Adjournment of debate

An adjournment of debate will end debate on a topic without substantive voting, even if there are already draft resolutions which have been approved by the chair. Such a motion requires two speakers in favour and two speakers against, each speaking for 15 to 45 seconds (by decision of the chair). After the debate a procedural vote takes place. A simple majority is enough to adjourn the debate. The draft resolutions are simply discarded.

This motion is normally only used when it is obvious that positions are so contrary to each other, that consensus seems impossible. On the other side this is a way to skip a topic that your state is uncomfortable with, especially if the work of the committee is moving in the wrong direction in your opinion. But keep in mind that a majority is needed for this motion and that an adjourned topic can still be reconsidered still (by introducing the motion to reconsider the topic).

Adjournment of meeting

The adjournment of the meeting will end the entire conference only to be continued the following year. To adjourn the meeting no debate is required, just a procedural vote with a simple majority.

This motion is normally only used to end the conference on the very last day. In reality it could be used earlier if continued talks will probably only lead to more disagreement or even outright conflict between the delegates and the negotiation process as a whole is endangered. At MainMUN this motion will not be entertained by dais until the last day of the conference. Appealing the decision of the chair is ruled out in this case.

Adoption of agenda

You should bring in this motion if you have a proposal on how to set the agenda. Every proposal to set the agenda in a certain way can be brought in only once (i.e., the dais will not entertain two motions proposing topic number one first, then topic number two and then topic number three). The committee will vote upon the proposals in the order they have beenbrought in. When a motion passes with a simple majority (without debate), the agenda is set. If none of the possible agenda orders has reached a simple majority until Friday at 10:30 pm, the dais will set the agenda automatically in the order mentioned in the background guide of your committee.

In order to find a majority before your committee actually votes on the agenda setting, it is useful to move for a caucus prior to the first motion to set the agenda.

Amendment of the agenda

If you have a strong interest in discussing a topic which is not supposed to be part of the agenda, you can try to amend it. To do so, you must hand in a corresponding note to the dais before the very beginning of the session. If the chair considers the request reasonable they will ask you to explain your reasons to amend the agenda in a speech to the committee or to read out your note. There will then be a vote on the amendment without pro/con speeches; a simple majority is needed.

Since the delegates have prepared themselves comprehensively for previously announced topics, amendments of the agenda are very uncommon at MUNs. This motion should be brought in before the agenda of a committee has been set, unless a crisis of utmost importance has taken place.

Appeal the decision of the chair

In case of a possible procedural error, you may move to appeal the specific decision of the chair. If you bring this motion, the committee decides upon the decision of the chair with a vote. A simple majority will appeal the decision and cancel it. It must always be preceded by a point of order.

Chairs are only humans and sometimes make mistakes. If the committee thinks, that a decision was wrong it may correct the chair by force with this motion. You should use this motion carefully and only when you think that the chair committed an obvious violation of the rules, as it would be the case with counting votes wrongly.

Closure of debate

The motion to close debate means the end of any discussion about the topic and the committee moves directly into voting procedure. In contrast to the motion for a closure of the speakers list, which means that the remaining speakers on the list will be heard, the speakers on the list will be skipped in the case of a closure of debate. This motion requires two speakers. Both will speak against the motion, each for 15 to 45 seconds (this is at the discretion of the chair). Then there will be a procedural vote. This motion requires a two- thirds majority.

This motion discards the speakers list and consequently is a quicker but more impolite way to end discussion on a topic and to move to substantive voting. Because of its abruptness, its strategic use is to prevent any further working papers being handed in or to prevent any speakers from persuading against the paper you support. But as it needs a two-thirds majority this motion is normally only brought in when the vast majority of a committee is ready to end debate and move to voting procedure. Once this motion has passed, the committee is automatically in voting procedure, and this means no one can enter the room any longer. If you decide to leave the room, you will not be able to re-enter. If you think this motion will pass, a short caucus for the purpose of using the toilet beforehand might be wise!

Decision of competence of the committee

The committee may at every time declare itself incompetent to deal with a specific issue. In this case no debate is necessary; the motion is simply followed by a procedural vote. If a simple majority is reached the body declares itself incompetent and will not further discuss the topic.

