2015 YMCA Model UN Conference

Parliamentary Procedure
&
Rules of Debate
Topic
I. General Overview

Page
2-3

This section applies to all committees and sets the general parameters of the
conference procedure

II. Committee Procedure

4-5

This section applies to all committees and explains the process by which
resolutions are developed, presented, and formally discussed.

III. Example Outline of Committee Procedure

6-8

This section applies to all committees and presents the detailed actual steps
taken during the committee procedure explained in the previous section.

IV. Points and All Types of Motions

9-13

This section applies to all committees and provides a detailed listing &
description of the various motions that are available for use during the
conference. Please note that not all these motions are typically used in any
committee session.

V. Specialized Committee Overviews

14-21

This section outlines the unique procedures that are only available in specific
committees.
Historical Security Council & Security Council
14
International Criminal Court & International Court of Justice
16
Council for Economic Advancement
17
Nation Building Committee
19
General Assembly
20
Non-governmental Forum
21

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General Overview (applies to all Committees)

Scope of the Rules
The YMCA Model United Nations Program shall be run in accordance with the
Rules and Procedures contained herein, and all staff, delegates, and
observers shall observe these rules. In all instances, the Rules of
Procedures, along with the rulings of the Secretary General, the authorized
appointees thereof, and the Chairs or Officers of the committees, shall be
final. The Program Staff may alter and/or override any of the rules at any
time as he or she sees fit.
General Powers and Duties
The Program Director(s) and Secretary General shall ensure observance of
these rules and interpret them, have the right to speak, put questions, and
announce decisions in all sessions. He or she, and the officers authorized by
him or her, shall have complete control of all conference proceedings and
shall maintain order therein. The Secretary General and Program Staff shall
have final authority to decide on all controversies.
Courtesy
All Members shall show courtesy and respect to one another, the Chair, and
all other program staff or guests, especially those speaking.
Quorum
The presence of 2/3 of the Representatives of a body shall constitute a
quorum and shall be required for a question to be put to a vote. Quorum
shall be assumed unless challenged by a voting member of the committee.
Agenda
The agenda is set at the start of the first committee session by the Chair of
the Committee.
Speeches
1) Delegates upon recognition by the Chair may deliver speeches. Speeches
should be relevant to the topic under consideration or else the Chair may
call the speaker out of order.
2) Time limits for speeches shall be two minutes subject to modification by
the Chair or Secretary General. Exceeding the time limit may result in
being called out of order.
3) Speakers recognized by the Chair may yield any remaining time to
another delegate of the body by declaring their intention to yield their
time at the beginning of their speech.
4) Speakers may yield to. A speaker may accept as many points of
information from the floor as their remaining time permits. Separate time

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limits or question limits for points of information shall not be permitted.

The speaker may at any time determine that he or she will cease
accepting points of information and thus conclude his or her remarks. A
speaker who is speaking on time that was yielded to him or her may not
yield that time to another delegate or to points of information.
5) Speakers may yield their remaining time to the Author of the Resolution
upon completion of their remarks.

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Committee Procedure (applies to all Committees)

At Y-MUN, a committee will be in one of three modes: unmoderated caucus,
moderated discussion, and formal debate. Each mode provides a different
opportunity to advance discussion on a topic. The three types of debate and
a detailed explanation of each type is provided below.
________________________
_UNMODERATED CAUCUS_
_____________________
MODERATED DISCUSSION
_____________________
RESOLUTION DEBATE__ _

Debate at the YMCA Model United Nations Conference occurs in Moderated

Discussion. A delegate may, by motion, move the discussion to either more
formal debate (Resolution Debate) or more informal debate (Caucus).
Similar to descending or climbing a ladder, from either Resolution Debate
or Caucus, you must pass through Moderated Discussion. Please note
that under no circumstances are you able to go from Caucus to Resolution
Debate.
UNMODERATED CAUCUS:
The Committee will form random groups for a defined period of time (set by
the chair). These groups are formed on an ad-hoc basis to write resolutions,
identify research and discuss the development of resolutions for the
committee.
MODERATED DISCUSSION:
The Committee will begin by having a Moderated Discussion on a topic.
Moderated Discussion is an opportunity for delegates to state their national
position, draft resolutions, strengthen their resolutions and determine which
resolutions have the committees support in a semi-formal manner.
Delegates by motion may either move the debate to more formal discussions
(Resolution Debate) or informal discussion (Caucus)
All delegates must address the Chair in the following manner: State their
name, delegation, and country before addressing the committee.
Example: John Doe, Delegation X, representing the nation of Chad,
Sir/Madam Chair. (Start speech to the committee)

