Beginner's Guide to Havard Style MUN

Taylor's Model United Nations Conference

Theme : Equality to Unite Under One

Date : 14th to 16th September 2012

Location : Taylor's Lakeside Campus

Disclaimer : Regardless of the title, I do not mean that this post is published by a professional to a beginner, but rather posted by a beginner. This comes from a "first timer" of MUN. I apologized in advance should there be any mistake concerning information posted. Words in italic are simplify to help first time MUN-ers with their MUN vocab. Also, I would not take credit fully on the information below because I might have copy details off the slide in the Delegate Workshop conducted before the session start.

Basic Rules :

Do not use the word 'I' , 'me' or any personal pronouns in first person. Speak in third person all the time, when you have a point to be stated anytime during the conference.

Do not direct converse with another delegates (participants of MUN) when the debate is going on. If you have to speak to other delegates, pass a note to him or her.

Whenever you want to talk to the Chair, raise your country's placard and mention your point (Point of Personal Privilege, Point of Order, Point of Parliamentary Inquiry, Point of Information).

No props shall be used unless approval is given by the chair.

No delegate may address the session without permission from the chair.

After registration, we were allocated to a large lecture theater where the workshop is conducted. It was a briefing to those who are new to Havard Style MUN.

  

Subsequently, delegates are assigned to different destination according to the division (General Assembly, DISEC, UNHRC, ECOSOC, Security Council) you represent.

First off was the Agenda Setting.

The purpose of agenda setting is to decide the order in which the topics will be conducted. To begin, a delegate must raise a motion (an action) to place a topic area as first on the agenda ; must be seconded (supported) by other delegates. To do so, you have to raise your placard, and say "Motion to set topic 1 as the first agenda to be debated". If there are other delegate who wish to discuss on a different topic, a motion for the second topic must also be introduced. A speakers' list (list of delegate who would speak) is established for (support the topic) & against (disagree on the topic) the motion.

This is kind of funny for me to have observe debate topics to be debated on. :D

Debate over agenda can only be closed after hearing from 2 for and 2 against. A motion must be raised to close the debate. After debate is closed, committee moves into voting procedure. A simple majority is needed for the motion to pass. If the motion fails, meaning there are more delegates against than for, the other topic area us automatically placed as first on the agenda.

Substantive Debate

Session starts with the adoption of a General Speakers' List. At the start, delegates raise their placards to be placed on the list. The speakers' list will determine the order of speakers for all debate unless when superseded by other motions. Speakers on the list may speak generally on the topic being considered.

Unmoderated Caucus 

A delegate may motion for an unmoderated caucus any time during the substantive debate. A delegate must specify the time limit and topic of concussion of the caucus. The maximum time allowed is 20 minutes and it can be extended twice. Example, "Delegate of UK would like to motion for an unmoderated caucus on why government should not intervene the free trade market for 15 minutes. This motion will immediately put on vote and will pass given a simple majority. *In case of multiple caucuses, the chair will rank the motions in descending order of the length. 

This is how it looks like :

Delegates come together to discuss on a particular topic.

Moderated Caucus

Purpose : To facilitate debate at critical junctures at the discusssion.

It is used to bring up working papers and draft resolutions (There will be further explanation on working papers and draft resolution below). Chairs (the one who acts as "judge" in MUN) will temporarily depart from the General Speakers' List and call on delegates to speak. A motion for moderated caucus is in order at any time during substantive debate. The delegate making the motion must explain its purpose, specify a time limit for the caucus and individual speeches. Example, "Delegate of Canada would like to motion for a moderated caucus on why government intervention is important for 20 minutes and speakers time 90 seconds" The caucus should not exceed 20 minutes and can be extended twice. Voting procedure for motion is similar to unmoderated caucus.

Closure of Debate

When the floor is open, a delegate may move to close debate on any substantive or procedural matter under discussion. The chair may rule such motions dilatory. The chair may recognize up to 2 speakers against the motion.

Speakers' List

Committee at all times shall have an open speakers' list. The chair will either set a speaking time or entertain motions to do so. Separate speakers' list will be established as needed for procedural motions and debate on amendments. To add/ remove yourself to the speakers' list, a delegate must do so in writing a note to the chair or rather raise your placard and motion for it.

