Understanding

MUN
(MODEL UNITED NATIONS)
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

01 First Section
Historical Background 02 Second Section
UN Terminologies

03 Third Section
Model UN conference 04 Fourth Section
Research Skills
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

05 Fifth Section
Who are our Allies? 06 Six Section
Foregin Policies

07 Seventh Section
Position Papers 08 Eight Section
Resolution Papers
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

09 Ninth Section
Opening Speech 10 Tenth Section
Model UN Simulation
01
First Section
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
HOW MODEL UNITED NATION (MUN) WAS FORMED?
1. At the end of WWII(1939-45),UN was
established with its headquarters in
New York.
2. In the 1950s, MUN began to appear
to encourage students to simulate
the workings of the UN in order to
have a greater understanding of
diplomacy and politics.
3. Today there are 193 members
reflecting their respect that this body
has around this world.
4. The 4 basic aims of UN are:
Peacekeeping, Peace Building ,
Conflict Prevention and Humanitarian
Aim.
 FOUNDING MEMBERS
● There are 51 founding members all around the world.
● There are 6 committees to provide a structure for UN :
○ General Assembly
○ Security Council
○ Economic/Social Council
○ Trusteeship Council
○ Secretariat
○ International Court of Justice
 MUN is a forum to give young
people opportunity to understand
the workings of the UN.
 02
Second Section
UN Terminologies
 THE TWO MAIN UN TERMINOLOGIES
Points Motions

● Point of Inquiry ● Motion to open the Speaker

● Point of Information List on the Agenda
● Point of Personal Privilege ● Motion to Move into
● Point of Order Moderated Caucus
● Right to Reply ● Motion to extend Moderated
Caucus
● Motion to Move into
Unmoderated Caucus
● Motion to Extend
Unmoderated Caucus
● Motion to Move into Voting
Procedures
● Motion to Close the Debate
● Motion to Adjourn the
Meeting
 POINTS
Point of Inquiry Point to Information Point of Personal Privilege
❖ Also known as parliamentary ❖ Always used as a question to ❖ Raised when delegate
inquiry ask delegate during speech. experience discomfort
❖ Purpose: ❖ Only to ask if delegate is during proceedings in
➢ Clarify a doubt open to points to information. committee.
➢ Question regarding the ❖ Eg:- “Can the delegate ❖ Eg:- “Please could the
session. elaborate on this topic…”. air-conditioning be
❖ Eg:- “How much more time do turned off “
we have until this moderate
caucus”

Point of Order Right to Reply

❖ Raised when another delegate,or
❖ Raised if the delegate feels that
sometimes if the chair is not
speaker has mentioned
adhering to the rules of procedure
information or statements that
of the committee.
❖ Delegates must be careful when use
can be considered as an attack
on nation’s integrity.
❖
this point.
Eg:- “Please could the delegate
❖ Eg:- “Could the delegate give an
example to prove the statement
refrain from using personal
about Germany’s corruption
pronouns”
 MOTIONS
To open the Speaker To Move into To Extend
List on the Agenda Moderated Caucus Moderated Caucus
- Established at the - Usually raised once the - Used if the time originally
beginning of the speaker list has been allotted has elapsed and the
conference. exhausted or if time has delegates feel that more
- It introduces the time is needed to discuss the
elapsed for the debate.
country’s stance, policies topic.
- Means that the
and proposed solutions - The delegate needs to
for the topic in limited committee would be propose the duration of the
time. moving into a focused extension, which cannot
debate on a specific exceed the original duration
subtopic. of the Moderated Caucus.
To Move into To Extend To Move into Voting
Unmoderated Caucus Unmoderated Caucus Procedures
- Used to edit and finalise the - Used if the time originally - Used to move into voting
draft resolutions. allotted has elapsed and the procedures if he/she/they
- It means that the committee feels that sufficient
delegates feel the need for more
would be moving into an discussion on the draft
informal session wherein time to finish writing their
resolutions have occurred
delegates can freely discuss, resolution papers. and the delegate wishes for
negotiate, and finalise their - The delegate needs to propose the committee to vote on
draft resolutions. the duration of extension the resolutions on the floor.
 Motion to Close the Motion to Adjourn
Debate the Meeting

- Used in two ways: - Used to end the committee session

● To close the debate in the draft until the next scheduled session of
the committee.
resolution: used if they want to
- Used to cease the session for lunch
stop all the debates in the or for dinner purposes.
resolution being discussed. If - Requires an immediate majority
granted, the draft resolution vote.
would be considered final and
could not be edited by the
delegates.
● To close the debate in the topic
area: Raised to adjourn the
agenda as a whole.
 03
Third Section
Model UN Conference
 Roll Call Setting an Agenda
➔ Done at the beginning of session in alphabetical
order. ➔ These are the two to three topics
➔ Delegates answer in two types of statements, i.e discussion in the conference.
Present or Present and Voting ➔ The order of discussion of these agendas
➔ Present : Delegate answering with this can vote are set by delegates through voting
in either favour or against. Moreover can process.
abstain on substantial matters. ➔ A simple majority is needed to set the
➔ Present and Voting : Delegate answering with agenda.
this can only vote in favour and against. ➔ Sometimes delegates debate upon to get
➔ Quorum or 1/3 rd members must be present to to a simple majority.
start a debate. ➔ One must take in notice of the time
➔ Coming after roll call requires a note send to constraints and keep in mind about the
committee chair or approach them directly. last agenda or processing.