This is an even stronger motion than adjournment of debate. While it is, of course, possible to go back and reconsider a topic, it is an extreme action for the committee to declare itself unable to deal with an issue. If the committee reconsidered the topic it would lack credibility. The chair will seldom entertain a motion to reconsider a topic if the body has declared itself unable to deal with the item. So unless you want to remove a topic permanently it isinadvisable to use this motion.

Minute of silent prayer and meditation

A motion for a minute of silent prayer can be brought in at the very beginning of a session – just after the session has been opened and before the roll call has been started. It serves to remember recent disturbing incidents or commemoration days (for example, the 15th memorial of the genocide in Rwanda).

The motion for a minute of silent prayer is often used to draw attention to a delegation. Since this motion passes without a vote, it is unusual to ask for several minutes of silent prayer (unless there were several disasters in the “real” world recently). You should not misuse this motion and ask to remember incidents, which are not regarded as calamity by all members of your committee. For example, the Palestinian Authority should not bring in a minute of silent prayer for an activist of Hamas, who was killed by the Israeli secret service, when the delegate of Israel is present.

Point of information to the chair / permission to approach the chair

If you are not sure about a procedural matter you may rise to a point of information to th chair, who will explain the issue to you. If you have an important (!) question concerning you delegation, you can also ask for the permission to approach the chair.

Since these two motions should not hamper the work of your committee, please make sure tha your question/request is of common interest and not already answered in your RoP o background guide. Remember there is always the possibility to talk to the dais during caucus.

Point of information to the speaker

Sometimes a speaker does not need all of their speaker’s time. In this case the chair allows questions from the committee to the delegate. If you have a question, you may simply raise your placard. To maintain diplomatic conduct, please remain standing as long as the speaker is answering your question.

Such questions are a good way to go more in depth of the speech of a delegate. If you are in agreement with the speaker they can be used to emphasise the points made by picking up on the issues already stated. Alternatively, you could try and pick out weak areas of argument and emphasise them. However, you do not have the right of reply in this case! Furthermore, there is no cross-talking allowed. This means that you can only ask one question at a time and will receive an answer which you cannot refer to immediately by posing a second question. You have to wait until you are recognised again by the dais if you wish to receive more information of the speaker.

Point of order

If you want to make a procedural remark to the chair (such as to show the second page of the speakers list, if the first page is nearly exhausted) or draw the attention of the chair to a (possible) misdemeanour of a fellow delegate, you can rise to bring in a point of order.

There are multitudes of opportunities to move to a point of order, therefore you should use this motion only in appropriate cases (for example, if a fellow delegate does not stick to diplomatic conduct or wears a national symbol).

(Re-)opening and closure of the speakers list

After the roll call at the very beginning of the conference there should be a motion to open the speakers list to enable the start of the substantive discussion. This motion requires no vote and therefore passes automatically. A new speakers list will be opened without further motions at the beginning of the discussion of a new topic. During a caucus, the speakers list remains as it is. When a new speakers list is opened, the chair will ask those delegates who want to be put on it to raise their placards and will randomly pick out some delegations. In big committees it is normally not possible to recognise every delegate doing so. If you are not recognised immediately, please send a note to the dais and you will be put on the list. You may bring in a motion to close the speakers list at any time during session. There will be a vote upon the motion, and if the motion passes with a simple majority, no more speakers will be added to the speakers list. The same procedure will be applied after a motion to re- open the speakers list.

As big committees will have a very long speakers list, you should try to be put on it at the very beginning of a session.Please bear in mind that the committee will directly go into voting procedure if the speakers list runs out! If there is no draft resolution which could be voted upon, the topic under discussion will be abandoned. Accordingly, you can bring in a motion to close the speakers list, if you want the voting procedure to start soon or to close a topic without substantive vote.

Reconsideration of topic

After the conclusion of one topic, and after having moved on to the next on the agenda, the committee may move to reconsider the first topic and debate it anew. Two speakers against will be heard, each for 30 seconds. Immediately after both speeches there will be a procedural vote. If the necessary two-thirds majority is reached, the topic will be discussed again.

This is a rarely used motion as normally a committee completely and exhaustively debates a topic before it moves on the next. But it is possible that new information has become available during the debate of the second topic, or the topic was prematurely adjourned due to strategic reasons, and so the committee can decide to re-open the debate.

