1. Flow of Debate & Rules of Procedure
2. Points and Motions
3. General Rules
4. Flow of Parliamentary Procedure
5. Resolutions and Amendments
6. Debate
7. Voting

Flow of Debate & Rules of Procedure

Points and Motions

Points	Description
Point of Order	A Point of order is used when delegates believe the Chair has made an error in the running of the committee. They should only specify the errors they believe were made in the formal committee procedure. (1) A Point of Order may relate to procedural matters only, and a representative rising to a point of order may not speak on the substance of the matter under discussion.
Point of Parliamentary Enquiry	A Point of Parliamentary Enquiry is a point of information to request clarification on all procedural matters in general from the Chair.
Point of Personal Privilege	A Point of personal privilege is used to inform the Chair of a physical discomfort a delegate is experiencing, such as the inability to hear another delegate’s speech. Point of Personal Privilege must refer to the comfort and well-being of the delegate. (1) It may not refer to the content of any speech and may only interrupt a speaker if the speech is inaudible.
Point of Information	A Point of Information may be directed to the the speaker who has the floor if he has indicated that he is willing to yield to points of information. A Point of Information allows other delegations to ask questions in relation to speeches, amendments, and draft resolutions. (1) A Point of Information must be formulated as a question, although a short introductory statement or reference may precede the question. (2) Delegates should remain standing until the Point of Information has been answered. (3) A follow-up question or series of questions from the same questioner are usually not in order.
Point of Clarification	A Point of Clarification is a question related to technicalities and constitution of the draft resolutions and amendments. (1) A Point of Clarification must be formulated as a question, although a short introductory statement or reference may precede the question (2) Questions are limited to the definitions of terminologies or roles of specific organizations proposed.

