In order to best prepare for the upcoming JMUN conference it is expected that each delegate complete at least two position papers. The more familiar you are with the Agenda Issues and your delegation, the more satisfaction you will derive from the conference. The exact due date and number of position papers will be posted elsewhere.

Your position paper should be written in paragraph form and be approximately two pages long. You must provide reference notes and a bibliography. The below list of points is meant to be a guideline for your paper; try to respond to as many as possible – in some cases, the information simply may not be available. Please divide into two sections: Issue Background and Country Position.

• A brief introduction to your country and its history concerning the topic and committee;
• How the issue affects your country;
• Your country's policies with respect to the issue and your country's justification for these policies;
• Quotes from your country's leaders about the issue;
• Statistics to back up your country's position on the issue;
• Actions taken by your government with regard to the issue;
• Relevant conventions and resolutions that your country has signed or ratified;
• Relevant UN actions that your country supported or opposed;
• What your country believes should be done to address the issue;
• How the positions of other countries affect your country's position.

Source: http://www.unausa.org/

Debate Time: Determined and announced by the chair(s)

Voting: During roll call vote (Division of the House), the Chair will ask each country to call out its vote. A country is restricted to answering "for," "against," or "abstain." Any other comments made will be called out of order and a warning will be automatically issued. A delegation which answers inappropriately or which disrupts voting procedures may be ejected from the assembly and have its vote discounted.

Right to Explain Vote: If time remains, after the vote  has been counted, the Chair may entertain three "rights to explain vote," one from a delegate who voted "for" the resolution, another from a delegate "against" the resolution and one from a delegate that abstained. Each speaker has 30 seconds and will speak from the front of the room.

Voting Results: Votes require only a simple majority of the delegates voting either "for" or "against." For example, if the vote is 15 for, 8 against, and 3 abstentions, the motion passes.

Amendments: An amendment can be proposed when the speaker has the floor. An amendment can not be proposed during a Point of Information.

A delegation that wishes to propose an amendment must write it on the colored amendment sheet and then get the floor. Debate time will be set by the Chair to discuss the amendment.

After an amendment is voted on, the delegation which proposed the amendment takes the floor again, if it wishes.

Parliamentary Motions:

Point of Personal Privilege: may interrupt the speaker. It is used when a delegate cannot understand the speaker because the speaker is not speaking loudly enough.

Point of Order is raised when a delegate believes the speaker has made a remark that is offensive or inappropriate to the assembly.

Point of Information to the Chair can be asked only when it does not interrupt the speaker. It is used to ask the Chair a question such as the amount of time left in debate.

Point of Parliamentary Inquiry is used when a delegate needs the Chair to explain parliamentary procedure, such as how to submit an amendment.

Point of Information to the Speaker is a question to the delegate who has the floor at that time. The Point must be one question only and must be phrased as a question.

Move the Previous Question means that a country wishes to vote on a particular issue. The motion must be seconded by another country.

Move to Extend Debate Time is used to set another round of debate time. It may only be called for once the original debate time is finished. . It needs a second to be considered. Either the Chair can make this decision or call for a procedural vote.

Move to Lobby can only be requested by the speaker at the podium. The Chair rules on the appropriateness of the motion. This time should be used for lobbying or writing amendments. If the motion is granted, the Chair states the period of time.

Move to Adopt Without a Vote applies to amendments. It requires the unanimous approval of the assembly to pass. The motion must be made after the operative clauses of a resolution or an amendment have been read and before debate time on the issue has been set. Any objection to adopting without a vote immediately invalidates the motion. Possession of the floor is not required to make this motion.

Agenda Item : the debate topic

Resolution : proposed solution for the Agenda Item

Chair : the student officer responsible for the running of the debate.

Delegate : a representative of a nation

The Floor : the delegate who is standing in front of the room making a speech or answering questions is said to “have the floor.”

Point of Information : a question to the speaker who has “the floor”

Amendment : a suggested change, correction or improvement to a resolution.   

Lobbying : recess time used for writing amendments or for sharing ideas with other delegates

Opening Speech : a 60-second speech announcing the country’s interests in the committee. Delegates must not use I or we, but instead must refer to themselves as “the delegation of …”

Right to Reply : an opportunity provided by the chair for delegates to reply to a country’s opening speech

Yielding : to give the floor up to another speaker or the Chair

When a delegate who is at the podium is finished with his/her speech, he/she yields the floor either to the Chair or to the delegate of another country.

Voting : a democratic procedure to establish whether or not a resolution, amendment, move to lobby, etc, passes or fails.

Unanimous : all delegates agree on a particular issue

What is the preamble?

The preamble is the introduction of the resolution. It contains the background and the argumentation to the issue you have chosen.

Acknowledging

Affirming

Alarmed by

Approving

Aware of

Believing

Bearing in mind

Confident

Congratulating

Convinced

Declaring

Deeply concerned

Deeply conscious

Deeply disturbed

Deeply regretting

Deploring

Desiring

Emphasising

Expecting

Expressing its appreciation

Expressing its satisfaction

Fulfilling

Fully alarmed

Fully aware

Fully believing

Further deploring

Further recalling

Guided by

Having adopted

Having considered

Having devoted attention

Having examined

Having received

Having studied

Keeping in mind

Noting further

Noting with appreciation

Noting with approval

Noting with deep concern

Noting with regret

Noting with satisfaction

Observing

Pointing out

Reaffirming

Realizing

Recalling

Recognising

Referring

Reminding

Seeking

Taking into account

Taking into consideration

Viewing with appreciation

Welcoming

What are the operative clauses?

The operative clauses contain the policy statements of the body making the resolution.

The clauses should be clear and unambiguous. They present by order of importance what the UN should do or what attitude it should adopt.

PHRASES

Accepts

Affirms

Approves

Asks

Authorizes

Calls for

Calls upon

Congratulates

Confirms

Declares accordingly

Deplores

Designates

Encourages

Endorses

Expresses its satisfaction

Expresses its hope

Further recommends

Hopes

Invites

Proclaims

Proposes

Recommends

Regrets

Requests

Resolves

Seeks

Strongly affirms

Strongly urges

Suggests

Supports

Trusts

Transmits

Urges

Rather