Delegate’s Handbook

NESMUN 2022

Board of directors:

General Secretary: María José Aristizabal Gwinner

Deputy Secretary: Mariana Gonzalez Leon
Lower Middle School Coordinator: Lida Chenoa Álvarez Murcia
Higher Middle School Coordinator: Natalia Arias Rubio
High School Coordinator: María Gabriela Bastidas Acosta
Abstract:
The following document includes the rules of the procedure for the 2022 New England
School Model of the United Nations.

Content
CHAPTER I: GENERAL RULES

CHAPTER II: PRESIDENTIAL CHAIR

CHAPTER III: DELEGATIONS

CHAPTER IV: MOTIONS AND POINTS

CHAPTER V: COMMITTEES

CHAPTER VI: RESOLUTIONS

CHAPTER VII: VOTES AND MAJORITIES

CHAPTER VIII: CENSORSHIP

CHAPTER IX: PRESS AND LOGISTICS TEAMS

CHAPTER X: AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS

CHAPTER XI: FINAL CONSIDERATIONS. EXAMPLES OF AN OPENING SPEECH,

POSITION PAPER AND RESOLUTION PAPER
Chapter I: General Rules:
Article 1: These rules meet the principles and basic procedures of NESMUN 2021;
therefore, the following disciplinary regulations and applications must be respected by
each and every one of the participants of the event without any distinction or
exception.

Article 2: The language of the committees is in Spanish, except for the committees of
the Security Council, ECOSOC and the General Assembly of the United Nations. All
discussions and documents must be stated in the language of each Committee. If the
delegation wants to use a phrase in another language, the delegate must translate it
immediately.

In the opening speech, the delegate can choose to read it in their language but must
give a copy of the translated text to every member of the committee.

Article 3: The General Secretariat is the highest authority of the model. It includes the
General Secretary and the Deputy Secretary, which are responsible for solving any
problem occurring during the model. The decisions of any member of the General
Secretariat regarding any issue, will be the final word and will take precedence over
any other decision or appeal. In addition, a member of the General Secretariat may
submit to any Committee at any time.

Article 4: The media is responsible and must inform all participants of the
development of NESMUN 2021 in an objective way. They will publish a daily report
about the discussions of each Committee under prior approval of the General
Secretariat, and they will also have the possibility to help in the development of a
committee’s work paper.

Article 5: Staff team oversees making the schedule of the model and all the logistics of
the event.

Chapter II: Presidential Chairs:

Article 6: Each Committee has a presidential chair, which will be the immediate
moderator figure. The decisions made in the Committee must be compiled by all the
delegates and people that are within the Committee. Each presidential chair has a
President and a Vice-President. The members of the General Secretariat will also have
the ability of assuming the roles of the Chair in specific cases.

Article 7: The President will guide and moderate the debate, establishing the agenda
of the Committee. If the president is absent, the Vice-President will oversee replacing
him/her.

Article 8: The Vice-President is the person in charge of taking the attendance and
accounting the number of interventions of the delegates, their quality, as well as
establishing the grade of each delegate.

Article 9: The moderator shall open or close each session, accepting or denying
objectively motions, and the delegate must mention the topic that will be discussed
and the time for the discussion. The delegates must vote all the motions.

Article 10: At the beginning of each session, or whenever the Presidential Chair
indicates, the Vice-President will take the attendance, to which delegates should
respond with "present" or with “present and voting”.

Chapter III: The Delegations:

Article 11: Delegates must follow the rules of the procedure, remain in their respective
Committee during the work session time, show respect to all participants of the event
with the appropriate use of words, and refer to other delegations in a way that is not
offensive or defamatory.

Article 12: Direct contact between delegates during the development of the
Committees whether verbal or non-verbal form is prohibited. The only way to
communicate is through written messages.

Article 13: The delegates must use the correct and proper parliamentary and
diplomatic language.

Article 13.1: These are the rules that set out the attire that all participants (delegates,
presidential chairs, board of directors) at NESMUN 2022 must wear during the model
days.

