A MUN meeting goes like this:

1. Introduction of chair
2. Roll call
3. Choose topic A / B
4. Two delegates speak in favor, two speak against it. 
5. Vote in favor or against the topic
6. Open the speakers list
7. Set time limit on speeches
8. Formal debate - countries give speeches  (point of information, point of order, etc.)
9. A regional bloc introduces a resolution about the agenda topic
10. Return to formal debate - more country speeches
11. Motion for caucus time (discuss resolution)
12. Return to formal debate - more country speeches
13. Motion for informal debate (debate resolution)
14. Country introduces amendment (a change to the resolution)
15. Return to formal debate - more country speeches
16. Motion for more informal debate or caucus time (talk about amendments and resolution)
17. More amendments
18. More debate
19. Close speakers list (no countries can be added to the list)
20. Finish speakers list - more country speeches (countries may take their name off the speakers list)
21. Closure of debate
22. Vote on amendments
23. Vote on resolution
24. Return to START
25. Begin again with a different topic

Point of Information, What do I do?

When recognized to state a Point of Information, a question, by the chair:

1. After a delegate competes their speech, the chair will inquire whether the speaker is open to Points of Information.  If the speaker is open to questions (and the speaker may or may not be), then you should raise your country’s name card to ask a question.  If your country is recognized, then you may rise and state your P.O.I.  Address your question concisely to the delegate, and allow the speaker to answer.  Do NOT engage in an argument or conversation with the speaker, whether you agree with the answer or not.
2. The only appropriate time to pose a P.O.I. is when the char asks for them.  Do NOT raise your country’s name care before the chair asks, it is technically out of order.  A P.O.I. is exactly that: a Point.  No more than one question can be asked per Point of Information.
3. When stating a P.O.I. , the delegate to whom the point is directed to must be addressed with respect.  An example:  “Most honourable delegate of Japan…”.
4. Make sure you make the best out of each question, as you only get a few.
5. Be as specific as possible when you ask a question.  This will ensure that your point comes through clearly.
6. Try to phrase it in such a way that is can’t be answered with a yes or no statement.
7. Listen carefully to other speeches so you don’t repeat points already discussed.
8. Try to write your question down first.  Work on the wording from your seat not when you are asking the question.
9. Pre-plan on what you wan to do with the resolution (pass it or fail it) so that you can come up with constructive questions to prove your arguments.
10. Ask another delegation to ask a question for you if you have already been called on several times.
11. Immediately challenge the speaker if they state a fact without supporting it:  “This resolution is vague.”  Ask:  “Which clauses, specifically, are vague?”  Why do you classify clauses 6 on line 45 as vague?

RESOLUTION QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

When handed a resolution that you, the delegate, has never seen before you should ask these questions about each resolution and remember these tips:

1. Is this resolution realistic?  Can it be done?
2. Does it have a strong clauses that actually solve something or is it just an “air” resolution?  à  One that sounds good but really says nothing.
3. What are the fundamental operations mechanisms for change?  How does this resolution intend to change the status quo?
4. Does this resolution comply with the moral ideals of my country?
5. How will this resolution benefit my country should it pass?
6. Are there any new thoughts/ideas/approaches or is it just conventional?
7. Have these actions already been implemented?
8. Are there any actions that are in violation to the UN Charter?
9. Are there any specific clauses that support/violate your country’s policies?
10. How can I help strengthen the wear parts of a country’s actual position?  What is the reality of the country’s present actions?
11. What will the impact be on my country’s national sovereignty?
12. Mark every clause, bad, or not sure.  This will give you a game plan on what you want to point out, ask questions on, or what clauses to amend, or change.  Analyze and point out the flaws or the benefits of every resolution.

