Rules of Procedure

Katowice Model United Nations

Drafted by
Kacper Nowacki, the President of the General Assembly

Designed by
Wiktoria Kurasz, USG Design & Supplies and Mateusz Bednarz, USG
Design & Supplies

With contributions from

Antoni Cieślik, the President of the International Criminal Court and
Kinga Sztaba, the Vice President of the General Assembly

This document has been prepared exclusively for Katowice Model United Nations
2022 and may not be reproduced without the consent of the author. All participants
of the conference are to follow the Rules of Procedure.
 Table of Contents

1. Letter from the President of the General Assembly

2. Foreword
a. About the Conference
b. Roles
i. Secretariat
ii. Chairboard
iii. Pages
iv. Delegates
3. Code of Conduct
a. Language
b. Attire
c. Use of electronic devices
d. Etiquette
e. Interpretation of the rules
f. Plagiarism
g. Informal lobbying
4. General Assembly
a. First Session
b. Final Session
5. Committee Procedure
a. Establishing a Quorum
b. Setting the Agenda
c. Types of debates
i. General Speakers List
ii. Moderated Caucus
iii. Unmoderated Caucus
iv. Consulting the Whole
d. Suspending a meeting
6. Points
a. Point of Information
b. Point of Parliamentary Inquiry
c. Point of Order
d. Point of Personal Privilege
e. Right of Reply
7. Motions
a. Motion to Appeal
b. Motion to Follow-Up
c. Motion to Censure the Delegate
d. Motion for the Delegate to Explain the Vote
e. Motion to Cite a Source
8. Documents
a. Consent Forms
b. Study Guides
c. Working Paper
d. Draft Resolution
e. Resolution
i. Sponsors and Signatories
9. Voting Procedure
a. Types of Votes
i. Procedural Voting
ii. Substantive Voting
iii. Motion to Split the House
10. Alternative Committee Rules
a. Security-Council & Historical Security-Council
i. Voting Procedure
ii. Right of Veto
iii. Veto Concern
iv. P5 Caucus
v. Motion to Unite for Peace
b. European Council
c. African Union
d. International Criminal Court
1. Letter from the President of the General Assembly

It is hard to put into words the excitement which I felt when I was
initially approached with the offer of being a part of the
Secretariat and carrying out the role of PGA for KatMUN 2022. At
this point, I only had three MUNs under my belt, so to speak, and
perhaps felt somewhat intimidated by the prospect of executing
such a seemingly demanding role during the conference.
However, aside from me incredibly looking forward to the event
(even as I write this short letter on a sombre Monday evening),
perhaps the feeling that fills me the most when I think of our
MUN conference is gratitude. Gratitude for the opportunity to
work amongst such excellent and admirable people who form
the Secretariat alongside me. Gratitude for how far we have
managed to come despite the numerous and often incredibly
stressful challenges we faced along the way. Gratitude for the
fact that on the 23rd of April this year, Katowice Model United
Nations 2022 will be officially underway.

I sincerely do hope those of you who are taking place in the

conference, be it either my fellow Secretariat members, our
honourable Chairpersons, our brilliant Pages, or most importantly
our distinguished Delegates, without whom there would be no
conference, share at least a fraction of the excitement which I do
when it comes to it. With 10 committees prepared, discussing a
wide variety of pressing issues; from the horrendously tragic and
still on-going war in Ukraine, to the never-ceasing violence and
terrorism continuing in the horn of Africa, to the age-old problem
of human trafficking and the legal status of sex work across the
world - I am able to say that I am extremely proud of what has
been prepared and salute our Chairboard for having done such
an excellent job. The Rules of Procedure, which you are now
reading, serve as my personal magnum opus in the context of
our MUN, and I hope will provide you with sufficient information
about the structure and procedure of our conference. Whether
this is your first Model United Nations, only just trying to
comprehend the gist of what these conferences are about; your
second or third, refreshing in your mind the details of the course
things will take; or your fifteenth, in which case you may be trying
to rip it apart and find any single word or phrase which doesn’t fit
exactly into MUN tradition - I hope you will find this document
clear, interesting and, just perhaps, will appreciate it as a staple
of the Model United Nations experience and look back on it as a
small part of a conference that I truly believe will be great in its
proportions in the memories, experiences and discussions that it
will produce.