Yields

Let's say the speakers' time is 2 minutes and you only used 1 minute, you may yield in one of three ways at the conclusion of their speech :

1. Yield to another delegate : remaining time will be offered to the other delegate, the second delegate may not yield to another delegate.
2. Yield to questions : Questioners are selected by the chair and limited to one question each. Follow up is at the discretion of the chair.
3. Yield to the chair : self explanatory / (in my reference, no comments!).

Working Papers
Working papers are intended to help the committee in its discussion and formulation of draft resolutions. No specific format is required. Working papers can only be presented to the committee upon approval by the chair. No document can be referred to as a working paper unless it is introduced to the floor. A moderated caucus is used to introduce and debate on working papers. A voting procedure is required after the working paper is read to whether or not the working paper will be debated on.

Draft Resolution
Draft resolution may be introduce upon approval of the chair and is signed by 20 members in the GA, 10 in ECOSOC and 5 in the SC (supposingly, but may change according to the number of delegates in each division). Signing a draft resolution does not indicate support for that particular document. There are no official sponsors for the document. Resolution requires a simple majority to be passed.

After the draft resolution has been distributed, a delegate may motion to introduce the draft resolution. The chair may read out the operative clauses if time permits. Alternatively, the chair may recognize a number to come forward and answers questions about the draft resolution.

Procedural vote is taken to determine whether the resolution is introduced. If the motion receives majority to pass, it may be introduced to the floor/house (both means the whole committee of the division). The chair will answer any clarifications about the draft resolution. More than one draft resolution maybe on the floor at any one time. Debate on draft resolution proceed according to the General Speakers' list.

If the submitted amendments contains a typological error, the corrected version simply needs to be passed to the chair. Other amendments follow the procedure as mentioned below :

- Introduction of an amendment is raised by a motion
- The chair will read aloud the amendment and subsequently put to a vote.
- The motion will pass by a majority following which a new speakers' list us established for and against the amendment.

Division of the Question
After the closure of debate, a delegate may move that operative parts of the draft resolution be voted separately. The motion can be debated to the extent of 2 for and 2 against, immediately followed by a procedural vote. If the motion receives simple majority, the chair will take motions on how to divide the question and prioritize from most to least severe.

I'd cover most things, especially the important ones in this post. Despite that, you may still be confused on how MUN works. Don't worry, if you were to join any MUN in the future, you will understand it by the end of first day session because I did! So cheers to all future delegates. :)

MUN is enjoyable too, in contempt of the rigid rules and required formalities. Here are some fun and random photos!!

Speech by Tan Sri Razali Ismail. He is a funny speaker! :D

This is what we call - placard. That's mine.

Random photos of delegates from Help College!

Forum with Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir.

Social Night 1 - Full House @ Sunway Pyramid.

Delegates having debates on food.

Group Photo of ECOSOC! Our 'oh-so-loving' chair, Sally is really cute. >.< And Lii Yung is not supposed to be in that photo because she's from DISEC. Rylin and Summer is supposed to be in the photo but was MIA!

One good thing about MUN is that you will get new facebook friends and reconnect with the old ones. :) Delegate of Ghana is MIA. -.-

Summer and Rylin photo-booming behind. :D

Preparation for Social Night 2 or better known as Gala Dinner. We can choose to wear traditional costumes to this dinner.

(Part of) Help College Delegates' Group Photo!

Silly picture? The one on the right is ECOSOC chair, Sally!

They're dancing to Oppa Gangnam Style. Seriously?

It turned into a dance floor.

People were going crazy! It was super fun! The atmosphere is very "high"!

Did I mentioned that the ducks from Taylor's Lakeside Campus are so cute???

Delegate of Nepal : *raise placard* Motion to take a rest. This delegate is extremely tired and wish to stop writing for now.
Chair : The motion is in order. Delegate may now publish this post and signed out.
Delegate of Nepal : Thank You Chair!

Earth Day 2012

Our planet, our home is being neglected. Climate change continues unabated. It seems there's a new ecological disaster happening almost daily. This Earth Day it's time to mobilize the planet from the ground up to send a message that the Earth won't wait!

In conjunction with the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day, the theme for UNESCO meeting this week will be Earth Day. Today, more than one billion people in 192 countries took part in the 42nd Anniversary of Earth Day.  From Cairo to Beijing, Melbourne to Rome, Rio to St. Louis, communities everywhere stood united in their effort to Mobilize the Earth™.

What is Earth Day all about?

