North Country Model United Nations
Thursday, March 01, 2007
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Commission on Human Rights Rules of Procedure
These rules are
self-sufficient and shall be considered in advance of the session. No other
rules of procedure are applicable.
English shall be
the official and working language of this conference.
The Co-Secretary
Generals, or a member of their Secretariat designated by them as their
representative, may at any time address the Committee or Plenary sessions.
Each member
nation shall be represented by one voting delegate in each Committee.
In addition, delegations may include an alternate representative for each
Committee, and as many advisors, experts, and persons of similar status as
required. If lack of available seating becomes a problem during any Committee,
nations may be asked to confine their representation to one voting delegate in
that committee.
The credentials
of all delegations have been accepted upon registration.
Any representative to whose admission a member objects shall be seated
provisionally with the same rights as other representatives. Actions relating to
the modification of rights, privileges, or credentials of any member may not be
initiated without the written consent of the Co-Secretary-Generals. Each delegate must, at all times, have his nametag and placards in full
view or else he/she may lose possession of his speaking and voting rights
for that session.
Immediately
after the opening of the first Plenary session of the committee and immediately
before the closing of the final Plenary session of the Committee, the Chair
shall invite all members to observe one minute of silence.
The chair may
declare a Committee meeting open and permit the debate when at least one-quarter
of the Committee members are present. The presence of a majority shall be
required for any substantive decision to be made. A quorum shall be assumed to
be present unless specifically challenged and shown to be absent.
In addition to
exercising the powers conferred upon the Chair elsewhere in these rules, the
Chair shall declare the opening and closing of each meeting, direct discussion,
accord the right to speak, put all questions to a vote and announce decisions.
He/she may also recess or adjourn the session. The Chair shall ensure and
enforce observance of the rules, and subject to them, he/she shall rule on
points of order. He/She shall have
complete control of the proceedings at all sessions.
In the exercise of these functions, the Chair is at all times subject to
these rules and is responsible to the General Assembly.
The Secretariat
shall interpret these rules and their ramifications according to the needs of
the Committee. They may also advise the delegates on possible courses of debate.
All
representatives will be expected to show courtesy and respect to those
speaking. Those who refuse maybe dealt with at the Chair’s discretion.
The agenda for
each session of the General Assembly shall be determined by the Co-Secretary
Generals prior to the session. The motion to introduce a topic area to the floor
is debatable to the extent of one speaker in favor and one opposed and requires
a majority vote for passage. Each resolution will be given a number in the order
of submission to the GA. This number will not be changed unless the sponsor is
absent the day of debate. Then it will be put at the end of the agenda.
Motions to
change the agenda are in order only when a main motion is not under
consideration. It will require a 2/3 majority in the General Assembly and
Committee sessions. In Committee, the motion to change the agenda must be
signed by 15 nations. After one speaker for and one speaker against the motion,
the motion will be put to a vote. Only under very special circumstances will
the chair allow the delegates to move onto another topic area without the
passage of a resolution on the current topic.
At anytime, a
delegate may move for the postponement of debate on a resolution or amendment.
The motion is debatable to the extent of one speaker for and one speaker against
and requires 2/3 of the members present and voting for passage.
Delegates may
propose working papers for Committee consideration in any of the Committee’s
designated topic areas. A working paper is to be used as a tool for discussion
and resolution formation and may not be put to a vote. It need not be in a
resolution format. Working papers may be copied and distributed at the Director’s
discretion. Because a working paper cannot be formally introduced to the
Committee, it may not be amended according to these rules. Instead, caucusing
sessions shall be used for the purpose of combining and amending working papers.
A proposed solution maybe introduced as a resolution when it has the approval of
the Director and has been signed by 25 member nations. The author of a
resolution shall be its sponsor, and may accept co-sponsors at his/her
discretion. The names of the sponsor and co-sponsor of a resolution shall appear
in the heading of the printed resolution. Signing a resolution is merely an
indication of a desire to hear debate on that particular resolution. Signing
need not indicate support of a resolution and the signatory has no further
rights or obligations. Sponsors and co-sponsors shall be counted as signatories
in the reckoning of the necessary signature totals.
The basis for
committee proceedings shall be the specific speaker’s list for each topic
area. A delegate may have his/her name placed on a Speaker’s list for a
particular resolution by raising his/her placard at the proper time or by
addressing a written request to the Chair at any time. Speakers may address a
particular resolution currently on the floor or they may speak generally on the
topic presently open for debate. They may not deal with any subject other than
the topic currently under consideration.
The Committee shall have a speaker’s list for each of its assigned topics. Separate speaker’s lists shall be established by the Chair for amendments and for specific debatable procedural motions as the need arises. The Chair may at any time require that requests to be placed on a speaker’s list be submitted in writing. Delegates must clearly indicate the speaker’s list onto which they wish to be placed. The Chair shall post the speaker’s list of the substantive issues currently before the Committee, be it a topic area or amendment.