RESOLUTION DEBATE:
Step 1: Introduce a Resolution: Once a resolution receives required 20%
of Signatories, a delegate may make a motion to introduce a resolution. A

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resolution may be introduced by stating Sir/Madam Chair I motion to

introduce name of resolution.
Step 2: Debate on a Resolution: (Moderated By Chair in the following
order)
A. Committee Vice-Chair Reads the Resolution
B. Sponsors provide opening remarks
C. Non-substantive Questions: Questions regarding the Grammar of
the resolution and the Definition of specific words may be asked by
members of the committee.
1. Sponsors may yield time without declaring previously. In order
to yield the sponsor must state Sir/Madam Chair I wish to
yield (state purpose) (ex. my remaining time to my
summation, to questions from the committee, etc.)
2. Sponsors have the option to take questions from the floor in
regards to their resolution. A sponsor may take questions from
the floor by yielding.
D. Vice-Chair may opt to speak on the resolution
E. Debate (20 min/resolution) chairs discretion
1. The Chair will develop a speakers list
2. 2 minutes per speech
3. Delegates may not yield on yielded time
4. Delegates may yield to sponsors closing, to another speaker or
chair
delegate must state desire to yield prior to speaking: Sir/Madam Chair, I reserve my right to
yield time to______.
delegate does NOT need to state desire to yield time to chair prior to speaking

5. Procedural and substantive motions and points are in order

a. Amend
b. Close debate
c. Appeal
F. Vice-Chair may opt to Speak
G. Sponsorship Closing Statement (2 min)
H. Vote
1. 1 vote per country
2. May perform roll call at the discretion of the chair or if division is
called.
Step 3: Resume Moderated Discussion

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Example Outline of Committee Procedure (applies

to all)
I.

Call to order, welcome, introductions, attendance, announces

topics, etc. (10 15 minutes)

II.

Moderated Discussion (approximately 15 to 45 minutes, may be

extended or shortened by the discretion of the chair)
a. Chair will announce an agenda
b. Chair will entertain speeches on all topics and all positions or the
Chair may limit the speeches to just one topic.
c. All Delegates state their official position on the topic(s).
Delegates may also state/read any resolutions or portion of a
resolution that they would suggest to the committee for
adoption.
d. Delegates also state their position on any speech delivered to
the committee during this time period.
e. Delegates should be using this time to identify allies, enemies,
and nations that may be convinced to support their nations
interests.

III. Unmoderated Caucus. Chair will recognize a delegates motion for

the committee to CAUCUS. The committee will move to caucus to
allow more detailed development of resolutions and allow allies to
meet and try to convince others to support their resolution. A time
limit is set on the amount of Caucus time by the Chair. The Chair
may extend the time limit at his/her discretion.
a. Explanations: Explain importance of working during this period,
working resolutions created here will be the basis for the
Conference.
b. Delegates can gather to discuss each topic (for example, if the
committee has four topics. Delegates in each topic group should
discuss and determine how each country feels about the topic
and possible break into further divisions, since there will be
multiple resolutions on each topic.)
c. Groups of allies should begin drafting working resolutions and
winning support for their topic and working resolutions these
are resolutions or ideas that need to be cleaned up and do not
have a predetermined percentage of the committee as a
signatory.
d. People should begin to gather sponsors and signatories.
Sponsors must vote for resolution or withdraw
sponsorship before vote. Signatories only want to discuss
the resolution and may later vote against it.
e. The process should follow this format (roughly):

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i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.
viii.

IV.

V.