TIP FOR THE ROLL CALL :

ALWAYS TRY TO ANSWER WITH “PRESENT AND

VOTING”. IT SHOWS THAT YOU ARE FIRM WITH
YOUR STANDPOINTS.
 Debate
➔ Debates occurs in two way in MUN:
◆ Formal Debate ➔ Moderated Caucus : Occurs when a motion is
◆ Informal Debate passed by any delegate and approved by the
committee during the proceeding vote.
➔ Formal Debate : It’s that debate where the
speaker list is established and all the ➔ Unmoderated Caucus : Here all the
proceedings are in effect. parliamentary procedures are suspended
➔ Formal debate is followed by moderated caucus and delegates are free to walk in the room
and unmoderated caucus. and discuss with others. The time duration
◆ Speaker list : The list of delegates wish to varies from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.
speak on the set agendas in the TIP FOR UNMODERATED CAUCUS:
conference which is referred as opening Be polite while speaking to other delegate. Listening
speech. to others is the key point during unmoderated
caucus.
TIP FOR FORMAL DEBATE:
IF IT’S YOUR FIRST TIME GIVING OPENING SPEECH :
1. GIVE A POWERFUL AND INFORMATIVE ➔ Lobbying : It means when one delegated
SPEECH. tries to stance or influence other delegate. It
2. BE READY FOR QUESTIONS is the perfect opportunity for one to know
3. LET THE OTHER DELEGATES KNOW YOUR who is their ally and opposer.
POTENTIAL AND YOU CAN BE THERE ALLY.
 Resolutions Voting and Debate
on Amendments
➔ It is the paper read by the main sponsors
and gives a whole overview of the resolution ➔ An amendment is submitted by any delegate
as whole. during the formal debate.
➔ The delegates delivers a speech also after ➔ If it’s approved by Chair then points and
listening the resolution in favour or against. motions are raised on that.
➔ The Point to information plays a very ➔ Usually these have a greater impact on the
important role. Both for proposition and resolution and proceedings.
opposition. ➔ A new speaker list is made for those who
want to speak in for and against about the
amendments.

Voting on Resolutions
➔ It’s only done when the debate is closed or
TIP FOR RESOLUTION TIME: the speaker list is exhausted.
ALWAYS CHOOSE A SIDE WHILE THE RESOLUTION ➔ During voting no one is allowed to walk or
TIME AS IT WILL SHOW THAT HOW DELEGATE IS roam around the vote or else he/she will get
NEUTRAL AND CAN BE A PART OF DEBATE AND suspended.
PROCEEDING ➔ Here is one vote is given to each member
and they have a roll call process for voting.
➔ Sometimes they have a chance to explain
their votings by saying out-loud “yes with
reason” or “no with reason”.
 Closure and
Adjournment of Debate
➔ Usually any delegate can approach for
closing the debate but it needs 2/3rd
majority for closure before time.
➔ It is closed when sufficient discussion has
done about the topic.
➔ When the motion to adjourn the debate is
passed no one can visit the debate or topic
to discussion.

Difference between THIMUN and UNAUSA

THIMUN UNAUSA

It’s originated from The Hague and British It’s originated from Robert’s Rule of Order
Parliamentary Process. and American Congressional Process.

Their first day is solely dedicated to UNAUSA usually have shorter

lobbying and a large time period of unmoderated caucus time period in
unmoderated caucus. committees or can say less lobbying time

It emphasize on amending resolution and It build up a lot of arguments with possible

discussing the merits and demerits. solution
 04
Fourth Section
Research Skills
 Sources for Research

- Researching or having research

skills is one of the main things to
become a good delegate.
- Rather than using internet one
can look into numerous other
resources :
- Books
- Articles
- Documentaries
- Interviews
TIPS FOR BEING A GOOD
RESEARCHER:

1. Don’t just prefer the first

article pop out in the search
engine always try to find
other articles to prove the
information is correct.
2. Always check the date of the
article. Is it upto date?
3. Check the authenticity of the
article. Are you getting any
related content supporting
your information?
4. Make sure to compare you
article with various other.
 Books
➔ Books always help to put everything in context.
➔ Skimming and scanning are important skills to learn and books make this more kinesthetic
activity.
➔ Remember to write down the name of the book title and page number in your paper for
reference
 Articles and Magazines
➔ Books always help to put everything in context.
➔ Skimming and scanning are important skills to learn and books make this more kinesthetic
activity.
➔ Remember to write down the name of the book title and page number in your paper for
reference
 Documentaries
➔ Documentaries are very useful when there are recent upheavals in the country.
➔ The content can be bias so always check who is the producer. For eg : “Where to Invade Next”
by MIchael Moore is one of the best source of documentaries.
➔ Remember to write down the documentary name and episode in your paper for reference.
 Personal Interviews
➔ The personal interviews depend on the country you are representing.
➔ Make set of questions you want to ask and gain the quantitative data.
➔ The best gained from interviews to asking questions in form of “yes” or “no” or multiple choice.
➔ The interview must be open-ended structured questions interview.

York Model United Nations (YorkMUN) 2012: What’s your mission? interview
 Research
➔ Research is the essential part of being a good delegate.
➔ It makes you stand the other delegates and really understand your country.
➔ The skills used in researching help in other areas of academic.
 05
Fifth Section
Who are our allies?
 WHO ARE OUR ALLIES?

- During an MUN, make sure you

have a rounded knowledge on
your country in relation to other
countries.
- Many countries have traditional
‘enemies’.
- As a delegate, you must consider
carefully who you agree with
before attending the MUN.
If you know who your allies should be, then you can work with them to deliver
a unified solution to an issue. You will:

- Need to be aware of the countries that may be resistant to any solutions

you may offer (for this, you might want to consider what you could
include that would ameliorate them and be ready to explain your
reasoning in order to make your proposals in a favourable light).
- Need to consider what has happened historically between the countries,
as well as what is happening in the news at the moment.
- Need to research the past and have news updates readily available to
you.

NOTE: Public opinion can vary immensely and public forum present
many personal views that can be influenced by private discussions.
Why does arguments happen between countries?

Arguments between countries can be for many reasons. Secrecy always scares
other countries, thus the UN tries to encourage open discussions. Nationalism,
religion and alliances have all been blamed for war in the past.

Now, the world is a more settled place. The most significant indicator of
alliances comes through trade. Economic stability helps all countries to grow,
so now commodities and bargaining powers are very important.

For example, a country which is rich in oils will find themselves with many
allies/trading partners.
 06
Six Section
Foreign Policies
 FOREIGN POLICIES

Every country will formulate its own foreign policy. This looks to protect and
preserve the country whilst appreciating the necessity to interact with other
countries in a peaceful and fruitful way. Here are some examples of some questions
to keep in mind while comparing two foreign policies:

- Could they come into conflict with each other?

- Who would they want as their trade partners?
- What changes can they make to improve their foreign policies?
 Foreign Policy Objectives for
Pakistan

Foreign Policy Objectives for Bangladesh

07
Seventh Section
Position Papers
 Importance of Position paper

- It’s one of the most important document that every delegate must have
during conference.
- It is the document which contains a country’s stance and policy on topics
being discussed in the conference.
- Position paper is mostly a one-and-a-half page length paper.
- It basically helps the delegate to organize their ideas and thoughts.
Here is an example of the position
paper of the country ‘Republic of
Chile’:
Parts of Position Paper Content

INTRODUCTION ❏ Background on the topic

❏ Relevance of the topic to the
country
❏ Stance and Position of the
country regarding the issue.

BODY ❏ Explanation of country’s stance

using evidence
❏ UN conventions and international
treaties signed
❏ Causes and effects of the problem
❏ Past govt. Actions and its
jurisdiction
❏ Identify main hurdles that
prohibits the effectiveness of govt.
action

CONCLUSION ❏ Proposed steps to be taken

❏ Gist of what type of resolutions
would be supported by your
country.
❏ Country’s goal in the conference.
COMMON MISTAKES:

➔ Not acknowledging the foreign policy of the country.

➔ Copy and pasting from online sources such as news articles ,

speeches , government documents and the like.

➔ Talking only about the facts about the country’s stance

without identifying strategies enacted and possible future
action of the country.

➔ Lack of clarity.

➔ Excessive use of graphics

TIPS:
➔ Keep it as simple and concise as possible.
➔ Ensure that there is clarity and organisation in your paper.
➔ Mention sources through footnotes.
08
Eighth Section
Resolution Paper
 What is a Resolution Paper?

- It is the heart of every MUN conference.

- It’s that document which contains details the policies delegates wish
to enact.
- It is usually a product of all the discussions that occurred in the
committee.
Here is a sample resolution paper
for reference:
 Research on your country’s current policy issue and pay attention
to the programmes and laws effect on the country. Delegates may
also need to know the current developments on the issue.