No
representative may address a session without having previously obtained the
permission of the Chair. The Chair may call a speaker to order if their remarks
are not relevant to the subject under discussion.
The
Chair may limit the time allowed to each speaker and the number of times each
representative may speak on any question. The minimum time limit will be 10
seconds. The maximum time limit will be 4 minutes. When the debate is limited
and a speaker exceeds their allotted time, the Chair shall call them to order
without delay.
A
delegate who has been granted the right to speak on a substantive issue (during
general debate or debate on an amendment) may yield in one of three ways:
a) He may yield the floor to another specified member. That member may use the remainder of the time accorded to the original speaker, but may not yield time to any member, including the original speaker. No delegate to whom time has been yielded may in turn yield to questions.
b) He may yield to relevant substantive questions from members of the Committee. Questioner’s shall be selected by the Chair and may be limited to one question each. The time limit applies to time spent on speeches and on responses to the questions. It does not apply to the time questioners spend phrasing their questions.
c) A speaker who does not wish to yield to another member or to questions, and who does not wish his/her speech to be subject to comments, may yield to the Chair, whether or not he has any time remaining.
NOTE:
A speaker for or against a procedural motion may not yield time.
If
a speaker chooses not to yield to another delegate or to questions and does not
yield to the Chair, the Chair may recognize one or two delegates (not including
the speaker) to comment for thirty seconds each on the specific content of the
speech just completed. A delegate recognized to comment may not yield to another
speaker or to questions or to comments.
A
delegate whose personal or national integrity has been insulted by another
representative may request the Right of Reply. The Chair’s decision to grant
or deny this right is final and cannot be appealed. A Right of Reply may not be
granted to a Right of Reply.
In
Committee session, a delegate may move to amend any solution which has been
introduced. All amendments must be proposed in writing and be approved by the
Director of the Committee. If the original sponsor or sponsors of the resolution
accepts the amendment, it is considered a friendly amendment and is immediately
incorporated into the body of the original resolution. The acceptance of a
friendly amendment shall be announced to the Committee during the course of
debate on the topic area, either from the floor or in a substantive speech.
Nations who have signed but have not considered co-sponsoring the resolution
shall have no jurisdiction over the determination of friendly amendments. If the
sponsor(s) of a resolution does not approve of a proposed amendment, it is
considered non-friendly. Before being considered on the Committee floor,
non-friendly amendments must receive 15 signatures under the same procedure as
resolutions, detailed in Rule 14. Only extremely lengthy amendments must be
duplicated. A non-friendly amendment to any resolution may be introduced when
the resolution is under consideration and the floor is open. Amendments dealing
with other resolutions introduced or resolutions not relevant to the topic area
are out of order. When a non-friendly amendment to a resolution presently on the
floor is moved, general debate on the resolution shall be suspended. Speaker’s
Lists shall be drawn up for and against the amendment, and this shall take
precedence.
Once
the Committee has acted upon the amendment, general debate on the resolution
shall resume. The Chair may limit the number of amendments on any resolution, or
recommend that components of various amendments caucus for the purposes of
consolidation. The Chair may rule any amendment out of order if, in his/her
opinion, it drastically alters the clear intent of the resolution. This decision
is appealable. Tertiary amendments are not in order.
During
debate on a resolution, a motion to close debate is in order only when the
Committee has heard at least two speakers for and two speakers against. If there
is objection to closure of debate, the Chair will call for two speakers for
closure and two against, and the motion will require the votes of 2/3 of the
members present and voting to pass. Any item upon which debate has been closed
shall be brought to an immediate vote. Closure of debate is automatic if a
particular substantive Speaker’s List has been exhausted. Closure of debate is
automatic on procedural motions when the specified number of speakers has been
heard. In both of these cases, the matter upon which debate has been closed
shall be brought to an immediate vote.
After
debate on any resolution or amendment has been closed, a delegate may move that
an operative clause of the proposal be voted on individually or grouped in any
manner he chooses. If objection is made to the request for division, the motion
for division shall be voted on. If the motion passes, the resolution shall be
divided accordingly and the individual sections shall be voted on separately.
Further divisions may also be proposed. Those parts of the substantive proposal
that are subsequently passed shall be recombined into the final resolution and
shall be put to a vote as a whole. If all the operative parts of the proposal
are rejected, the proposal shall be rejected. Division is debatable to the
extent of one speaker for and one against, and it requires a majority of members
present and voting to pass.
Each
member nation shall have one vote. “Members present and voting” shall be
defined as those members casting an affirmative or negative vote. Members who
abstain from voting shall not be considered in reckoning the totals needed to
determine the results of the vote. A majority is considered to be over half of
the members present and voting. A tie is not a majority, therefore results in a
failure. Procedural motions shall be voted upon by placard only. Placard votes
shall be taken on substantive matters unless there is a motion from the floor
calling for a role call.
After
debate is closed on any resolution, any delegate may request a roll call vote.
