, invoked when a delegate feels that their personal or national integrity has been insulted or slandered by another’s speech. It is easily the most over-attempted and misused motion in Model UN debating – delegates often fail to understand that asking for a ‘Right of Reply’ is making a very serious accusation and must not be abused. The Director decides whether to grant the Right of Reply and their decision is not open to appeal. If granted the Chair will normally ask the offending party if they wish to apologise. Rules of Procedure - The rules by which a Model UN committee is run. Second - To agree with a motion being proposed. Many motions must be seconded before they can be brought to a vote. Secretariat - The most senior staff of a Model UN conference. Secretary General - The leader of a Model UN conference. Security Council - The most powerful body within the UN, it is comprised of fifteen members, five of which are permanent and have the power of veto (see veto). It is responsible for the UN’s peace and security policy, dealing with conflict through peacekeeping, sanctions and other measures. Signatory - A country that wishes 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 some minimum number of sponsors and signatories for a draft resolution to be approved. Simple majority – 50 per cent plus one of the number of delegates in a committee. The amount needed to pass most votes. Speakers’ list - A list that determines the order in which delegates will speak. Whenever a new topic is opened for discussion, the Chair will create a speakers’ list by asking all delegates wishing to speak to raise their placards and calling on them one at a time. During debate, a delegate may indicate that he or she wishes to be added to the speakers’ list by sending a note to the dais. Your country’s name cannot be on the speakers’ list more than once at a time. Substantive - Having to do with the topic being discussed. A substantive vote is a vote on a draft resolution or amendment already on the floor during voting bloc. Only member states (not observer states or non-governmental organisations) may vote on substantive issues. Supermajority (also known as a qualified majority) - a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified greater level of support that the traditional 50% simple majority. When this is needed in MUN, the bar is set at at least twothirds (67%) of the vote. 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. UN (United Nations) - The international organisation created in 1945 from the legacy of World War II to promote and protect international peace and security, co-operation, and human rights worldwide. Its legitimacy comes from the UN Charter, with its major bodies including the Security Council, the General Assembly, and the various committees that comprise the Economic and Social Council.

What is MUN?

Veto - The ability, held by China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States, to prevent any draft resolution in the Security Council from passing by voting against it. Vote - A time at which delegates indicate whether they do or do not support a proposed action for the committee. There are two types: procedural and substantive. Voting bloc/Voting procedure - The period at the end of a committee session during which delegates vote on proposed amendments and draft resolutions. Nobody may enter or leave the room during voting bloc. Working paper - Sometimes informally called an ‘idea paper’, these are documents in which the ideas of some delegates on how to resolve an issue are proposed. A working paper is drawn up in the form of a resolution, but its status as a “working paper” allows for amendments to be made which do not require the support of the entire committee, only the sponsors themselves. Working papers are one step below a draft resolution, and many are often combined into one. Their overall purpose is to set out specific solutions or policy stances on an issue that can be debated within the committee. Yield - In formal debate the delegate must yield his/her time at the beginning of their speech in one of three ways: 1. to the chair: once the speech is over the chair takes the floor and moves on with the speaker’s list 2. to questions: delegates can ask questions to the speaker for his/her remaining time 3. to another delegate: another speaker uses up the remaining time to give a speech, but cannot yield themselves. Produced by Giannis Giortzis, Sam Farrar, Tom Hampshire and Blake Jones.