Discuss topic
Divide into factions
Discuss solutions
Draft ideas
Gather support and sponsors
Place ideas into a resolution format
Gather official signatories and sponsors
At any point a working resolution that has met these
requirements can be turned into the chair
Moderated Discussion: At conclusion of time limit for the Caucus
the Chair will call the committee back to order. The chair will begin
a moderated discussion to determine the consensus of the
committee and identify any proposals that may be considered as a
resolution. Resolutions will not be immediately recognized so as to
allow all ideas to be presented.
a. After about 15 to 45 minutes, the moderated discussion will
continue until a delegate makes a motion to consider a particular
resolution or a motion is made to return to caucus. If a caucus
is called and the motion is in order the committee will continue
to go back between steps III and IV until a resolution is
developed and considered by the committee.
b. A resolution will only be recognized if it is in the hands of the
chair.
c. The chair will examine the resolution to determine if it satisfies
the number of required signatories. The committee does not
vote on whether to consider a resolution. If the motion is made
and the resolution is properly formatted and supported by the
committee the resolution will automatically be considered by the
committee.
d. When the chair accepts a motion to consider a particular
resolution, the committee moves from moderated discussion into
formal debate, exclusively on that resolution.
Resolution Debate:
a. The vice-chair will read the resolution to the chamber.
b. Sponsors provide opening remarks (5 minutes or less at
discretion of chair but must be set beforehand)
c. Non-substantive questions are asked (any question that does not
have a debatable answer, such as clarification of numbers or
spelling, explanation of terms, etc.).
d. Vice Chair may opt to make comments on the resolution
e. Sponsors may yield time without declaring previously
f. Sponsors may or may not take questions from the floor in
regards to their resolution

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g. Debate (approximately 20 min/resolution; chair may increase or

decrease this time at their discretion)
h. Chair will develop a speakers list.
i. 2 minutes per speech
ii. Delegates may not yield on yielded time
iii. Delegates may yield to sponsors closing or chair
iv. Procedural and substantive motions and points are in order
i. Amend
j. Close debate: may occur at the discretion of the chair if time has
elapsed or if motion is made by a delegate. A motion to close
debate requires a 2/3rd majority vote and can be debatable.
k. Vice chair may opt to make comments on the resolution
l. Sponsorship Closing (2 minutes)
m. Vote
i. 1 vote per country
ii. May perform roll call or voice vote (chair or floors
discretion)

VI.

Moderated Discussion After the committee votes on a resolution,

the committee returns to a moderated discussion (Step II).

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Points and All Types of Motions (detail info applies

to all)
POINTS
POINTS should be a short, clear, and relevant statement or question, not a
speech. They are intended to clarify or correct an issue at hand. It must
address a substantive issue. Only the Point of Personal Privilege and Point of
Order can interrupt a speaker. POINTS are allowed during Resolution
Debate and Moderated Discussion
Point of Personal Privilege
A delegate may rise to a point of personal privilege if there is something
preventing his or her participation in the proceedings (e.g. lack of decorum,
sound problems, etc.). The point of personal privilege may interrupt a
speaker only if the conditions prevent the delegate from following the
immediate proceedings (e.g. cannot hear the speaker, etc.).
Point of Order
During the discussion of any matter other than a pending point of order, a
delegate may rise to a point of order to inquire about parliamentary
procedure being implemented by the Chair. The Chair shall make an
immediate decision in accordance with the rules of procedure. It is expected
that delegates will not interrupt another delegates speech with a point of
order.
Right of Reply
The Chair may accord the right of reply to a delegate whose personal or
national integrity has been explicitly impugned by another delegate. The
Chair will honor such requests for the right of reply at the conclusion of the
speakers remarks; under no circumstances may such a request interrupt a
speaker. Requests for a right of reply need not be submitted in writing. A
delegate accorded such a right must confine his or her reply only to the
speakers remarks, and may not engage in general debate. A right of reply
to a right of reply is out of order unless specifically allowed by the Chair.
Point of Parliamentary Inquiry
During the consideration of any matter, except when another is speaking, a
delegate may rise to a point of parliamentary inquiry concerning procedure.
The Chair shall answer the inquiry in accordance with the rules of procedure.
Essentially, this is a tool to clarify parliamentary procedure usage.
Point of Information
After the speaker has yielded to points of information, delegates wishing to
question the speaker concerning substantive matters may rise to points of