Such a motion may be made from the floor and must be seconded by 30 nations. In
a roll call vote, the Chair shall call the roll in an alphabetical order
starting with a randomly selected member. Delegates may vote “Yes”, “No”,
“Abstain”, or “Pass”. A delegate who passes during the first sequence of
the roll call must vote during the second sequence. Delegates may only request
the right to explain their votes during either the first or the second sequence
by voting “Yes with rights”, “no with rights”, or “abstain with rights”.
A right to explain will not be granted after the Chair calls for vote changes.
The delegates’ explanations may not exceed 30 seconds. The Chair shall
announce the outcome of the vote.
During
the discussion of any matter, when the floor is open, a delegate may rise to
direct a point of inquiry in accordance with the rules of procedure. A point of
parliamentary inquiry may not interrupt a speaker.
Whenever a delegate experiences personal discomfort which impair his/her ability to follow the proceedings, that delegate may rise to a Point of personal privilege in the hope that the source of the discomfort will be corrected and removed. While a point of personal privilege may interrupt a speaker, delegates should use this prerogative with the utmost discretion.
During the
discussion of any matter, even when another representative is speaking, a
delegate may rise to a point of order to complain of improper parliamentary
procedure by the Chair or by other delegates. The point of order shall be
immediately decided by the Chair in accordance with the rules. A representative
rising to a point-of order may not speak on the substance of the matter under
consideration. The Chair may, without being subject to appeal, rule out of order
those points that, in his/her judgment, are dilatory or improper.
A
representative may rise to a point of information after a speaker
has finished but still has the floor. A point of information is a request for
information from the speaker. The Chair
has the right to limit points of information.
Delegates
will be permitted to pass notes during the session, but only through one of the
pages. Notes must be signed on the outside by the country sending the note and
properly addressed to the country that is to receive it on the outside of the
note. Notes being sent
inter-committee will be read by the chair and must be approved before it is sent
inter-committee. Notes sent to the
chair may be ruled Dilatory, Absurd, or Frivolous by the chair and the sender
may loose his/her note passing privileges.
Any notes that have a sexual or
racial connotation or are personally insulting to another delegate will be
turned over to the appropriate faculty advisor and the delegate will be asked to
LEAVE THE CONFERENCE.
The
Presiding Officer may rule a member out of order as dilatory, absurd, or
frivolous. That member alone may appeal the ruling of the Chair. If this appeal
is upheld, that member will be considered in order. If this appeal is not able
to receive the support of 2/3 of the members, that member is out of order and
shall be denied all the privileges to address the body or move any motion while
that item of the agenda under consideration remains before the body. That member
shall be accorded only the right to vote on motions under consideration.
All
delegates have the responsibility of conducting themselves in a diplomatic
manner. Undiplomatic conduct will be looked upon with extreme disfavor by the
secretariat. Violation of this rule may lead to immediate expulsion from the
current function.
The
chairperson of the session may, at his/her discretion, place warnings on
countries for acts considered undiplomatic. These warnings may not be appealed.
The penalty system follows:
2nd
warning
no speaking, voting, or note
passing privileges
3rd
warning
removal of delegate from the room
Warnings
given are for the duration of each session.
Any
decision of the Chair, with the exception of those matters explicitly designated
unappealable, may be appealed immediately by a delegate. The delegate may speak
on behalf of the appeal, and the Chair may speak in defense of the ruling. The
appeal shall be put to a vote and the Chair’s decision shall stand unless
overruled by 2/3 of the members present and voting.
“Adjournment”
means cessation of all Committee functions for the duration of the conference.
“Recess” means suspension of these functions until a time designated by the
body. A motion to adjourn is out of order before the lapse of one-half of the
time allotted for the last meeting of the body. At any time, a delegate may move
to recess the session. The motion shall immediately be put to a vote; a majority
is necessary for passage. The Chair may rule a motion for recess out of order. A
motion to recess should contain the amount of time proposed for the recess. The
delegates are reminded that recess is different from adjournment. A “caucus”
is a suspension of formal debate for the purpose of giving delegates the chance
to meet, to talk, and to consensus build. The sponsor of a motion to caucus must
explain the reason for and give the proposed length of the caucus. This is
subject to Chair approval and may be modified or ruled out of order at his or
her discretion.
A
motion may be withdrawn by its sponsor at any time before voting on the motion
has commenced, provided that it has not been amended by the Committee. A motion
thus withdrawn may be re-introduced by any member. If a motion has more than one
sponsor, all must agree on the decision to withdraw. Those nations who have
signed a substantive motion but who are not considered sponsors have no choice
in a decision to withdraw the motion.
The
Chair may require at any time that all motions, with the exception of points of
order and personal privilege, be submitted in writing before they are
recognized. Requests to be placed on the Speaker’s List on any substantive
issue shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary unless the Chair
specifically suspends this obligation.
The
Co-Secretary Generals may at any time suspend or otherwise change any part of
the rules of procedure in order to ensure smooth functioning of the United
Nations. This privilege shall also
apply to the presiding officers.