NMUN Parliamentary
Procedure
A Quick Overview
Outline
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Why Rules?
Rules for Debate
Rules for Voting
Why Rules?
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Increase Efficiency
Increase Productivity
Protect Civility
Encourage Equality and Fairness
Rules for Debate
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Getting Started
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If you miss
your call,
send a note
to the dais
Make sure you are on time!
Meetings begin with roll call
When country is called, you can answer
one of two ways:
Present (can abstain from voting)
 Present and Voting (must cast vote)

In your note to the
dais, be sure to indicate
your status
Rules of Debate
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Try to keep
the casual
talk to a
minimum
Debate begins when a motion is on
the floor
To make a motion, or to speak at
all, you need to be recognized by
the chair
The chair will recognize you by
calling your country by name
Raise your
placard
No recognition
=and
nohold
speaking
it high until
recognized
Rules of Debate
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UN rules differ from Robert’s Rules
in certain key respects
At the NMUN you have 2 sorts of
debate:
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Formal
Informal
Most of your time
and most of your
work will be done
in informal debate
Formal Debate
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At the start of formal debate, chair
will ask members who wish to
speak to place their names on a
speaker’s list
The basic “debate” is a series of
short speeches
Speakers list can
be closed by a
motion from the
floor
Speaking limited
time is
Speakers
unlimited,
unless
to
one speech
set by
until
fullmotion
list is to
cycled limit
through
Formal Debate
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Speaking of motions…
NMUN motions possible for:
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Amendments
Division of Question
Suspension of Meeting
Adjournment of Meeting
Open/Close Speaker’s List
Friendly amendments
have the consent of all
sponsors to the resolution
Amendments are
“friendly” or
“unfriendly”
Unfriendly amendments
lack the consent of all
sponsors
Informal Debate
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Most of the work of the meeting will
be done in informal “caucuses”
Meet with delegates from related
countries
Work to:
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Draft resolutions
Gather sponsors
No real “rules” other than be
diplomatic and politically savvy
Voting Rules
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Committee moves into voting
procedure when speaker’s list is
exhausted
When in voting procedure, all other
committee work – including
caucusing and freedom of
movement into and out of the room
– stops
Voting Rules
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Variety of options for voting
available:
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Raising of Placards
Roll Call
Remember, if you said you were
“present and voting” you must cast
vote on every vote (i.e., no
abstention)
Voting Rules
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Committee will consider
amendments to the resolution
before considering the resolution
Chair determines order of
amendments for consideration
Voting Rules
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Also possible to “divide the
question”
Allows body to consider sections of
resolution separately
Order of division done at discretion
of the Committee Chair