Motions	Description
Motion to Set  the Agenda	A Motion to Set the Agenda is used to set the topic of the debate to either of the two agendas. (1) Delegates may raise this motion when there is no agenda set for discussion within the committee. (2) If objection is made to the motion, the motion to set the agenda shall be debated upon. Permission to speak on the motion for division shall be given only to two speakers in favour of and two speakers against.  (3) A one-half majority is required.
Motion for a Moderated Debate	A Motion for a Moderated Debate is used to discuss the selected topic in deeper & greater specifics and details. In addition, the moderated caucus allows a delegate to demonstrate their insight into the subject and gives them an opportunity to take control of the topic. (1) The delegate raising the motion must specify: i. The total duration of the debate; ii. The individual speaking time per delegate; iii. The topic or subtopic to be discussed. (2) If the motion passes, the Chair shall moderate the debate, calling upon delegates who raise their placards. (3) In CSIAMUN XVIII, the maximum duration of a Moderated Debate is 15 minutes. (4) The individual speaking time should divide evenly into the total debate time.
Motion for an Unmoderated Cauus	A Motion for an Unmoderated Caucus is a temporary suspension of formal debate that allows delegates to move freely, speak informally, and collaborate without recognition from the Chair. During unmoderated caucuses, delegates may draft working papers, negotiate clauses, form blocs, or consolidate ideas. (1) A delegate may raise a Motion to Move into an Unmoderated Caucus by specifying: i. The total duration of the caucus; ii. A stated purpose or topic, such as drafting resolutions. (3) In CSIAMUN XVIII, the maximum duration of an Unmoderated Caucus is 20 minutes.
Motion to Limit/Extend Debate Time For ……. minutes	A Motion to Limit/Extend Debate Time calls for modification of the set debate time. (1) The delegate must propose specific time that does not exceed half the initial total time. (2) A one-half majority is required.
Motion to Introduce Draft Resolution	A Motion to Introduce Draft Resolution serves to formally present the working paper that has been approved by the Chair. Resolutions cannot be discussed in any substantive speeches in the committee until they have been formally introduced. (1) The committee shall, unless it decides otherwise, debate the draft resolutions in the order in which they have been submitted.  (2) The main submitter will deliver an authorship speech for a maximum of 3 minutes to introduce the draft resolution and urge other delegates to actively participate in the debate.
Motion to Introduce an Amendment	A Motion to Introduce an Amendment is for the introduction and debate on a newly-submitted amendment. (1) The speaker needs to have the floor. (2) The amendment needs to have been approved by the Chair.
Motion to  Approach the  Chair	A Motion to Approach the Chair is used to seek permission from the presiding officer in a meeting to approach them privately to discuss a matter that requires attention.
Motion to Table the Topic	A Motion to Table the Topic ends the debate on the topic until it is reopened with a Motion to Reconsider. Tabling, or laying a resolution on the table, temporarily disposes of it. This motion can be used if you feel that enough has been said for now and more could be said at a later time. (1) The Motion is not debatable. (2) A one-half majority is required.
Motion to Reconsider	A Motion to Reconsider is used to bring a resolution or topic that has been previously tabled back to the floor. (1) It requires a previous topic to have been put aside. (2) Permission to speak on a motion to reconsider shall be accorded only to two speakers opposing the motion. (3) A two-thirds majority is required.
Motion for P5 Caucus (Security Council Only)	A Motion for P5 Caucus shall be applied only in the SC in case a permanent member intends to vote against (veto) an Operative Clause or Draft Resolution as a whole. (1) With the contribution of the presidency, the P5 members should gather in a separate area and discuss the controversial point. (2) The entertainment of this motion is subject to the discretion of the presidency.
Motion to move into Previous Question	A Motion to move into Previous Question calls for the closure of debate and for a vote to be taken on the resolution/amendment being debated. It may be moved by the Chair or a speaker who has the floor. (1) A two-thirds majority is required.
Motion to Vote by Roll Call	A Motion to Vote by Roll Call calls for an individual verbal vote to be taken in alphabetical order of the English names of the member states present. During a roll call vote, delegations may answer with an affirmative vote, a negative vote, or an abstention. (1) This motion is automatically approved and does not require a vote unless the Chair decides not to entertain it.
Motion to Divide the House	A Motion to Divide the house forces all of those who have not voted (or “abstained”) to vote either for or against in the likely event of a vote being particularly close or even a tie. This could lead to a success or a failure of the resolution. (1) This motion is automatically approved and does not require a vote unless the Chair decides not to entertain it.
Motion to Divide the Issue	A Motion to Divide the Issue calls for separate votes on sections of the resolution (as defined by the delegate) by a delegate that may approve of one particular part of a resolution and strongly disagree with another part. (1) If an objection is made to the request for division, the motion for division shall be debated upon. Permission to speak on the motion for division shall be given only to two speakers in favor and two speakers against. (2) A one-half majority is required.
Motion to  Adjourn the  Session	A Motion to Adjourn the Session is raised to bring the session to recess. (1) This motion can be used for lunch, dinner, or end of the day. (2) In addition to the proposer of the motion, two representatives may speak in favor of and two against the motion. (3) A one-half majority is required.

General Rules

All delegates should be aware that the rules are intended to facilitate debate and to accord to all members their democratic right to voice an opinion. The Chair will apply the rules to this end and will not tolerate the abuse or misuse of the rules for obstructive or restrictive purposes. Delegations should, at all times, act in accordance with the articles and principles of the United Nations Charter. For information on how to prepare opening speeches or how to format resolutions, refer to our delegate conference procedures guide. Security Council delegates should refer to the Security Council guide for more details on the procedure.

Official and Working Language
English is the only official and working language of the conference. Other languages are not permitted during any official sessions. Delegates should avoid using first and second pronouns such as “I,” “you,” and “we” during the conference. When addressing themselves or other delegates, delegates must do so by the names of their delegation (ex., the delegate of the United States). 

Quorum
Quorum is the minimum number of delegates required to be present for the committee to proceed with the formal debate. When one-third of the committee members are present, the committee has met the quorum. The presence of a majority of the members shall be required for any decision to be taken.

Electronic Devices
All electronic devices, including laptops and cellular phones, should not be used during debate. Delegates are also not allowed to bring any electronic devices to the podium. At the Chair’s discretion, laptops can be used during the lobbying session to draft and merge resolutions. Use of generative AI programs, such as Chat-GPT, are prohibited.