From Wikipedia :
Earth Day is an annual day on which events are held worldwide to increase awareness and appreciation of the Earth's natural environment. Earth Day is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network,^[1] and is celebrated in more than 175 countries every year.^[2] In 2009, the United Nations designated April 22 International Mother Earth Day.^[3] Earth Day is planned for April 22 in all years at least through 2015.^[4]


From About.com :
Earth Day is the day designated for fostering appreciation of the earth's environment and awareness of the issues that threaten it. Actually, Earth Day is one of two days, depending on when you choose to observe it. Some people celebrate Earth Day on the first day of Spring, which is the vernal equinox that occurs on or around March 21st. In 1970, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed a bill designating April 22 as a national day to celebrate the earth. Since that time, Earth Day has been officially observed in April.

From Globio Glossopedia :
Earth Day is the largest, most widely celebrated international environmental event. Earth Day helps celebrate Earth’s unique place in the universe. It is the only planet in our solar system teeming with incredible biodiversity. Learning about and protecting this biodiversity is what Earth Day is all about. People all over the world celebrate our efforts to protect plants and animals and to clean up the world we live in. Most people celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd each year. In some countries, it is celebrated a month earlier on the vernal equinox.

What I think Earth Day is :
A day to celebrate Earth. A global holiday to celebrate the wonder of life on our planet. It's a meaningful day to carry out activities to save mother Earth.

Save Our Mother Nature, It's Our Future:

Making Earth-friendly Choices

There are many different things each of us can do to help protect species, keep Earth clean, and fix damage that has been done. For example, using fewer natural resources will help make sure there are enough resources to go around. It will also help make sure that future generations won’t run out of the things we all need, like clean water, air, and soil.

A Hole in Our Safety Zone

Scientists are worried about air pollution and its effects on the ozone layer. They use special technology and tools to carefully watch the hole that has developed over Antarctica. This is a mapping spectrometer image of the hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica.
©NASA

When we don’t use resources in a responsible way, we may create pollution that can damage water, soil, air, and other parts of the environment. For instance, certain types of air pollution have already created a hole in our planet’s ozone layer. The ozone layer is part of the atmosphere. It is made up of a special gas called ozone. The ozone layer helps keep us safe from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays.
Most scientists believe that as more air pollution is made, the ozone layer will become thinner and more holes will develop. This will allow even more ultraviolet rays to reach Earth. A thinner ozone layer may result in harm to people, animals, and plants.

Conservation of endangered species is an important part of Earth Day and taking care of the planet every day. At the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya in Africa, orphaned baby rhinoceroses and elephants are raised by keepers. Eventually, they are released back into their wild habitat.

Protecting Endangered Species

Along with pollution, things like habitat destruction and poaching are causing some species to become endangered. Finding ways to protect and save endangered species is a primary goal of conservation groups. Earth Day celebrations are a great opportunity for these groups to teach us all about the planet and how every person can make a difference.

Think Globally, Act Locally

More cities around the world are making streets, roads, and special paths just for bicycles and pedestrians. On special days each week, month, or year, many cities close some of their roads to cars and other vehicles in order to promote walking and bicycle riding.
©G.George

Earth Day isn’t the only day when the world can and should celebrate the planet we all share. In fact, at GLOBIO we believe Earth Day Everyday should be theway to live.
Here are a few ways you can help Earth every day.

• Walk or ride a bicycle to school, the park, or the store. Encourage your parents to walk or ride to work, too. This is a great way to help reduce the pollution created by cars, trucks, buses, trains, and airplanes.
• Plant trees. Trees help keep the air clean.
• Do not litter. Pick up litter on the sidewalk, street, beach, or riverbank. This will help keep the environment free of contaminants.
• Create a compost pile for food scraps and plant waste from the garden. This is a good way to cut down on the amount of trash that goes into a landfill. As a bonus, compost helps create rich soil for gardening.
• Recycle! Recycling is an important part of keeping Earth clean. It is very easy to do. By giving old things a new life we put less pressure on important resources all of us will need in the future to survive.

Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Understanding how long something takes to decompose in a garbage dump or landfill can help motivate all of us to reuse and recycle everything we can. The best thing any of us can do for the environment is to rethink the way we use things and to use less. The fewer resources and products we use, the less stuff there is to throw away and recycle.

[Extracted from http://www.globio.org/]