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information. Delegates may not use points of information simply to comment

on the substantive debate. The number of points of information that may be
addressed to a speaker depends upon the speakers remaining time, and is
not subject to separate time limits or question limits. If, however, a speaker
concludes his remarks without having yielded to points of information,
another delegate may rise to a point of information in the hope that he or
she will so yield.
PROCEDURAL MOTIONS
These four non-debatable PROCEDURAL MOTIONS are used only during
Moderated Discussion to suspend proceedings for a particular purpose in one
of the following four ways. The following motions are not debatable, must be
approved by the Chair, and require a simple majority to pass.
Adjourn
This motion is only in order at the end of the last session since it closes the
committee proceedings at the end of the conference.
Recess
A motion for a recess is a motion to suspend proceedings until the next
session as outlined in the conference schedule.
Suspension of the Rules
When the floor is open during the discussion of any substantive matter, a
delegate may rise and move for a suspension of the rules. The mover must
explain the purpose of and limitations on the suspension. Suspension of the
rules has the effect of moving the body out of formal debate and into
informal debate. This motion should be used infrequently. In general it is
intended to facilitate the introduction of new amendments to the body and to
allow for rapid discussion of crisis situations.
Caucus
A motion to Caucus is a motion to have a short time period to informally
discuss the issues at hand and arrive at compromises. During a caucus
delegates should not leave the committee room.
PROCEDURAL MOTIONS (debatable)
These debatable Procedural Motions may be used during both Moderated
Discussion and Resolution Debate.
Close Debate
During the discussion of any substantive matter, a delegate may move for
the closure of debate on an item under discussion. The motion is debatable
to the extent of one speaker in favor and two opposed (con pro con).
The motion requires a 2/3 majority to pass. If the motion passes, the

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committee will immediately move into voting procedure. The motion can be
applied to an amendment and to a resolution.
Appeal the Decision of the Chair
A delegate may appeal any ruling that involved the use of discretion by the
Chair. The Chairs rulings to entertain or reject non-debatable procedural
motions are not open to appeal. Decisions related to points, except the point
of order, are also not open to appeal.
The delegate may speak on behalf of his or her appeal and the Chair may
then speak in defense of his or her ruling. The appeal shall then be put to a
vote, and the Chairs ruling shall stand unless overruled by 2/3 majority of
the delegates present and voting. A vote in favor of the motion supports the
appeal; a vote against the motion supports the Chairs decision.
Reconsideration
Once any amendment or resolution has been adopted or rejected a motion
for reconsideration may be made by a delegate who voted on the prevailing
side. The motion to reconsider is debatable to the extent of one speaker in
favor and one opposed (pro con) and requires the affirmation of a simple
majority of the delegates present and voting to pass. The motion may only
be moved after a substantive topic has been closed or tabled. If passed, the
body automatically enters into debate on the original amendment; the
previous vote on that item is nullified. The motion is only valid if the
resolution is still on the floor. Reconsideration of a resolution reopens debate
in the related topic area but does not allow new resolutions to be proposed.
Speakers List
The list will open and close at the discretion of the Chair. The Chair should
set the rules of the Speaker list just prior to its opening.
PROCEDURAL MOTIONS (valid only in voting procedure)
Once debate has been closed on a specific resolution or discussion point, the
body moves into voting procedure. No one is permitted to enter or exit the
committee room until voting procedure has been completed. Each country is
allowed one vote. For a substantive motion (amendment or resolution) to
pass, a majority of those present and voting is required. Abstentions do not
count against the majority. The majority for individual committees will be set
by conference officials and announced accordingly.
Roll Call Vote
Votes on substantive matters may be taken by roll call if a motion to that
effect has the support of one fifth (1/5) of the committee. Roll call votes are
taken in English alphabetical order. Delegates present and voting shall
answer yes to vote for the motion, no to vote against the motion, or shall
answer abstain if they wish not to record a vote. A Delegate may pass in