Decorum
Each delegate must act according to diplomatic norms, including the duty to:
– Respect the decisions of the Chair at all times;
– Obtain the floor before speaking;
– Stand when speaking;
– Yield the floor when required to do so by the Chair;
– Be courteous at all times;
– Dress formally and respectfully;
-Avoid the use of insulting or abusive language.

Plagiarism/AI-usage
Delegates are strictly prohibited from receiving any unauthorized aid, encompassing actions such as plagiarism and the use of Artificial Intelligence tools. All written work and spoken speeches must include proper credit for all sources used to uphold integrity and transparency, ensuring that the contributions of others are duly acknowledged and recognized. Please note delegates are not allowed to pre-written resolutions or clauses.

Note-passing
Direct conversation between individual delegates is not allowed during the debating sessions. If a delegate wishes to deliver a message to another delegate, the delegate must do so through note-passing. The content of the notes should state the sender and recipient, pertain to the actual debate, and should be written in English. 

Flow of Parliamentary Procedure

Roll Call
The Chair will take attendance. Delegates will respond either “present” or “present and voting”. If a delegate chooses to say ‘present and voting’, they will not be able to abstain from any substantive voting.

Motion to Set the Agenda
– Most committees will have two topics, and delegates must decide which one to focus on first. As a result, a delegate can motion to set the topic to either one by saying “Motion to set the agenda to Topic A/B.”
– The committee will first work through opening speeches, lobbying, and debating the selected agenda before moving on to the other agenda.
– Two speakers will need to stand up and speak in favor of that topic while two other speakers will argue against picking that topic. The committee will then vote—If the motion passes, then the debate will begin with Topic A. If it fails, the order will automatically be set to Topic B.
– For committees with only one topic, after the motion is made to set the agenda to that topic a vote will immediately be taken without debating which topic to focus on.

Opening Speeches
– All delegates must deliver opening speeches after the roll call for each agenda. Therefore, a total of two opening speeches on each of the agendas should be prepared by the delegates before the conference for most delegates.
– Opening speeches are limited to 90-second per speech.
– The right of reply to an opening speech will usually be accorded to a limited number of delegations after a specified number of opening speeches. Such replies must refer to one of the preceding opening speeches. Rights of Reply to opening speeches are granted at the discretion of the Chair.
– No points of clarification, points of information, or yielding are allowed. 

Moderated Debate
A Moderated Debate is a structured form of discussion in which the Chair recognizes delegates to speak for a specified time and on a specific topic. Moderated debate allows for organized discourse and is typically used to focus discussion on particular aspects of the agenda.

A delegate may raise a Motion to Move into a Moderated Debate by specifying:
1. The total duration of the debate;
2. The individual speaking time per delegate;
3. The topic or subtopic to be discussed.

– In CSIAMUN XVIII, the maximum duration of a Moderated Debate is 15 minutes. 
– If the motion passes, the Chair shall moderate the debate, calling upon delegates who raise their placards. 

Resolutions and Amendments

A Resolution refers to the set of solutions that delegates have come up with to solve the agenda. It should not contain unrealistic solutions or solutions that have already been executed.
– Draft resolutions need to be co-submitted by a minimum of 5 delegates. A co-submitter of a draft resolution may submit another draft resolution.
– Refer to our “Resolution guide” for technicalities and formatting
– Before being accepted for debate, draft resolutions have to be approved by the Student Officer concerned and by the Approval Panel. The Student Officer will usually check the content to see that it is pertinent to an issue on the agenda, within the competence of the forum to debate it, and is in accordance with the United Nations Charter. The Approval Panel will check the format, language and logical consistency.
– The committee shall, unless it decides otherwise, debate on the draft resolutions in the order in which they have been submitted. 

Amendments are requests made by delegates to make changes to the draft resolution.
– The purpose of proposed amendments to resolutions is to improve the resolution with the object of achieving wider consensus.
– During debate, each and every delegate in the conference may raise amendments, including those who are not co-submitters of the resolution.
– Debate on amendments usually occurs in Limited Speaker’s List speeches.
– Delegates should send the amendment sheet to the Chair for approval before moving to raise a motion to introduce the amendment.
– For amendments, submitters will be offered the ability to speak as the first speaker “for” the amendment.
– If a second amendment (amendment to the amendment) is moved, it will be voted on before the vote is taken on the first amendment. If the adoption of the second amendment necessarily implies the acceptance or rejection of the first amendment, the first amendment is not put to the vote.
– There are three types of amendments: strike, change, and add

• Adding amendment will add details to the clause.
• Changing the amendment will alter the content of the clause.
• Striking amendment serves to delete the whole clause. No points of clarification is to be entertained.