Men: The wearing of formal attire and/or accessories in their entirety is mandatory. No
situation that goes against the diplomatic purposes of the model will be allowed, i.e.
delegates may not present themselves in a manner that is vulgar or inappropriate for
the purpose of the day. They must wear formal attire (blazer or jacket and trousers).
The wearing of a tie is optional. Blazers and coats may not be removed unless a
motion is made in their respective committee to the contrary. Shirts must be long
sleeved, formal and fully buttoned. Clothing such as: caps, hats, shorts, Bermuda
shorts, jean trousers, leggings, joggers, sweatpants, T-shirts of any kind, sunglasses,
and tennis shoes will not be permitted.

Women: The wearing of formal attire and/or accessories in their entirety is mandatory.
No situation that goes against the diplomatic purposes of the model will be allowed,
i.e. delegates may not present themselves in a manner that is vulgar or inappropriate
for the purpose of the day. They must be fully dressed; blazers and coats (compulsory)
may not be removed unless a motion is made in their respective committee to the
contrary. No tank or crop tops will be permitted. Similarly, if you choose to attend in
skirts or dresses, these must comply with the requirement that they must not be more
than approx. 15 cm above the knee. The use of veiled stockings is recommended. The
following items are not permitted: blouses, shirts or dresses with cleavage, hats, caps,
shorts, jeans, leggings, joggers, sweatpants, T-shirts of any kind, sunglasses, tennis
shoes and sandals.

People not complying with any of the above parameters will not be allowed to enter
the committees and will be reprimanded.

Article 14: It is not allowed to talk or make an intervention during the development of
the Committee without the recognition and permission of the Presidential Chair.

Article 15: Each delegation will have to make a position paper and give it to the
Presidential Chair when it is requested. During the session of the Committee, the
delegates shall comply with the official position of his country, department, institution
or charge (see article 63).

Article 16: Delegations are responsible of formulating, considering and proposing

solutions regarding the established topic. They also have to discuss and argue the
ideas with corroborated information. In addition, they must have their position paper
and opening speech in physical, but the research binder may be either digital or
physical.

Chapter IV: Motions and Points:

Article 17: Motions are proposed by a delegate and will be approved by the
Presidential Chair, so they are subjected to a vote. They can only be conducted when
the chair announces to be open to the motions. The request of motions that are not
written here will not be in order and may lead to a penalty.

Article 18 – To begin the session: At the time of starting the duties of the Committee,
a motion will be proposed to start the session. Only once during the event it should be
submitted. Immediately accepted this motion, the Committee will proceed to approve
the subject to be treated and will begin reading the opening speeches. The opening
speech will have a duration of one minute and thirty seconds (1:30) per delegate, and
time may yield to another delegate or to the Presidential Chair.

Article 18.1: The Presidential Chair may declare opened a session when are present at
least one third (1/3) part of the delegates in the Committee. The presence of a simple
majority (50% + 1) will be required for voting processes by order of list.

Article 19 –To start Agenda: It can be used only after introducing the motion to start a
session, when all the opening speeches have been read. The delegate must specify
the topic that he/she wants to discuss first on the agenda.

Article 20 – To initiate an Immoderate Caucus: It is the traditional way of discussing a

specific topic; the delegate must indicate the time of the debate and the reason.
When the debate is accepted, the delegation wishing to speak should raise its platelet
and wait for the Presidential Chair to give him/her the word. Unlike the Moderate
Caucus, the intervention of the delegate is not limited by time.

Article 21 –To initiate Moderate Caucus: When the discussion of a subject is clearly
divided between two groups, the Presidential Chair or any delegate can propose a
Moderated Caucus with the finality of exposing their points of view. The person who
proposes the Moderate Caucus must indicate the time of the motion.

Article 22 - The Speakers’ List: Once the agenda has been opened, the Presidential
Chair will proceed to open the speakers’ list, which will be about the topic of
discussion.

Article 23 – To begin lobby time: It is an informal discussion with the purpose of

creating alliances. The delegates must also use this time to write and/or discuss work
papers. The delegate who proposes the motion must set the duration time of it and
briefly explain the purpose of the motion. Delegates can stand and move around the
room.