WHEN YOU TAKE THE FLOOR TIPS

A.  When you, the delegate, take the floor:

1. Be confident.  Show the delegates that you know your topic well.
2. Maintain professionalism.  The more professional you are the more serious people will take you.
3. Slow down when speaking.  Project your voice and annunciate every word.  If you sound confident and strong people will be willing to listen to you.
4. Don’t read off a paper when speaking for or against a resolution.  Have a few key points written down and then discuss the topic.
5. Be friendly.  Thank the delegate for their question.  Remember you are trying to make allies, not enemies.
6. Be positive and don’t take criticisms personally.
7. If you are the main submitter of a resolution, try to be the last speaker in open debate.  The final thing you want other delegates to hear is positive information about the resolution.
8. If you aren’t sure how to answer the question, ask the Chair to have the delegate repeat the question.  This allows you more time to think or understand the question.
9. Plan with other delegates to use the same key phrases over and over again: “this resolution will improve the living conditions or migrant workers”, “this resolution is a violation of national sovereignty”.  Repeating the message will ensure that the other delegates know your main point.
10. When speaking, address the chair as “Honourable Chair” and delegates are “Honourable Delegates”, or “Fellow/Honourable Delegate”.
11. You are under no obligation to answer any questions at all.  The Chair will ask if you are open to any “Points of Information”, or questions after you have finished speaking.  If you are not, just say so.  However, it is advisable to be open to P.O.I., even more advisable to limit the number of questions.  So, limit the number of questions to be asked by other delegates in order to keep delegates happy and to appear confident and firm in your country’s opinion (whether you are or not).
12. If you want a certain country to support you and speak immediately after you, then ask the chair if you may lead the floor to that country.  Unless there are time constraints, the chair will usually grant that request without hesitation.  Keep in mind that the floor can only be yielded to another delegate ONCE.  After Speaker #2 finishes, then the floor must be yielded back to the chair immediately.

General Rules During Debate

                                           General Rules During Formal Debate:

1. Decisions of the Chair are final. If you argue you could be kicked out of the committee. 
2. Only the Chair, or a delegate recognized by the Chair for a point, or the speaker holding the floor has a right to speak.
3. All speakers, including those rising to points, must stand when speaking and address the Chair first (in order to obtain the floor).
4. The Chair may extend or reduce debate times or speaking times and limit the number of points of information.  The Chair may also suspend note passing.
5. Except by a decision of the Chair, there will be no suspension of the rules or changes in the order of debate.
6. There will not be any eating, drinking or laughing allowed at anytime during debate.
7. Remember that this is a formal debate.  The use of slang or any informal language irrelevant to debates will not be allowed, and proper adherence to the rules of Parliamentary Procedure is expected
8. Always address the Chair and your fellow delegates with respect before you commence speaking.  Before starting a speech, say something to the affect of, “Honourable Chair, fellow delegates,’’ and then proceed with your statement.
9. Refrain from using personal pronouns when speaking.  Remember never say “I”.  Always refer to yourself and others by the country being represented.  If you feel the burning urge to use a pronoun, use “we.”  E.g.  If you are answering a question about your country’s opinion, you must say, “Australia feels that…” or “We feel that…” and not “I feel that…” because you are speaking for your country and not yourself.
10. If you have something to say (about the  MUN) to the Chair or any other delegate, outside of debate, DO NOT SPEAK!  Write a note.  Note writing is the preferred form of communication in MUN.

Definition of Debating Language

Definition of Debating Terms (vocabulary)

Chair:  The Chairperson; the role is very important.  It is their job to conduct the debate   and to maintain order, while remaining totally impartial.

House:  All members of the class/General Assembly/gathering, etc.

Submitter:  The person who is proposing the motion in front of the form of a resolution/amendment for debate before the house.

Motion:  The proposal for debate, which will eventually be voted upon.

Have the floor:  To have been given the right to speak in debate.

Yield the floor:  To give up one’s right to the floor.

Order of the Day:  This may be stated if the speaker goes off topic.  This is stated as:  “Is it an order for the delegate to speak about ‘x’ when the subject/topic being covered is “y”?

Point of Personal Privilege:  A point stated when the audience is having difficulty understanding the speaker.  This motion may interrupt the speaker if the speaker cannot be understood (s/he are speaking too softly, too loudly, too fast or not clearly).  When interrupting the speaker to state a Point of Personal Privilege, do so politely loud and clear.  The Chair will then recognize your Point and ask the speaker to speak louder, slower, etc.

Point of Information:  This can only be stated after the speaker finishes speaking and the Chair asks for Points of Information.  This point cannot interrupt the speaker at any time.  A Point of Information should be stated in the form of a question, not a comment.

Point of Order:  A question directed to the Chair by a member of the house who feels that a mistake has been made in the order of debate.  It may not interrupt the speaker, and the country name card must be raised in order for recognition by the Chair.

Point of Parliamentary Inquiry:  This is a point of information directed to the Chair regarding any of the rules of the Parliamentary Procedure.  Delegates wishing to state a Point of Parliamentary Inquiry may not interrupt the speaker to do so.  Eg.  “Honourable Chair.  Is it not an order for the speaker of the failed amendment to retain the floor at this time:”  Again, this point can be a statement or question, depending on its context and phrasing.