Yours faithfully,

Kacper Nowacki
The President of the General Assembly
KatMUN 2022
2. Foreword

a. About the Conference

KatMUN 2022 is the latest edition of Katowice Model United

Nations last organised in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is an event taking place in close cooperation with the
European Economic Congress, the City Council of Katowice,
and the University of Silesia. It is organised by a ten-member
team, known collectively as the Secretariat.

b. Roles

i. Secretariat

As mentioned, the organisers of the conference are

collectively known as the Secretariat of KatMUN 2022.
Consisting of the Secretary-General, fulfilling the main
leadership role of the conference; the Deputy Secretary-
Generals, aiding in the execution of the conference; the
Presidency of the General Assembly, presiding over the
General Assembly and the Rules of Procedure; and the
Under Secretary-Generals, carrying out the functions of
design and supplies, public relations, conference service
and media, as well as finance.

ii. Chairboard

The Chairpersons (otherwise referred to as the Presidency

in the International Criminal Court and the Security-
 Council) are tasked with the organisation and moderation
of their respective committees. Their decisions regarding
procedure and discussions in their committees are to be
followed by delegates, to ensure a smooth nature of
debate.

iii. Pages

The Pages fulfil various roles aimed at caring for the

convenience of all participants during the course of the
conference, most notably through accommodating for
informal lobbying by way of page note, explained in
chapter 3 - Code of Conduct.

iv. Delegates

The Delegates make up the main body of the conference.

Assuming the representation of different countries as well
as international organisations, they participate in their
committee discussion as well as in the General Assembly,
with the final goal of producing a resolution aimed at
sufficiently addressing their agenda.

Additionally, some delegates may carry out the role of

being observers in their committee, representing external
members and / or international organisations being given
a chance to voice their opinion however not being able to
vote on substantial matters - including the final resolution.
3. Code of Conduct

a. Language

The official language to be used during committee sessions is

English, this rule extending to all modes of debate. Using other
languages during discussions is prohibited, and is only allowed
outside of the committee sessions and the General Assembly.

b. Attire

All delegates should come dressed in standard Western

business attire. Delegates may wear clothing referencing the
cultures of the countries which they represent, so long as this
is done in a respectful and appropriate manner. Wearing
symbols or pieces of clothing that could be viewed as blatantly
offensive, harmful or tasteless will not be tolerated.

c. Use of electronic devices

Electronic devices, such as phones, tablets or laptops, are

allowed during the conference for purposes such as research
or note-taking but aren’t to be used for entertainment during
committee sessions in a manner that may be distracting to
other participants.

d. Etiquette

Delegates must at all times show respect to fellow delegates,

pages, Chairpersons, the Secretariat, and anyone else present
 at the conference. Additionally, they must refer to themselves
in the third person during committee sessions and the General
Assembly. Any acts of harassment or discrimination will be
punished appropriately and severely by the President of the
General Assembly or the Secretary-General and may see the
delegate suspended from the conference.

e. Interpretation of the rules

Delegates may ask their Chairpersons questions regarding the

Rules of Procedure, however in cases of uncertainty, or if the
delegate is unsatisfied with their response, they have the right
to appeal to the Secretariat, whose word on the matter is final.

f. Plagiarism

Work or research done or conducted by others should be

properly credited in the Position Paper and any opening
speeches. In cases where the delegate is found to have
plagiarised their Position Paper, it will be rejected and they
may be punished during the committee session.

g. Informal lobbying

During the conference, delegates are able to communicate

with each other by means of page notes, which will be
provided at the start of the conference. These are to be
appropriately signed then lifted to signal to a nearby page,
who will then promptly transfer them. The Secretariat and
Chairboard reserve the right to inspect page notes, if they
 believe them to have offensive or rule-breaking content.