Article 24 - Crisis: The General Secretariat releases news or there will be videos
showing a current problem related to the topic in discussion. Before either of these
two cases the Presidential Chair will declare a State of emergency.

Article 24.1: During a State of emergency the delegates must provide a prompt
solution to the problem presented in a given time.

Article 24.2: During the State of Emergency, the Presidential Chair will not receive
points of information.

Article 24.3: Agreed solutions must be included in the working papers of the
Committee.

Article 25 - To extend lobby time: It is used to expand the range of time initially
proposed. It can be rejected or accepted by the Presidential Chair whether it is
appropriate or not. The delegate must clarify how long he/she wants to extend the
time and the purpose for it.

Article 26 – To Close Debate: It is used to end and finish the debate. If it is approved,
another motion can be made to start another kind of debate or suspend the session
whether it is time for lunch or recess.
Article 27 – To Suspend Session: Used to suspend the session when the work of the
schedule has been finished. It is used when it is time for lunch or recess.

Article 28 –To Resume Session: Through this motion the suspended session resumes.
Article 29 –To introduce the working papers: It is used to present the working paper to
the Committee and then submit it to vote.

Article 30 - To introduce an amendment: This motion may be used by any delegation,

while the Forum is open, to introduce an amendment.

Article 31 - For voting process: Used to vote the working papers after they have been
read.

Article 32 - To Close Agenda: When the Committee has done the points set out in the
agenda, a motion to close agenda should be asked. This precedes the motion to close
the session and should only be requested the last day of the Model.

Article 33 – To Close Session: Through this motion the session closes. It is used at the
end of the day on the last day of the debate and completes the work of the
Committee.

Article 34 - Right to reply: If a delegate has been directly and explicitly attacked or
offended by another delegate, he/she can raise his/her platelet and apply for right to
reply. The delegate must wait until the other finishes his/her speech. It is allowed
during the Immoderate Caucus.

Article 34.1: The Presidential Chair will always decide if it is relevant or not to grant the
right to reply. If the request is valid, the Presidential Chair will recognize the delegate
time to explain it.

Article 34.2: A right to reply cannot be said against another right to reply. A
disagreement of arguments is not a valid reason for a request of a right to reply.

Article 35 – Point of Parliamentary Inquiry: A delegation may raise a point of

parliamentary inquiry when the delegate does not have something clear about the
rules of the procedure. Parliamentary inquiry points may not interrupt a delegate.

Article 36 - Point of Order: Points of order are used when a delegate or the
Presidential Chair violated the rules of the procedure, with failure in parliamentary
language or jumped a delegation on the speakers' list. The delegate can interrupt the
delegate speaking.

Article 36 - Point of Personal Privilege: A delegate may request a point of personal

privilege when somehow it is hard to properly participate in the debate, this includes
inability to listen to another delegate, being too cold or warm, etc. This point can
interrupt the delegate who is speaking only when the interrupted delegate is
responsible for the unconformity.

Article 37 - Point of Information: Allows the delegate to ask a question to the delegate
speaking about something that he/she said, intending to clarify doubts. The
intervention of the speaker shall be immediately after. It cannot be done with the
intention of debating since its requested with the intention of clarifying doubts.

Chapter V: The Committees:

Article 38: The project is controlled by the same rules regarding voting, agreements,
abstentions, points, etc. The only exceptions in which this may vary, are the
international committees.

Article 39 (Not required this year): The committee of Economic and Social Council
(ECOSOC), must stick to a different voting process. All resolutions including crises,
must reach a qualified majority of two thirds (2/3) of the committee to pass.

Article 40: (Not required this year): The Security Council committee, has as a
particularity, the possibility of the “Veto Power” done by the V5 group (People’s
Republic of China, United States of America, French Republic, United Kingdom and
the Russian Federation). If all the members of this group don’t reach an agreement,
the resolution will be vetoed and the following resolution paper will have to be voted
on.

Article 41: The United Nations official committees are the only ones with the possibility
to have multiple member delegations. It can only be accessed by an invitation from
the Presidential Chair and the committee debates multiple crises around four topics.

Article 41.1 (Not required this year): All delegates members of the GAUN, are eligible
for the Universal Delegate recognition.