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the order of voting; in which case that Delegates vote shall be taken at the
end of the roll call; however, a Delegate who has passed in the order of
voting may not abstain.
SUBSTANTIVE MOTIONS
A substantive motion initiates a deliberative process on a substantive
matter. These motions are in order during Moderated Discussion and
Resolution Debate.
Amend A Resolution
A Delegate may move to amend any proposed resolution. The proposed
amendment must be submitted in writing prior to or during debate on the
resolution to be amended. Amendments shall require 10% of the committee
to be signatories or all of the resolutions sponsors. Amendments shall
require a sponsor to motion to have it heard on the floor; this motion must
be recognized by the Chair. Contradictory amendments may not be passed.
Any amendment in contradiction to an approved amendment shall be ruled
out of order. Amendments may not contradict the preamble of the
resolution nor can it alter the original intent of the resolution.
Friendly Amendments
Amendments shall be considered friendly if all of the sponsors of the
resolution being amended consent to the amendment. In the case of a
friendly amendment, after reading the amendment aloud to the body, the
Chair shall ask each of the sponsors of the resolution being amended for
verbal consent to the amendment. If each sponsor consents, the
amendment shall be considered friendly and will automatically be
incorporated as part of the resolution.
Unfriendly Amendments
Amendments shall be considered unfriendly if at least one of the sponsors of
the resolution being amended does not consent to the amendment. If an
amendment is deemed unfriendly, the committee transitions into
amendment debate procedure. The author of the amendment is first
recognized for an opening statement. The dissenting author(s) then are
permitted to give a statement. The committee then enters into debate
procedure. When the time for amendment debate has elapsed, the
dissenting author(s) are given a closing statement. The amendment author
is then given a closing statement. The committee then proceeds to a vote on
the amendment. If the committee votes in favor of incorporation of the
amendment by a simple majority, it is incorporated into the resolution and
the amendment author becomes the resolution author, replacing any
dissenting authors. If it is voted against by a simple majority of the
committee, it fails and is not added to the resolution.

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Introduce a Resolution
All resolutions must be submitted in writing, to the Chair for approval before
being placed on the floor for debate. Resolutions shall require 20% of the
body to be signatories in order to be approved. All resolutions should be
germane to the topic being discussed. Once a resolution has been approved
and distributed to the entire body, it shall be considered on the floor for
debate only after a delegate moves the resolution onto the floor during a
speech given in formal debate. The Chair shall suspend speaking time in
order for resolution debate procedure to be enacted.
Multiple resolutions pertaining to the topic area may be introduced for
debate, but only one will be discussed at a time. Resolutions are voted upon
in the order that they were introduced.
Once a resolution is introduced all other debate ends. There may never be
more than one resolution on the floor at any given time. Thus once a
resolution is introduced, debate on all other substantive matters is
suspended until the resolution has been adopted or rejected. Once the
resolution is voted upon, debate resumes on all other substantive matters.
The same procedure will hold true for the introduction of amendments. The
procedure of voting in this manner avoids the confusion often associated
with debating multiple resolutions or amendments.

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Overview for Historical Security Council (HSC) +

Security Council
Each member of the Historical Security Council (HSC) and Security Council
has one vote. Decisions on matters of procedure are taken by an affirmative
vote of a majority of the members. Decisions on substantive matters also
require a majority of votes, including the concurring votes of all five
permanent Members.
The Security Council will use the same procedure described in this manual,
however, they may adopt two different types of resolutions: 1) consensus
resolutions and 2) resolutions adopted by vote.
1) Consensus Resolutions are resolutions drafted by the
committee and then formally adopted by the President of the Security
Council by stating, Not withstanding an objection of the committee
Resolution X is hereby adopted. This type of resolution places
emphasis on an image of unanimity when some members would feel
obligated to vote against or abstain on a resolution that was formally
voted upon. At any point a member may defeat a consensus resolution
by objecting and calling for a vote. In that situation the resolution to
become effective must be adopted by an affirmative vote of the
committee. (see Resolution Adopted by Vote).
2) Resolution Adopted by Vote is the more formal and common
type of resolution considered by the Security Council. Resolutions are
adopted by vote when, in spite of consultations, the Security Council
members have failed to reach a consensus; any member may object to
an attempt to adopt a resolution by consensus, and thereby force such
a vote.
The Security Council may also pursue two additional forms of decisionmaking: 1) Presidential Statement of Consensus and 2) Communications of
the President of the Consensus of the Body.
1) Presidential Statement of Consensus is used when a
consensus by the Security Council does not easily fit into a resolution
format. In this case the President of the Security Council may, if
he/she perceives a consensus and sees no resolution, wish to consult
with Members concerning the substance of a formal statement. The
President will read the statement in a formal session, and if there is no
objection, the statement is made an official decision of the Security
Council.

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2) Communications of the President of the Consensus of the

Body is the subtlest form of decision making available to the Security
Council. This form is like the Presidential Statement of Consensus
except that it is less public. A statement is made by the President of
the Security Council, but is not made during formal session. This
technique is used when the Security Council wishes to minimize
damaging debate.

