Speaker's List

Speaker’s List

During General Assembly, the speaking list will be available to everyone via overhead projector. Specific software will be used to control speaker order and allotted time. The Speaker’s List will be used primarily during moderated caucus to preserve the flow. There will be a time limit for remarks pre-established by the Secretary General, any modifications to that time limit can be suggested by a “motion to extend speaking time” or a “motion to move to close debate and move to voting procedures.” The final decision will be left to the Secretary General’s discretion. The Secretary General will also determine the number of countries on the speaking list and when the Speaker’s List will be closed, as well as whether or not to suspend the speaker’s list at any point during debate. To add your country to the Speaker’s List, the delegate shall calmly raise his/her placard, and the person in charge of the Speaker’s List will add the country. There will be no need for verbal recognition during this process. The Secretary General will signal when countries should raise their placards for the speakers list.



Order of Debate

(Adapted from BRAMUN Handbook)

The order of debate inside the committee forums is probably the most confusing part for MUN newcomers. It is suggested that delegates pay close attention for the first few minutes, as they will quickly grasp the process.


Order of Debate for Committee Sessions

• The Chair calls the house to order:

CHAIR: ‘Will the House please come to order?’

• The Chair will call upon the main submitter of a resolution that has been pre-selected to be debated:
  

CHAIR: ‘We will now discuss the resolution on the question of (subject), submitted by (name of delegation). The Chair would like to call upon the main submitter of the resolution to read out the operative clauses.

(Name of delegation), the floor is yours.’

• The Operative Clauses of the resolution is read by the main submitter.

• The Chair will then ask the house if there is a ‘second.’ Any member of the house may simply call out: ‘Second’.

CHAIR: ‘The House has heard the resolution. Is there a second?’

DELEGATE: ‘Second’

• The Chair sets a debate time, e.g. 20 minutes for and 20 minutes against the resolution, (procedural matters, such as amendments can easily extend the debate time to over an hour)yields the floor to the main submitter who will deliver a speech in favor the resolution, highlighting what they consider to be the most important and strongest points of the resolution.

CHAIR: ‘Thank you, (Delegate of/name of country). The Chair sets a debate time of 20 minutes of debate in favor of the resolution. All delegates have a right to request the floor at any point in time during the debate. (Name of delegation), you have the floor.’

DELEGATE: ‘(begins with) Mr. /Madam Chairman, Honorable Delegates…’

• After the speech, the speaker may entertain Points of Information, yield the floor to another submitter to speak in support of the resolution, or back to the chair. Any delegate may request the floor to make a point of information. He or she does so by raising their placard, and once acknowledged by the Chair stands up to speak either at their table or another location in the room (as specified by Chair). The Chair will most likely set a limit on the number of points of information that may be made due to time constraints (usually 3) after which the floor is yielded back to the Chair or (if permitted- at Chair’s discretion) to another delegation.

CHAIR: ‘Thank you very much. Is the speaker open to points of information?’

DELEGATE: ‘The speaker is open to points of information’

CHAIR: ‘The Chair sets a limit of three points of information for the speaker. Are there any points in the House? (Name of country), you have been recognized.

or

CHAIR: ‘Thank you. Is the speaker open to points of information?’

DELEGATE: ‘The speaker is not open to points of information’

CHAIR: ‘Will the delegate please yield the floor back to the Chair?”

DELEGATE: ‘The delegate of (country name) yields the floor back to the Chair’

or

CHAIR: ‘Thank you. Is the speaker open to points of information?’

DELEGATE: ‘The speaker is not open to points of information, but instead wishes to yield to floor to the delegation of (country name)’

CHAIR: ‘That is/is not in order. Thank you (name of delegate); please yield the floor back to the Chair.’

DELEGATE: ‘The delegate of (country name) yields the floor back to the Chair’

CHAIR: ‘Thank you. 'Delegate of (country name) you have the floor/Does any other country wish to have the floor?’

• Once the floor is yielded back to the chair, another person may request the floor to speak in favor of the resolution until time has expired to speak for the resolution or a successful amendment has been passed to move into time “against” the resolution.
  

• Once debate time for a resolution has expired the Chair will call upon the speaker – if any member retains the floor at that moment – to yield the floor back to the chair. The Chair will then open the floor to members wishing to speak against the resolution.

CHAIR: ‘Debate time in favor of this resolution has expired. The House will now move into time against. The Chair sets 20 minutes of debate against this resolution. Are there any requests for the floor?’


9. Amendments submitted are entertained in time against the resolution. The procedures for an Amendment are:

o The chair will read the amendment and set debate time for and against it.

o The chair will call upon the submitter of the amendment to speak for it. The speaker may entertain Points of Information, yield the floor to another submitter to speak in support of the resolution, or back to the chair.

o When debate time for the Amendment has expired the chair will open the forum to those members wishing to speak against the Amendment.

CHAIR: ‘The Chair has received an amendment from (name of delegation). The amendment is in order. The Chair will read out the amendment twice. First, I will just read it out for you to listen. Next, I will read it out slowly, in order to allow you to write it down. Are there any seconds to this amendment? (If yes: The Chair sets a separate debate time for this amendment of 4 minutes of open debate. (Name of delegation), you have the floor.’


10. Once time has expired for the amendment the Chair will conduct voting

procedure. (The same procedure will be repeated for an amendment to an

amendment)

CHAIR: ‘Debate time on the amendment has elapsed. The Chair therefore suggests we will move into voting procedures on the amendment/amendment to the amendment. All those in favor of the amendment, please raise your placards... All those against the amendment, please raise your placards... With a vote of xx in favor and xx against, the amendment has passed/failed. We will now resume debate time on the resolution/original amendment.’


11. Once debate time for the resolution has expired – or there has been a motion to

move directly to voting procedures that has been seconded without any objections

– the Chair will call and conduct voting procedures.

CHAIR: ‘Debate time on the resolution has elapsed. The Chair therefore suggests we will move into voting procedures on the resolution. All those in favor of the resolution, please raise your placards... All those against the resolution, please raise your placards... All those who wish to abstain from voting, please raise your placards... With a vote of xx in favor, xx against and xx abstentions, this resolution has passed/failed.