Chapter VI: Resolutions:

Article 42: The working papers are formal documents in which the Committee

determines a resolution. Each working paper will be led by two groups with a
maximum of five leaders. This document will be presented through a motion to
introduce a working paper.

Article 43: The Presidential Chair will be in charge of the voting process of each
Committee.

Article 44 – Pre-ambulatory clauses: They are phrases that introduce the discussed
topic. They make reference to existing conventions or resolutions that are worth
considering. Every pre-ambulatory clause must be in cursive/italics and finished with a
comma.

Article 45 –Operative clauses: They reveal the decision of the Committee regarding
the problem. They are concise and they do not evoke demands but suggestions. Each
phrase should be listed and underlined.

Article 46 - Amendments: Consists of a brief and concise reform to a proposal for a

resolution introduced. It must be approved and signed by the President of each
Committee. The presidential chair will reject or accept a proposal for amendment. This
decision is not appealable.

Article 46.1 - Friendly Amendments: Are those proposed by any delegation that
receives the approval of all the delegations.

Article 46.2 - Unfriendly Amendments: Are those proposals, which are not approved
by at least one of the delegations.

Chapter VII: The Votes and Majorities:

Article 47: Any motion must be voted and the delegation will vote "in favor",
"against" or “abstention". Delegates who abstain in the take of attendance of the
session, cannot vote, and those who responded "Present and voting" will not be able
to abstain.

Article 48: There are two processes of voting depending on if it is simple or substantial
issues (will be considered substantial voting the adoption of resolutions or
amendments. When substantial voting, Committee doors will be closed, given that the
vote may not be interrupted by external agents).

Article 49 - Vote by platelets: Delegate will raise their platelet to vote 'in favor' or '
against' in the moment the President indicates. This voting process is used for simple
issues.

Article 50 - Voting by list: Will be held only for substantial issues. The Presidential
Chair will read the names of the delegations; to be called a delegation, the
corresponding delegate will say: "in favor” "against" "in favor, with reasons", "against
and with reasons" depending on your vote.

Article 51 - Reconsideration of vote: Finished the voting by list process, the

Presidential Chair will ask delegates if anyone wants to reconsider the vote. Only the
delegate can change in two cases:

Article 51.1: If the delegate initial vote was "against" or "in favor" can become an
abstention.
Article 51.2: If the delegation had abstained during the vote, can change their vote "in
favor" or "against".

Article 52 - Simple majority: All motions except in substantial issues, require a simple
majority, which means that the half plus one of the delegates belonging to the
Committee have to accept it.

Article 53 - Qualified majority: Is applied for substantial issues. Represents two- thirds
of the total of the Quorum. *Voting for the resolutions.

Chapter VIII: The Censorship:

Article 54: Members of the Presidential Chair or of the General Secretariat may
admonish any delegate in accordance with the following guidelines:

1. Arrive late or being unable to attend a session.

2. Behave improperly, rude or irreverent.
3. Attend the sessions without the correct uniform.

4. Interrupt the sessions.

5. Smoking, consume alcoholic beverages or narcotic and psychotropic

substances during the Model.

6. Physically assaulting any delegate.

7. Use obscene language.

8. Insulting other delegates.

9. Send messages to other delegates not related to the topic of the Committee. 10.
Use points of order repeatedly.

11. Speak in first person repeatedly.

12. Possess weapons or any other dangerous device.

13. Disrespect the observers or other members of the Model or school.

14. Use electronic devices interfering with the work of the participants (cell

phones, iPods, Mp3, cameras, player’s radios and everything considered by

the Presidential Chair).

15. Eat or drink in the committees.

16. Leave the Committee without permission. In case of any urgent need, must be
notified of the reason for the departure to the Vice-president of the chair by a
parliamentary note.

Article 55: Any violation of the rules of procedure, depending on the severity of the
action, the Presidential Chair or the General Secretariat will impose the following
sanctions:

Article 55.1 - Verbal Call: Will take place when the delegate committed a single
missing to the rules of the procedure. Repeated verbal attention calls lead to a
warning. A verbal call is given only in the case of limited minor faults. However,
repeating this kind of action will be punished with a warning.