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Overview for ICC + ICJ

The International Criminal Court (ICC) sees delegates collaborate to
prosecute or defend one side of a case dealing with matters such as
genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes. That said the ICC
generally hears cases that try certain individuals.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) deals with questions regarding the
legality of actions undertaken by nations and the subsequent impacts on
other nations to resolve complex multinational situations such as ownerships
over outer space and considerations for the legal usage of nuclear weapons.
That said, the ICJ generally hears cases between that try nations.
While the ICC and ICJ will adhere to the wording as described in this manual
during presentation of cases, the format for debate will slightly differ.

Teams will come together to finish preparing cases for presentation.

The basis for a teams presentation is outlined by the written brief that
must be prepared by participants prior to their arrival to Hershey

Two teams will be representing alternate sides of a case. All other

teams will act as Justices to deliberate on the material presented.

Both Teams will be given an Opening Statement.

Each team is then allotted time for Presentation of Evidence and

Defense: these represent the main arguments for both sides.

Each team will then be given time for Rebuttal: this time is utilized
for teams to discount what the opposing team has presented

Team are then given a Closing Statement

After Teams have presented, the remaining justices will deliberate to

make final decisions on all of the issues presented during the cases

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Overview for Council for Economic Advancement

(CEA)
The Council for Economic Advancement (CEA) explores the challenges facing
the world from a financial and monetary perspective, considering issues such
as the supply and demand of commodities, international trade regulations,
and economic relief for nations in crisis. This committee has a unique
operational style in which delegates are given a set period of time to tackle
each topic through a consensus-driven process in which solutions will only
be voted upon at the end of each time period. In addition to coming
prepared with a thorough background knowledge of their topics and their
country, delegates might find additional real-time details being shared with
them about the situations they are seeking to address as debate unfolds,
adding to the excitement and sense of urgency experienced within the
group.
The CEA will use the same procedures as described above, with a few
deviations:
1. Debate on each topic is done for a specific amount of time. Students
must adopt a finished resolution by the end of the allotted time period,
as stated by the chair.
2. Amendments are in order to a resolution at any time after it has been
formally introduced but before the end of the time period allotted.
3. During resolution debate, the sponsors closing statement is the final
action before resuming moderated discussion. No vote is taken.
4. After the passage of the time period allotted for debate and resolution
presentation, the committee moves into Resolution Adoption
Procedures:
a. Resolutions are voted on, one-by-one, in the order in which they
were presented. Multiple resolutions to a topic may be adopted
IF AND ONLY IF they are not contradictory or overlapping. They
must be able to coexist in their entirety without interfering with
the solution proposed. A motion to divide the question is in order
during this process.
b. After the period of voting, the passed, non-redundant, and noncontradictory resolutions are compiled into a solution package
for the committee.
5. The Motion to Divide the Question is defined as follows: Via this
motion, the committee may decide to vote on only part of a resolution
to allow the best parts of individual resolutions to all be passed,

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forming a unified solution. Any delegate may make this motion, but
the chair has the discretion to overturn if it is not in the interest of the
committee, either due to time or an extraneous idea that doesnt add
to the solution. This motion should be used sparingly, and instead
amendments should be encouraged to existing resolutions. This
motion requires a simple majority.

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Overview for Nation Building Committee (NBC)

The Nation Building Committee (NBC) will use the same procedure described
in this manual, however, will repeat the process in the multiple stages of
debate.
Note: Each country within NBC is only allotted one vote per committee.
Countries are represented by 4 individuals (one per each Sub-Committee).
In successive committees, a country will have multiple members of the same
country. Prior to voting, members of a country will be asked to confer. If a
country cannot come to a unanimous decision internally, the country must
abstain from voting.

NBC is comprised of 4 Topic Based Sub-Committees:

o Resolutions will be drafted in the manner described above within
sub-committees. Debate will then occur within sub-committee
(in concurrence with the procedures covered in this manual) to
pass resolutions out of sub-committee.
Sub-Committees will then combine to become 2 Dual-Committees:
o Resolutions passed through debate within Sub-Committees will
undergo the debate process (in concurrence with the procedures
in this manual) to pass resolutions through Dual Committee.
Note, only one vote per country.
Dual-Committees will combine to become the Nation Building
Committee:
o Resolutions passed through debate within Dual-Committees will
undergo the debate process (in concurrence with the procedures
in this manual) to pass resolutions through Nation Building
Committee. Note, only one vote per country.
This concludes a round of debate. A new crisis/scenario is presented
after which point the committee will go back to Sub-Committee format
to draft and debate new resolutions.
Resolutions passed through NBC are placed on the Constitution. On
Sunday Morning, the Committee must ratify the Constitution through
Forum an informal debate structure in which amendments can be
added verbally until such a point where the entire NBC agrees upon
the final Constitution for a new country.

