Our style of MUN
How do we do MUN differently?
Our version of the United Nations Security Council uses rules of procedure employed at university-level conferences.
They place greater emphasis on negotiation and consensus building.
They originated at Harvard University in the United States and are sometimes called American or Harvard rules.
Separate rules of procedure apply in the Arctic Council, US Senate and House of Representatives.
Many resolutions debated at the same time
More than one resolution can be debated at the same time. This means that during speeches, you are likely to compare the strengths and weaknesses of multiple resolutions.
Over time, resolutions will merge or fail to attract interest. At the end of the conference, there will likely be two or three surviving resolutions battling for votes – only one can pass!
Only one resolution can pass
The committee will only pass one resolution per topic.
This means that you not only have to persuade other delegates that your resolution is worthy of their vote, but that it is better than the other proposals being considered.
This leads to resolutions being subject to a higher level of scrutiny than with traditional MUN.
The committee will probably form into blocs behind particular resolutions. Merging two or three times over the course of the conference will be required to secure consensus.
Lobby when you want
There is no formally scheduled lobbying time. Instead the committee may decide to stop formal debate at any point by passing a Motion to Suspend the Meeting.
This allows the committee to move into lobbying to settle complicated or controversial issues through informal discussion.
Two delegates
In the Security Council and Arctic Council, Member States are represented by two delegates. This should double what you are able to achieve, not halve your workload!
Two delegates allows for one to represent the delegation inside the committee room, while the other is drafting resolutions and amendments outside.
One thing stays the same!
Although at university-level conferences resolutions are normally drafted in the committee room, at WASAMUN you may draft a resolution in advance and bring it with you to the conference.