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A QUICK GUIDE TO MODEL UN

General Assembly Committees

General Assembly committees mirror the organization and style of an actual United Nations committee. Delegates are assigned a country as a position and are expected to work within a bloc of other nations that are working toward compatible solutions. At CincyMUNC, we do not provide bloc recommendations and encourage delegates to listen carefully to what other delegates are proposing to choose their own blocs. 

The beginning of committee will focus on short debate over if the committee should focus on Topic A or Topic B, ending with a vote to set the topic. Then, delegates will do speeches to advocate for their ideas and debate different issues surrounding the topic. Delegates will begin to find their blocs and work with them to create a working paper. This will be a longer document with clauses that outline the detailed proposals of the bloc. Once working papers are completed, delegates will do the first author's panel where, depending on committee size, a certain number of delegates will do "presentation" and present the ideas of the paper and a certain number will do Q & A, answering questions about the paper. Then delegates will do mergers and work with another bloc to create one merged paper, called a resolution, with another round of author's panel following these mergers. Finally, delegates will vote on the proposed resolutions.

To prepare for a GA, delegates should consider what their country would support for both Topic A and Topic B. They should consider how these ideas would be funded, how to argue for those ideas, and ensure they have a thorough enough understanding to be able to explain their ideas to others. Delegates can look at past UN documents to see other ideas proposed, look into their country's position on the topic, and even look into any novel solutions proposed by researchers. 

Specialized Body Committees

Specialized body committees range in style and procedure, making it important for delegates to read the committee logistics section of their background guide. They often combine the style of General Assembly committees with Crisis Committees. 

Some specialized body committees will produce a resolution in committee but include crisis updates throughout the committee for delegates to address. Some specialized body committees will produce directives throughout the committee, but delegates will not be able to write crisis notes and have a crisis arc.  

It ultimately varies based on committee and delegates should always pay close attention to what is outlined in their background guide. Specialized bodies are often smaller committees than general assemblies, but larger than crisis committees. Specialized body committees can be confusing, so, if delegates have a question, they shouldn't hesitate to reach out to their committee chair and ask about the procedure of the committee. 

Crisis
Committees

Crisis committees are a much faster-paced, informal style of committee. The topics are often more specific and, many times, delegates are given the position of a person rather than a country. This person could be real or fictional, but the delegate should still research what this person's position on the given topic would be. They should accurately represent the opinion of said person and, in committee, they should essentially act as that person. 

In crisis committees, delegates produce directives. These are much shorter than working papers or resolutions, typically landing somewhere around 1 to 2 pages long. Unlike UN resolutions, delegates are to assume that they have the power to do the things in their directive; in other words, if it passes, then it happens.  Delegates are not limited to working within a bloc and are actually encouraged to work with different people on different directives to show their diplomacy skills

Crisis committees also have the added component of crisis notes. While giving speeches and participating in committees, delegates should be drafting crisis notes to some person/character outside of the committee. Delegates can use these notes to do "sneaky" things outside of the committee and further their goals. These notes can be selfish and do not have to be in the interest of the committee as a whole. Delegates will get a response from a crisis staffer that will let them know if their requests have been completed and any other pertinent information. It is also important to note that these notes SHOULD culminate in a crisis arc. The notes should build on each other and end up with the delegate gaining power in some way. For example, in a committee about the NFL, someone's crisis arc could be leading up to becoming the commissioner of the NFL or to owning a team. 

Delegates will also receive "crisis updates" throughout the committee sessions. These updates will inform the delegates of the consequences of the directives that they have passed, good or bad, and include information that may have been the result of actions someone took in a crisis note. These updates will often provide delegates with new problems to solve and keep committee going. 

Unlike GAs, crisis committees do not have any ending point, like a resolution. It is simply solving one problem then moving on to the next, while chaos unfolds.

General Model UN Terminology

Speeches

There are several different speeches used in Model UN: round robin, speaker's list, and moderated caucuses. A round-robin speech is when everyone in the committee gives a speech on a given topic for a certain time. This is typically only used in Crisis Committees and utilized sparingly.  Speaker's list speeches are only used in General Assembly committees and the list of speakers is made at the committee's beginning. The chair will ask for people wishing to be on the speaker's list and delegates raise their placards to get on the list. If there is ever a point where no motions are on the floor, it will default to a round of speaker's list speeches. Moderated caucuses are the most common time to give a speech and this is done throughout any committee type. They are used to discuss subtopics within the committee and often range from 30-second to 1-minute speeches. 

 

Motioning

Chairs will ask delegates if there are any motions on the floor throughout the committee to determine what the committee does at any given point or time. Motions include:

  • Motion to Open/Close Debate [done at the beginning/end of committee]

  • Motion for an x, y moderated caucus on z topic, where x is the total time and y is the individual delegate speaking time

    • Most common include 9, 45 [45 seconds, 12 speakers] and 6, 30 [30 seconds, 12 speakers]​

  • Motion to introduce directives/working papers​ [depending on committee type] in x order with/without an amendment period then into voting procedures​​

    • ​Can choose to do it in the order submitted or reverse​​

    • If in a general assembly committee, delegates should also specify the amount of time wanted for the author's panel

  • Motion for an extension by half [extends previously passed motion by half time]​

  • Motion for an x minute unmoderated caucus

  • Motion for an x second round robin on y topic

  • Motion to set the agenda to topic A/B

    • Done in general assembly committees towards the start of committee to decide the topic of focus​​​

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Points

At any point, delegates can raise their placards to make a point. Those include points of order [parliamentary procedure corrections], points of inquiry [questions], and points of personal privilege [a personal comfort request].

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Prewriting

This is when a delegate uses time outside of the committee to write out clauses, crisis notes, or portions of a directive/resolution. This is strictly not permitted and will lead to disqualification. 

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Voting

During voting procedures, delegates can make any of three choices: abstain, for, or against. Delegates can only abstain if they stated Present during roll call, but not if they stated Present and Voting. Additionally, delegates cannot abstain during procedural matters (voting on motions)

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Sponsors/Signatories

Any directive/resolution/working paper will require a certain number of sponsors and signatories. The exact number will depend on the committee and bloc sizes. A sponsor is someone who makes significant contributions to a paper and the ideas inside it. A signatory is someone who simply wants to see the paper be debated. They do not have to be for or against the content, they are simply supporting it being brought on the dias for a vote. They also do not contribute to the paper itself. 

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Dias

The Dias is the chair and the co-chair of the committee

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Blocs

Blocs are a group of delegates who are working together in committees. At CincyMUNC we do not do bloc recommendations, as we want delegates to focus on the ideas proposed and collaborate based on committee flow.  Blocs range in size and work together to produce a working paper. Eventually, they will merge with another bloc to create a final resolution. Blocs are necessary in General Assembly committees and are important for collaboration. However, they are discouraged within crisis-style committees, as delegates are encouraged to work with different people depending on the topic at hand. 

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Researching and Preparation

Some great places to start researching for the committee include:

 

GAs and Specialized Bodies with Country Positions

- CIA world fact book

- Past UN resolutions

- Official Government Websites

- Local News Sources

- Local Advocacy Groups

- Speeches from political leaders

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Crisis and Specialized Bodies with People Positions

- Any biographical information on your character

- If based on a book/movie/etc., the source that it is based on

- Speeches or writings from your character

- Information that helps you understand the topic

- Books/sites about your character

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Additionally, do not hesitate to reach out to your chair or conference secretariat with any questions!

 

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