Page: 19 of 21

2014 YMCA Model UN Conference

Parliamentary Procedure & Rules of Debate Manual

Overview for General Assembly (GA)

General Assembly (GA)
The General Assembly (GA) will use the same procedure described in this
manual for the most part. However, the General Assembly shall utilize a
bucketing process regarding motions to hear resolutions, and include a
Cluster Debate phase:
1) Motion to Hear a Resolution: Bucketing
For a resolution to be heard on the floor, it must first be titled with the
main idea/subject of what the author wants to accomplish. As
resolutions are submitted to the chairs, each resolution is placed into a
sub-bucket of three resolutions, according to the topic the resolution
is addressing.
When a sub-bucket is filled with three resolutions, motions to have
any of those three resolutions brought to the floor are in order. This
motion would be the same as listed previously in the manual, but
instead of automatically hearing the one resolution named, all three
resolutions would be available to be heard on the floor.
Upon the motion to hear a resolution, the Vice Chair shall then read
the three titles of the resolutions in the sub-bucket and a brief, onesentence synopsis of each resolution provided by the resolution
authors.
The committee then votes on which of the three resolutions shall be
heard on the floor. The resolution gaining the most votes of the three
shall then be heard, and the remaining two resolutions will be placed
into any unfilled sub-bucket slots or a new sub-bucket to be heard
at a later time through this process.
2) Cluster Debate
Upon the conclusion of Non-Debatable Technical Questions, the room
will move into Cluster Debate:
The room will go into smaller debate by seating clusters. Country
seating is organized by topic importance; that is, a country is seated
with other countries that focus on the same topic.
(For example: if a country is extremely concerned with the topic of
Pandemic Disease Control and Prevention, that country will be seated
next to other countries who are concerned with Pandemic Disease
Control and Prevention.)
A pre-appointed Moderator for each region will facilitate debate. No
amendments are in order during this time.
Upon the conclusion of Cluster Debate, the room will reconvene and
begin standard resolution debate as described in the above sections.

Page: 20 of 21

2014 YMCA Model UN Conference

Parliamentary Procedure & Rules of Debate Manual

Overview for Non-governmental Forum (NGF)

General Assembly (GA)
The General Assembly (GA) will use the same procedure described in this
manual for the most part. However, the General Assembly shall utilize a
bucketing process regarding motions to hear resolutions, and include a
Cluster Debate phase:
1) Motion to Hear a Resolution: Bucketing
For a resolution to be heard on the floor, it must first be titled with the
main idea/subject of what the author wants to accomplish. As
resolutions are submitted to the chairs, each resolution is placed into a
sub-bucket of three resolutions, according to the topic the resolution
is addressing.
When a sub-bucket is filled with three resolutions, motions to have
any of those three resolutions brought to the floor are in order. This
motion would be the same as listed previously in the manual, but
instead of automatically hearing the one resolution named, all three
resolutions would be available to be heard on the floor.
Upon the motion to hear a resolution, the Vice Chair shall then read
the three titles of the resolutions in the sub-bucket and a brief, onesentence synopsis of each resolution provided by the resolution
authors.
The committee then votes on which of the three resolutions shall be
heard on the floor. The resolution gaining the most votes of the three
shall then be heard, and the remaining two resolutions will be placed
into any unfilled sub-bucket slots or a new sub-bucket to be heard
at a later time through this process.
2) Cluster Debate
Upon the conclusion of Non-Debatable Technical Questions, the room
will move into Cluster Debate:
The room will go into smaller debate by seating clusters. Country
seating is organized by topic importance; that is, a country is seated
with other countries that focus on the same topic.
(For example: if a country is extremely concerned with the topic of
Pandemic Disease Control and Prevention, that country will be seated
next to other countries who are concerned with Pandemic Disease
Control and Prevention.)
A pre-appointed Moderator for each region will facilitate debate. No
amendments are in order during this time.
Upon the conclusion of Cluster Debate, the room will reconvene and
begin standard resolution debate as described in the above sections.

Page: 21 of 21