Verbal Calls don ́t restrict a delegate ́s performance nor does it prevent him/her from
being awarded.

Article 55.2 - Warning: Will take place when the delegate committed several fouls to
the rules of the procedure. Warnings do have a consequence in the grade given to the
delegate ́s performance, but being warned don ́t prevent a delegate from being
nominated to an award. However repeated warnings (three) will make the delegate
being sanctioned with the further stage of punishment

Article 55.3 - Suspension: The accumulation of three or more warnings will suspend
the delegate from the Committee for a time determined by the Presidential Chair.
Repeating this kind of behavior once, will make the delegate being expelled and
being sanctioned disciplinarily by the school ́s own merits.

Chapter IX: Press and Logistics Teams:

Article 56: The logistics team is responsible for doing the work that requires manual
and material effort in the project, as well as the planning of the events, crises along
with the press team, and looking for any other material needed by other teams.

Article 57: The press team is in charge of the dissemination and promotion of the
project, as well as the planning and execution of the crises along with the logistics
team. The management of any visual and digital media, is also one of the
indispensable components of the press team.

Chapter X: The Awards and Distinctions:

Article 58 - Presidential Chair: The General Secretariat will be responsible for giving
this award to the Presidential Chair that has followed the rules of procedure in the
Committee and made responsible and instructive training to help the delegates.
Article 59 -To the Best Speaker: This award will be given to the delegate with the best
oratory and oral expression techniques of the commission. This award is granted by
the Board of Directors of each commission.

Article 60 -To the Best Delegation: This award will be given to the delegate who has
correctly used the parliamentary language, has not had any call for attention,
reprimand or lack of punctuality. In addition to this, the delegate will have proposed
viable solutions, arguing them in a coherent way with good content and using good
oral expression. This award is granted by the Board of Directors of each commission.
In the General Assembly the prize is awarded to the people who are part of the joint
delegation

Article 61– Universal Delegate: This is the most prestigious award given during the
model. It is given to the delegate whose performance was the best in the debate. This
award is given by the General Secretariat.

Chapter XI: Final considerations:

Article 62- Rating system: Each delegate will be graded in an objective manner by the
members of the Presidential Chair, which will evaluate the process that the delegate
had during the model.

Article 63: This regulation is based on the principles of the universal values of freedom,
justice, respect, tolerance, plurality, diversity, acceptance, cooperation, support,
solidarity, community work and compliance with the decisions, allowing the
development of men and women under democratic ideals; the search for common
solutions should be the ultimate goal.

Article 64: NESMUN guidelines are based on the Organization of the United Nations.
Article 66: This regulation is the only valid for NESMUN and its committees;Therefore,
other models’ rules of procedure are not valid at all.

Article 65: Is approved, within the development of the debate, the use of audiovisual
and multimedia resources (laptops).

Article 66 - About the official positions: Delegates must give their official positions the
first day of the model to the Presidential Chair.

Article 67: The same shall contain the official name of the delegation, the Committee,
and a brief summary of the position of the delegation regarding the topics to discuss.

Article 68: The document shall not exceed two (2) pages by topic, and they will be
carried out in white sheets, letter size with the specifications set out in the attached
document to this regulation.
Article 68: Not delivering the official positions on time, will be a reason for serious
misconduct and will result in a warning.

Attachment 1: Example of an Opening Speech. (From: Forum: Human Rights 2.

Question of: The Use of torture in criminal interrogation procedures. Country: United
States of America. AISMUN)

Honorable chair and fellow delegates;

The United States is extremely privileged to attend this conference. In the past few
years, the United States and several allies have been fighting a campaign in Iraq as
part of its war on terror. Many lives were lost, but after long, hard combat the US
finally defeated dictator Saddam Hussein. After his removal, the United States has
been working to rebuild Iraq into a democracy and soldiers have stayed behind to
eliminate insurgents. However, the delegation from the United States feels that its
progress in Iraq has come to the point where the Iraqi government can handle itself
independently, as is needed for any strong democracy. Beginning in 2011, the United
States will begin withdrawing its soldiers from its Iraq. It has faith in the Iraqi people
and knows that they will be able to become a healthy nation.

