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Delegate Manual

PyleaMUN_finalstamp.pngDelegate Manual

Dear Delegates,

Welcome to the PyleaMUN experience! With this manual, we aim to provide you with a comprehensive introduction to the Rules and Procedures of PyleaMUN and to assist you throughout your MUN preparation journey.

Inside, you will find all the essential information you need, along with helpful guidelines and tips to enhance your skills as Model United Nations participants. Whether you're a first-time delegate or a seasoned MUNer, this manual is designed to support your growth, confidence, and effectiveness in debate.

We trust that this resource will prove valuable and we look forward to seeing well-prepared, diplomatic delegates who are ready to engage actively, think critically, and collaborate passionately in the search for impactful solutions.

Wishing you a productive and inspiring MUN experience,

The PyleaMUN Team

Download Full Manual (PDF)

What is Model United Nations?

Model United Nations (Model UN or MUN) is an academic simulation of the United Nations in which students take on the roles of delegates representing various countries. Their goal is to address and resolve global issues by debating, negotiating, and collaborating---while faithfully reflecting the policies and viewpoints of their assigned nation.

What Should Delegates Do Before the Conference?

This section outlines all the essential steps you need to take as you prepare for PyleaMUN. We strongly recommend that you complete your preparation at least two weeks prior to the start of the conference, ensuring you are fully ready to participate effectively and confidently.

1. Choosing a Committee

Before attending PyleaMUN, you must first decide which committee you would like to join. Review the conference agenda carefully and select the committee and topic that interests you most. Your engagement and enthusiasm during the sessions often reflect how connected you feel to the topic.

2. Conducting Research

Every delegate is expected to conduct thorough research before the conference. This includes understanding the topics on the agenda and knowing your assigned country's stance on those issues. Informed delegates make impactful contributions to the debate.

Here's how to approach your research:

a) Understand the Country You Represent

Start by creating a Country Profile. You'll need a clear understanding of your country's geography, government, history, economy, foreign relations, and demographics. Consider the following questions to guide you:

b) Research the Background of Your Topic

Gain a foundational understanding of the issue you'll be discussing. Define key terms and explore the topic's origins, causes, and global impact. Questions to consider:

Note: Study guides will be made available on the PyleaMUN website a few months before the conference. However, these are a starting point---your own independent research is essential.

c) Understand Your Country's Policy

You are not representing your personal opinion, but rather the official stance of your assigned country. Make sure you understand your country's interests and priorities on the issue, and be prepared to defend them during the debates.

d) Stay Updated on Recent Developments

Research current events related to your topic. Being aware of the latest developments allows you to bring relevance and credibility to your arguments.

e) Explore Past International Actions

Review what has already been done at the international level to address the issue. This includes:

Understanding the history of international response helps you evaluate what has worked, what hasn't, and what gaps remain.

f) Develop Possible Solutions

This is perhaps the most important part of your preparation. Remember, the goal of MUN is to create realistic, practical, and effective resolutions. Think about what your country would support and propose as a solution---either domestically or globally. Creativity is encouraged, but your ideas must be achievable and align with your country's policy.

Useful links

Country research

Recent Events

Past Actions

Other

Policy Statement

The policy statement is a concise speech summarizing your understanding of the topic while clearly outlining your country's policy. It should include background information on your country's position, its current stance, and its desired outcomes related to the issue at hand. The statement must not exceed one minute in length and will be presented at the start of the lobbying session.

Sample Policy Statement

Topic: Safeguarding the rights of refugees Proposed by: Ethiopia

The government of Ethiopia maintains an open door policy on the issue of refugees and continues to allow humanitarian access and protection to those seeking refuge on its territory. More than 630,000 refugees are accommodated, mainly in camps, throughout the country. However, provisions under Ethiopian law for refugees' local integration are very limited. The country participated in the 1951 Convention, but maintains reservations regarding refugees' employment (Article 17 of the Convention). Yet, it supports an out-of-camp scheme that allows refugees to live outside camps and engage in informal livelihood opportunities. In addition, an all-out effort is being exerted to provide education to as many refugees as possible. Also, Ethiopia took part on the 1969 OAU Convention, governing the specific aspects of refugee problems in the African region. Last but not least, considering that Ethiopia is a less economically developed country, she is making all efforts and cooperates with international organizations in order to safeguard the rights of refugees, IDPs and asylum seekers.

Draft Resolution

Once you have completed all the previous steps, you will need to prepare a draft resolution. This document outlines the proposed actions your country believes will effectively address the issue. You are expected to bring this draft to the conference and aim to have as many of your clauses as possible included in the final resolution. The resolution consists of three main sections and must follow a specific format.

  1. Heading

FORUM: (your Committee)

QUESTION OF: (your topic)

SUBMITTED BY: (your country)

2. Preambulatory clauses

These clauses form the introduction of the resolution and provide context and background on the issue being addressed. Each clause begins with a preambulatory phrase and ends with a comma. They are not open to debate. Preambulatory clauses may include:

3. Operative Clauses

These clauses outline the specific actions and solutions your country proposes. Each operative clause must be numbered and conclude with a semicolon (;), except for the final clause, which ends with a period (.).

Resolutions must not include specific financial amounts, though they may mention potential sources of funding in general terms.