Right of reply

Should a delegate insult, question the integrity of or make arguably “false” statements in regard to the affairs of another state then the delegation of that state can ask for the right of reply. If the chair decides that the respective delegation is entitled to a right of reply, the replying delegate may write a statement and submit it to the dais so it can be corrected. This is a security measure to ensure that the replying state does not use the opportunity to merelyfling the insult back and in its turn make false accusations. The statement will then be read out to the committee. Normally, a delegate has between 30 and 180 seconds for a statement depending on the size of the committee. There is no right of reply to a right of reply.
In particular serious cases it is, however, to the discretion of the Chair to decide whether an insulted delegate may be given the opportunity to respond directly to the insult – without having to write a statement.

Rights of reply are a good possibility to dominate the floor and proclaim the innocence/righteousness of your state and also to delegitimise the position of the insulting state. They should however be used carefully, as they can be as poisonous to the cooperative atmosphere of a committee as the original insult. They are also a possibility to clarify specific issues, to draw attention to your state or even to say something substantive about the current topic by subtly integrating the topics under discussion. But keep in mind that the committee will notice this if it is done too bluntly and might be disappointed by such an abuse. It will not necessarily make you popular and influence people. However, the right of reply gives you some additional time to speak substantively.

Roll call

At least at the beginning of each day of the conference as well as directly before the voting procedure there will be a roll call. The dais may decide to conduct further roll calls if it is deemed necessary. Each delegation will be called and has to state if the delegation is either present or present and voting. If a delegate is simply present they may abstain on substantive votes. If they are present and voting they cannot abstain in substantive votes. In a procedural vote there are no abstentions possible at all. The status of the delegates will be recorded by the dais. The status may be changed – to do so you must pass a note to the dais registering your new status.

A roll call is useful to find out if a specific delegate is participating at the conference and if they are present or present and voting. While it might seem odd to give up the strategic advantage of abstention, it sends out a strong signal that you have a position which you are ready to fight for and lets others with a strong position know this.

Setting the speaker’s time

At the beginning of a session, the speaker’s time is unlimited. You can try to change the current speaker’s time with a motion to increase or to reduce it. The minimum speaker’s time is 30 seconds. Especially in smaller committees there may often be long speeches. Before the vote upon this motion, which requires a simple majority, two speakers in favour of and two against that motion will be heard. Each one of them is allowed to speak for 15 seconds procedurally.

To change the speaker’s time is a very common motion. But in order not to hamper the substantive discussion in your committee, you should not overuse it (otherwise, the chair might decide not to entertain all of these motions). The motion is often used strategically, which means, that you can try to increase the speaker’s time, when a member of your “coalition” or you are on top of the speakers list or to reduce it if an adversarial member of the committee is about to speak (example: Cuba would try to reduce the speaker’s time if the USA are about to hold a speech and vice versa). If you want to bring in this motion strategically, please be aware that you are not allowed to explain these non-procedural reasons in a pro/con-speech.

Suspension of the meeting for the purpose of a caucus

While speeches during formal session are helpful to get to know the point of view of your fellow delegates, most of the work (such as finding supporters for your standpoint, writing working papers etc.) is done during informal negotiations. The length of a caucus can vary between five minutes and several hours. There will be a vote upon this motion without preceding debate and a simple majority is needed for it to pass.

A caucus is primarily meant as a time for informal negotiations, even though it can be combined with a coffee-, cigarette- or meal break. It is useful to move for a caucus before the beginning of a voting procedure, as you are not allowed to eat, drink or leave the room during that time.

Suspension of the meeting for the purpose of a moderated caucus

A moderated caucus offers the delegates the opportunity to conduct a special type of informal discussion within the committee setting. It is, thus, neither an informal caucus nor part of the formal session. Therefore the regular speakers list as well as the speakers time are halted during the moderated caucus. The chair may serve as the moderator of the caucus and may give the delegates who wish to contribute to the debate the opportunity to do so. Alternatively, the delegate who brought in the motion may act as moderator. Then, the committee has to decide upon this issue unanimously.
It is important that the delegate who brings in the motion for a moderated caucus specifies its topic, duration as well as the speakers time which shall apply. (Ex.: “Persia moves to suspend the meeting for the purpose of a moderated caucus for 30 minutes in order to discuss XY, suggesting a speakers time of two minutes. The Chair shall act as moderator.”) Due to its distinct character, no points or motions are in order at the time of the moderated caucus. There will be a vote upon this motion without preceding debate and a simple majority is needed for it to pass.