Attachment 2: Example of a Position Paper. (From: The delegation of Romania at the

2007 UNA-USA Model UN Conference in New York City.)

In the past two decades the rapidly growing world trend has been toward
globalization. With the emergence of the Internet as a means of communication and
the increasing accessibility of international trade physical barriers are not the only
barriers withering away. Protective tariffs are plummeting and free trade agreements
are becoming more prevalent. Romania appreciates that globalization creates
favorable situations for expansion of commercial as well as economic assets. In the
past year Romania has seen a foreign direct investment (FDI) increase of 199%. Inward
FDI increased from EURO 234 million in 2005 to EURO 699 million in 2006. However,
Romania realizes that increased globalization does not automatically produce more
equality.

Globalization and Development can contribute to the advancement of the overall

international human condition; however, the delegation of Romania recognizes that
without proper regulation the potential for advancement will remain limited to an elite
few individuals, businesses, and nations. Unless checked and aimed toward the
common good, globalization cannot effectively serve the global community. Crucial in
dealing with the complexities of globalization, good governance must act with
solidarity and responsibility. Romania believes that in involving people in globalization
we must promote moral values, democratic principles, inclusive global political culture,
institutions that safeguard both individual civil rights and inherent freedoms, and the
common good. In addition, coping with the influx of information from globalization
governments must act with solidarity and insight. Access to digital education will
undoubtedly result in the confidence of citizens in their respective administrations and
allow for a greater degree of transparency, and therefore a lesser degree of
corruption.

Romania believes the multinational business community has the ability and the
obligation to support pertinent values in human rights, labor standards, and
environmental preservation. As stated by the president, Mr. Traion Basescu, Romania
feels a "heartfelt attachment to multilateralism, as an effective instrument designed to
identify the adequate answers to the challenges brought by globalization.”

Romania is party to the majority of multilateral treaties and conventions identified as

such by the Secretary General in the context of the Millennium Summit in 2001.
Romania has always supported innovative and effective ways of establishing
cooperation within and between regional organizations. As one of the newest
members of the European Union, Romania is an active member of the World Trade
Organization, and looks forward to offering its support to the redirection of
globalization to best benefit the global community.

Attachment 3: Example of a Resolution. (From: United Nations Association of the

United States of America).

General Assembly Third Committee

Sponsors: United States, Austria and Italy

Signatories: Greece, Tajikistan, Japan, Canada, Mali, the Netherlands and Gabon

Topic: "Strengthening UN coordination of humanitarian assistance in complex

emergencies"

The General Assembly,

Reminding all nations of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes the inherent dignity, equality and
inalienable rights of all global citizens, [use commas to separate preambulatory
clauses]

Reaffirming its Resolution 33/1996 of 25 July 1996, which encourages Governments to

work with UN bodies aimed at improving the coordination and effectiveness of
humanitarian assistance,

Noting with satisfaction the past efforts of various relevant UN bodies and
nongovernmental organizations,
Stressing the fact that the United Nations faces significant financial obstacles and is in
need of reform, particularly in the humanitarian realm,

1. Encourages all relevant agencies of the United Nations to collaborate more

closely with countries at the grassroots level to enhance the carrying out of
relief efforts; [use semicolons to separate operative clauses]
2. Urges member states to comply with the goals of the UN Department of
Humanitarian Affairs to streamline efforts of humanitarian aid;
3. Requests that all nations develop rapid deployment forces to better enhance

the coordination of relief efforts of humanitarian assistance in complex

emergencies;

4. Calls for the development of a United Nations Trust Fund that encourages
voluntary donations from the private transnational sector to aid in funding
the implementation of rapid deployment forces;
5. Stresses the continuing need for impartial and objective information on the
political, economic and social situations and events of all countries;
6. Calls upon states to respond quickly and generously to consolidated appeals
for humanitarian assistance; and
7. Requests the expansion of preventive actions and assurance of post-conflict
assistance through reconstruction and development. [End resolutions with a
period]
Attachment 4: Preambulatory and Operative Clauses.