Sample Resolution

FORUM: ECOSOC

QUESTION OF: International Cooperation on criminal Matters, with a focus on cyber crime

SUBMITTED BY: Japan, Greece, France, United States of America

Guided by the principles of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" signed on the tenth of December 1948,

Being a country strongly affected by cybercrime,

Having ratified the Budapest Convention on cyber crime,

Operative clauses

  1. Endorses the international cooperation and collaboration of all member states in order to counter cyber crime;
  2. Requests that member states to incorporate in their national legislation, in conformity with their legal systems, measures for combating cyber crime such as but not limited to:
    1. Passing strict laws against cyber crime which will:
      1. Protect the confidentiality and integrity of data and personal information,
      2. Ensure that criminal offences regarding the use of computers are punishable by effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions,
      3. Criminalize abuses of telecommunications and computer systems,
      4. Ensure that criminals are penalized and thus put an end to impunity,
    2. Guaranteeing rapid access to electronic data during criminal investigations;

List of preambulatory clauses

List of operative clauses

*All operative clauses in bold can only be used by the Security Council

What is done during the Conference?

In Brief: Committee Procedure

1. Each committee is overseen by a Main Chair or President, along with two Co-Chairs or Deputy Presidents, who are responsible for guiding the discussions. The session begins with a Roll Call to take attendance.

2. The committee then enters the Lobbying phase, during which delegates form alliances and submit their final draft resolutions.

3. Once approved by the Approval Panel, each draft resolution is discussed and debated one at a time.

4. Delegates have the opportunity to submit amendments to the draft resolutions.

5. After the time allocated for closed debate on each amendment, delegates will vote on them. Following the open debate on a resolution, a vote will be held on the resolution as a whole. This process will be repeated for each submitted draft resolution until all have been addressed.

LOBBYING

The lobbying process is a crucial stage in every MUN conference, as it is when the final draft resolutions are developed. At PyleaMUN, lobbying will take place on the second day of the conference.

During this phase, delegates are free to move around the room, collaborate, and negotiate with others to form alliances and work towards a consensus---always keeping their country's policy in mind. This is the time to express your views, draft clauses, and build support for your ideas. A resolution requires signatures from at least one-third of the committee's members, and each delegate may sign only one resolution per topic.

Your goal is to convince other delegates that your clauses are effective so they are included in the final draft resolution---and ideally, to become the Main Submitter of the resolution. Success in lobbying comes from being proactive: presenting your proposals, initiating discussions, and leading coalition-building efforts.

Chairs will oversee the lobbying process to ensure productive collaboration. Once an alliance finalizes its draft resolution (at least one member should have a laptop), it must be formatted according to official guidelines (see page 8) and submitted to the Chairs for review. The Chairs will address policy-related issues, while the Approval Panel, will check formatting, grammar, and spelling. Note: The Main Submitter does not participate in the approval process. Once approved, the draft resolution is ready for debate.

DEBATE PROCEDURE

Debate is the stage where all draft resolutions are formally discussed. Your objective is to persuade the committee to vote in favor of your resolution.

PyleaMUN follows an open debate format for resolutions, meaning any delegate, once recognized by the Chair, may speak either in favor of or against the entire resolution. In contrast, closed debate is used for amendments, with designated time for arguments for and against each amendment.

Once lobbying concludes, the Chair will announce the beginning of the debate. Each resolution is given a specific time limit, which may be extended by the Chair if needed. The Admin Staff will circulate copies of the first resolution to all delegates. The Main Submitter will then read the operative clauses aloud and deliver an opening speech in support of the resolution.

Other delegates may take the floor to express support or opposition. After speaking, a delegate may:

AMENDMENTS

Delegates can also propose amendments, or changes, to the resolution. Once debate time on an amendment or resolution ends, the committee proceeds to the voting procedure. Delegates vote by raising their placards to indicate "in favor," "against," or "abstain." Co-submitters are not obligated to vote in favor of the resolution---they are simply supporting its discussion Amendments

Amendments are used to modify draft resolutions. An amendment is a written proposal that adds, removes, or alters an operative clause (note: preambulatory clauses cannot be amended). The purpose of amendments is to build broader consensus by refining the resolution's content.

The Chair decides when amendments will be discussed. Once an amendment is proposed, the Chair will read it aloud slowly and clearly so that all delegates can take note.

POINTS AND MOTIONS

Important: Only the Point of Personal Privilege (for audibility) may interrupt a speaker. All other points and motions must be recognized by the Chair and cannot interrupt.

POINTS

Point of Personal Privilege

Point of Parliamentary Inquiry

Point of Information to the Speaker

Point of Order

Point of Information to the Chair

Right of Reply

MOTIONS

Motion to Approach the Chairs

Motion to Follow-Up

Motion to Move to the Previous Question

Motion to Extend Debate Time

Motion to Divide the House

Motion to Reconsider a Resolution

CLOSING REMARKS

Congratulations, Delegates! You're now ready to dive into the world of Model United Nations. We hope this manual has been helpful and given you a solid introduction to what PyleaMUN is all about. We look forward to seeing you fully prepared, actively engaged, and ready for meaningful debate.

PyleaMUN_finalstamp.pngBest of luck---and see you at the conference!

Warm regards,

The Secretariat