Debate

The Chair may, in the interest of debate, or in order to work towards consensus, call upon a particular delegation to speak, even if they have not requested the floor. The Chair may also, for the same purposes, restrict the speaking time of an individual delegate. The limitations of debate time include the time taken for replies to points of information but do not include the time taken for questions to the speaker or for other interruptions.

Authorship Speeches
The main submitters of the draft resolutions will deliver authorship speeches, for maximum 3 minutes, in order to introduce the delegates’ draft resolution and urge other delegates to actively participate in the debate.

Moderated Debate
1. A Moderated Debate is a structured form of discussion in which the Chair recognizes delegates to speak for a specified time and on a specific topic. Moderated debate allows for organized discourse and is typically used to focus discussion on particular aspects of the agenda.
2. A delegate may raise a Motion to Move into a Moderated Debate by specifying: total time, individual speaking time, and the topic or subtopic to be discussed.
3. If the motion passes, the Chair shall moderate the debate, calling upon delegates who raise their placards. In CSIAMUN XVIII, the maximum duration of a Moderated Debate is 15 minutes.

Unmoderated Caucus
1. An Unmoderated Caucus is a temporary suspension of formal debate that allows delegates to move freely, speak informally, and collaborate without recognition from the Chair.
2. During unmoderated caucuses, delegates may draft working papers, negotiate clauses, form blocs, or consolidate ideas. A delegate may raise a Motion to Move into an Unmoderated Caucus by specifying: the total duration, and a stated purpose or topic.
3. In CSIAMUN XVIII, the maximum duration of an Unmoderated Caucus is 20 minutes. 

Yielding
When making speeches, once you are finished speaking, you must yield your remaining time. The floor may be yielded only once consecutively.

• Back to the Chairperson: If delegates yield their time back to the chairperson, the remaining time elapses and the floor is automatically returned to the chairperson. 
• To Points of Information: Delegates can yield their time to Points of Information to receive questions from other delegates. Delegates may open themselves up to specific numbers of POIs or “any and all” POIs.
• To another Delegate: Upon mutual consent, the floor may be yielded by one delegate to another if more than 20 seconds are remaining.
• To Comments: Upon mutual consent, this yield allows two delegates to give a short speech commenting on the speaker’s speech. Each speech may not last longer than 30 seconds.

Voting

The Voting procedure will be conducted after each debate on draft resolutions/amendments. Motion to move to the Previous Question calls for the closure of debate and for a vote to be taken on the motion pending. It may be moved by the chairperson or a speaker who has the floor. After the chairperson has announced the start of voting procedures, no interruptions are allowed except for points of order connected with the actual conduct of the voting.

• Voting “For“: means that the delegate agrees to the content of the resolution and therefore supports its implementation. 
• Voting “Against”: means that the delegate is not willing to accept the content as a plausible resolution.
• Abstentions: means that the delegate neither agrees nor disagrees with the resolution. Abstentions do not count either for or against the adoption: i.e. a resolution passes if the number in favor exceeds the number against regardless of the number of abstentions.
  – Delegates may abstain during all substantive voting procedures, including voting for resolutions or amendments.
  – Delegates “present and voting” may not abstain.

A draft resolution requires a one-half majority for the resolution to pass. An amendment needs one-half majority for the amendment to pass. If a vote is equally divided, the proposal shall be regarded as rejected.

Veto Rights
The Security Council will apply the special provisions concerning voting as stated in the UN Charter. Veto rights are not allowed in non-Security Council committees or commissions.

Motions
After entering voting procedure, motions to “Vote by Roll Call”, “Divide the House”, and “Divide the Issue” may be made. Under the motion to divide the issue, if all operative parts of the resolution have been rejected, the resolution shall be considered to have been rejected as a whole.