A moderated caucus allows the committee to conduct a more interactive and less formally constrained debate, within the whole committee. It is often used to talk about a specific issue concerning the topic under discussion, for example, a draft resolution brought in by a working group.

Adoption by acclamation

A resolution may be adopted by acclamation without actually voting on it. This signifies that the committee is in consensus about the contents of a draft. There is neither debate nor vote upon this motion; however, objection by a single delegate is enough for it to fail.

Delegates who intend to vote in favour of a draft or abstain should generally be in favour of this motion. Those delegates intending to vote against a resolution should be opposed to adoption by acclamation. Nevertheless, if there seems to be consensus, it is a quite useful way to shorten the voting procedure.

Clause by clause

A delegate may move for voting on a resolution clause by clause. Before voting on a resolution as a whole, each operative clause will first be voted upon separately. This motion passes without a vote or debate and a simple majority is required for each clause. If a vote on a clause passes, the clause will remain part of the resolution; if a vote on a clause fails, it will be erased from the resolution. Note: You may not vote upon clauses which have been divided out by division of the question.

This motion is useful if delegations want to erase certain operative clauses from a draft in order to be able to vote in favour of a resolution. While it might be more time consuming then divisions of the question, it is more accurate and does not include the risk that clauses you intend to erase become part of an inerasable and highlighted annex. Please note that preambular clauses can neither be changed by amendments, nor can they be divided out or voted upon clause by clause! They will always remain, unless of course the whole resolution fails.

Division of the question

Dividing out clauses is a two-step procedure. The committee first votes procedurally on whether to divide out a clause and therefore to separate it from the rest of the paper which requires debate (2 pro, 2 con). A simple majority is necessary for this procedural vote. If the vote fails the committee goes back to regular voting procedure. Should the delegates vote in favour of dividing out a clause, a second vote, this time substantive, will be taken on whether to make the clause an annex to the resolution or to erase it completely from the draft. This vote is substantive and also requires a simple majority. If the vote passes, the clause will become an annex to the resolution and thereby its content will be highlighted. If the vote fails, the clause will no longer be part of the resolution.

When voting on a draft resolution, the committee can divide out operative clauses of a draft resolution by voting upon them separately from the whole resolution. This motion is intended to highlight certain clauses by making them an annex to the resolution. Delegates may also make use of the division of the question to strike out operative clauses from a draft resolution. However, it is more appropriate to move for voting clause by clause when intending to erase operative clauses from a draft. It is also important to note, that the annex will survive, even if the resolution as a whole would fail.

Explanation of vote

You are allowed to explain your vote in a particular case. If you wish to do so, you have to submit your explanation in written form prior to voting procedure to the dais. The chair decides if you are allowed to read it out after the vote. The explanation should be kept rather short, as you will have only between 15 and 45 seconds to read it out. Note: You may only explain your vote if you vote in favour or against a resolution. Abstentions cannot be explained! Moreover, if you are sponsor of a resolution, you are not allowed to give an explanation of vote if voting in favour – you may only explain your vote if voting “no”.

With voting clause by clause and divisions of the question, it is quite easy to vote in favour only on specific parts of the resolution. To prevent the confusion of your colleagues, if you vote against the resolution in a particular case, it might be necessary to explain your vote to the committee. On the other hand, there is of course also a possibility to make a final point about the resolution as a whole, but you should be mindful, that the chairs will realise, if you try to abuse such an explanation.

Roll call vote

A roll call vote may be requested in voting procedure at any time on substantive votes only and passes without a vote. This means that the following vote will be conducted by roll callwithout first voting on whether to go into roll call or not. The delegates may answer during roll call vote only with “yes”, “no”, “abstain”, or “pass”. If a delegate says “pass”, the roll call will be continued with the next delegate. After all delegates have been asked, the delegates who answered “pass” in the first round will be asked again. This time, they are not allowed to use “pass” again OR to abstain and have to vote “yes” or “no”.

A roll call vote is of interest for delegations who wish to either emphasise their own vote on an issue or make it public to the whole committee, or for delegations that wish to know how certain other delegations vote on a topic. Especially “pass” is quite useful to get an overview about the vote in total, before you have to give your vote. And you should not use a roll call vote too often; it is a quite time consuming procedure, especially in larger committees. You can of course introduce a motion for a roll call vote anytime. However, in the General Assembly roll call votes may only apply to votes upon a resolution as a whole.