Position Paper Sample

Security Council

Republic of Turkey

Israel & the Palestinian Territories

Delegate: Sergio Rivera Partida

I. Topic Background

The Israel/Palestine conflict ultimately boils down to religious tension, and is part of the larger Arab/Israeli conflict.  In 1948, the U.N. partitioned the region of Palestine into two states, one Jewish,  and one Arab, to address the ongoing Jewish-Arab tension.  Jewish leaders accepted the plan, the Palestinian government did not, and the result was a short-lived civil war which ended with Israel declaring independence on May 14, 1948.  For decades after the civil-war, Arab nations refused to recognize Israel's legitimacy as a nation, and in 1964 formed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).  In the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel captured the Gaza strip and Jerusalem from Egypt, and West Bank from Jordan.  In response, several Arab nations banded together and launched the Yom Kippur War against Israel.  No definitive gains were made by either side, however it did lead to the Camp David Accords of 1978, which led to the Egypt-Israeli Treaty. 

Tensions sparked into violence yet again in 1987 with the First Intifada, in which Palestinians living in Israeli-occupied territory revolted.  The First Intifada bore the creation of Hamas, founded by Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, an armed resistance establishment that is prevalent in the current Gaza situation.  In the Oslo Peace Process of 1993,  Israel and the PLO tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a peace agreement.  Its failure was credited to the lack of effort on both sides to uphold the conditions established by the process, such as the promised decrease Israeli settlement activity in West Bank and Gaza, and the acceptance of Israel as a legitimate nation.

In 2000, the Second Intifada broke out in wake of the failed peace attempt.  In 2003,  Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon announced a disengagement plan, which constituted the removal of Israeli civilian and military presence in Gaza, to refute the claim that Gaza was an occupied territory.  However, the 2006 elections of the Palestinian Legislative Council gave rise to the increased political power of Hamas, which complicated any existing attempts at peace.

In December 2008, Israeli military forces launched Operation Cast Lead in response to repeated mortar attacks from Hamas on Israeli civilian areas.  Since then, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed, including hundreds of Palestinian civilians.  On January 18th, 2009, a ceasefire took effect, which has put a end to the violence, at least temporarily.

II.  Past Actions

In 1947, the young U.N. partitioned the conflicted region of the British mandate of Palestine into two states, Israel and Palestine.  Though the Security Council has “primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security,” it has not been able to address and resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict. The Council has taken no significant action since 1967, when it passed Resolution 242 calling on Israel to relinquish the territories acquired during its war with Syria and Egypt.  The UN has condemned Israel for killing civilians in the Gaza Strip.  Many resolutions made by the UN to resolve the conflict have been vetoed by the US, including the demand for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza in 2006.  The US has repeatedly used its veto power in favor of Israel, and, using its influence,  has steered the issue away from the UN agenda.  In January 2009, the US again blocked the UN's demand for an immediate ceasefire. 

III.  Country Policy

Since the start of Israel's aggression in Gaza, our Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has shuttled between Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Syria in a proactive attempt to achieve a ceasefire.  We have verbally assailed Israel for the killing of Palestinian innocents in Gaza and in general.  If any noticeable progress is to be made, Israeli military presence must be withdrawn from the Gaza Strip.  Palestinian homes are often bulldozed by Israeli forces in attempts to "eliminate possible terrorist cover," even though a majority of the houses contain Palestinian civilians.  Practices such as these must be put to an end.  Polls taken in Israel and Palestine confirm that Gaza and West Bank are regarded as Palestinian territory, and should remain so.  Hamas must end its aggression towards Israel, as rocket attacks are what instigated the Gaza strip conflict of 2008-2009.  More importantly, the United States must cooperate with the UN to create a peace resolution, as it has been the blockade of peace attempts dating back many years due to its pro-Israel bias.  The West Bank, an Israeli settlement, is also an obstacle.  Now, Erdogan is using contacts with Hamas, and its backers Iran and Syria, and contacts with Israel and the West, to assume a leading role in trying to broker a cease-fire.  In regards to the refugees present in Gaza, NGO's such as Doctors Without Borders and Red Cross could be implemented to ensure no further degradation of human rights takes place.

We again stress the need for an effective cease-fire to which both Israel and the territory of Palestine respect, there is little prospect Israel can solve the Gaza crisis solely by military means.