Read previous resolutions passed by the UN. Also look through

the reports of international organisations for ideas.
PROCESS OF
DRAFTING Draft the preambulatory clauses (The introduction and background
RESOLUTION on the topic in hand).
PAPER
Identify what are the root causes and problems caused by the
issue that you will need to address.

Draft the operative clauses.

Ask yourself if the clauses are detailed enough and if it’s multi-
faceted and feasible solution to the problem.

Proofread and edit your paper. FInalise your resolution paper.

TIPS ON WRITING A RESOLUTION PAPER :

1. Always try to printing the page from UNA-USA’s website with all the
preambulatory and operative phrases and putting that document in
your Research Binder. This will make the phrases very easy to
reference to when delegates need to write them in committee. Most
major conferences also provide their own list in their conference
program or website.

2. Also recommend practicing translating ideas into preambulatory and

operative clauses if you are not used to it already.

3. Always try to have pre- written clauses as it will help in gaining

alliances and support your paper.

TIP FOR MAKING A GOOD PREAMBULATORY CLAUSE :

Remember at least have minimum of 4 clauses in the resolution paper. Also

these clauses are rarely debated on so don’t put more time on formulating
them.
09
Ninth Section
Opening Speeches
 OPENING SPEECHES
Delivering a good opening speech is vital as conference usually begin with the
formal debate in which the speaker list is opened.

Opening speeches usually allows the delegates to determine who are their
possible allies and possible collaborators for their draft resolutions.

They also are followed by points of information, however, it is always better to

accept at least 2 points of information as this would show the committee that the
delegate is prepared and well-researched.

A delegate shall make sure not to focus only on their own speech but to the
speeches of the rest of the committee too . This is because, delegates usually give
crucial information during their speeches, which would allow the other delegates to
get a better understanding of the stance and aim during the committee session.
 PARTS OF AN OPENING SPEECH
Greeting ➔ Most of the opening speeches start by acknowledging the presence of
the committee chair/s and of the delegates.
➔ Make sure not to spend too much time in it.

Background/ ➔ Forego the traditional greeting and opt to begin their speech with a
Importance/ catchy statement. This can be done through: statistics, facts, quotations,
Relevance of the etc.
topic to your ➔ Delegates should elaborate on how the issues related to the country
country assigned and how important the country deems the issue to be.

Country’s stance ➔ The committee should be able to determine your stance on the issue.
➔ State if you are for or against the issue.
➔ In addition, give a brief explanation or justification on the country’s
stance.

Past actions of ➔ Must mention the concrete examples of previous laws, policies and
your country programmes the country being represented has passed previously.
➔ It shows the committee, the commitment and the activeness of the
country to solve the problem at hand.
 PARTS OF AN OPENING SPEECH

Your country’s ➔ It is always better to include your proposed solutions in your speech in
proposed solution order to give the other delegates an idea of what they can find in your
proposed resolutions.
➔ This may give way to the possible allies approaching you to merge
resolutions and to form voting blocs.

Closing ➔ End your speech with what you are looking forward to and what you
aim to achieve during the conference.
Points to remember while delivering an opening speech:

➢ Watch your tone and your clarity.

➢ Ensure that your pace is good. Don’t speak too fast.
➢ Consider your audience. Tailor your speech according to the age and the
level of expertise of other delegates in your committee.
➢ Be concise and to the point.
➢ Do not use personal pronouns and avoid the overuse of words such as
“like”, “umm” and “so”.
➢ Practise your speech before the conference if possible.
➢ Do not read off your speech.
➢ Check if your speech is within the time frame if indicated.
➢ Ensure that there are no loopholes, contradictory statements and
offending remarks in your speech.
➢ Maintain a proper posture during your speech; it helps in showing that
you are confident in what you are trying to convey.
Sample Opening Speech
10
Tenth Section
Model UN Simulation
 MODEL UN SIMULATION
Before attending an actual Model UN
Conference, it is important to have
practiced the proceedings of MUN in its
entirely.

This is usually done by conducting a

simulation within the school either in
parts or one session.

It is recommended to have regular

sessions conducted that will deal with
each part of an MUN Conference as well
as conducting a full-scale simulation.
 Full-Scale Simulation
- A full-scale simulation can take anywhere between 2-5 hours depending on the
committee.
- It is advisable to conduct 2 hours of full-scale simulation before attending an
actual conference.
- The first simulation is the time for the delegates to see and learn the proceedings.
- The first simulation follows a pause and play format wherein proceedings are
suspended to enable the chair to explain what is happening within the committee
and to guide the students to the next part of the session.
- The second simulation is the time for the students to apply and integrate all the
skills that they have learned from the previous sessions.
- It is during the second simulation that students should evaluate whether they
have learned all the necessary skills to be able to participate in an actual Model
UN Conference.