4. General Assembly

The United Nations General Assembly (GA) is one of the six

principal organs of the United Nations and is the gathering of
all delegates to discuss and vote on pressing global issues.
During the conference, it takes place during the first and the
final day.

a. First Session

i. Opening Speeches

The first General Assembly comprises of the fifteen

members of the Security-Council (including the delegate
of NATO) performing opening speeches in front of all the
delegates. These speeches will be primarily focused on
their committee topic, however should also include a
wider introduction and acknowledgement of other
pressing geopolitical issues. Delegates may ask points of
information regarding what the Security-Council members
have said, questioning anything from their involvement in
the Security-Council’s topic to their country’s foreign and
domestic policy.

b. Final Session

i. Voting
 The final General Assembly, taking place before the
closing ceremony, involves the reading of each
committee’s resolution by one or more of the resolution’s
sponsors, and the consequent voting on the resolution by
the General Assembly. Delegates may vote ‘In favour’,
expressing support for the resolution, ‘Against’, opposing
its implementation, ‘Abstain’ to withhold their vote on the
matter, or ‘Pass’ to vote again in a second round of voting.
Importantly, the Security-Council, the Historical Security-
Council, the International Criminal Court, the European
Council, and the African Union pass their resolutions
during their committees sessions, and are in ordinary
circumstances not subject to approval by the General
Assembly.

5. Committee Procedure

a. Establishing a Quorum

The first motion which must be raised upon the

commencement of a committee session is a motion to
establish the quorum (may also be formulated as ‘performing
role-call’). After such a motion is raised, the Chairpersons of the
committee will check which delegates are present. Having
heard their country’s or organisation’s name read out,
delegates must respond with ‘Present’ or ‘Present and Voting’,
the latter meaning the delegate cannot abstain in any
substantial votes (explained in chapter 9 - voting procedure). If
a delegate arrives late and is marked as absent, a motion to re-
establish (or challenge) the quorum may be raised – otherwise
said delegate will not be allowed to vote.
b. Setting the Agenda

Following the establishment of a quorum, a delegate should

propose a motion to set the agenda, whereby they propose
the topic of the committee that will be discussed. After the
agenda has been set, the committee session may begin.

c. Types of debates

i. General Speakers List

The General Speakers List is the primary debate mode that

opens with all the present members in alphabetical order
and includes each member making a speech on the
agenda and responding to points of information. Each
delegate must prepare an opening speech to be
presented at the first General Speakers List at the
beginning of committee debate. By default, the time per
speaker is 90 seconds, however this may be extended by
an appropriate motion. As soon as the General Speakers
List concludes and there are no more delegates who wish
to be added, voting on the resolution will begin. For this
reason, it is highly recommended that at all times there be
some delegates on the list, until the committee is ready to
vote. When a delegate finishes speaking, they must either
yield the floor back to the Chairpersons or yield it to
another delegate.
 ii. Moderated Caucus

A moderated caucus is the most structured and arguably

productive type of discussion and begins after a delegate
motions for it and it passes through the committee. The
delegate proposing the caucus must state the topic, the
time length (up to a maximum of 20 minutes), the time per
speaker, as well as whether they wish to be the first or last
speaker. During a moderated caucus, anyone wishing to
speak must raise their placard when there is no one else
currently speaking. A moderated caucus may be elapsed
with the appropriate motion.

iii. Unmoderated Caucus

An unmoderated caucus is the least structured and most

free form of debate, and similarly to the moderated
caucus is started after the appropriate motion has been
raised, with the topic and length of time stated (maximum
of 20 minutes). During the unmoderated caucus, delegates
may move around the committee freely and talk amongst
themselves without the moderation of the Chairpersons.
An unmoderated caucus may be elapsed with the
appropriate motion.

iv. Consulting the Whole

Consulting the whole is a form of discussion somewhere

between a moderated and unmoderated caucus. After the
right motion has been raised, with the topic and length
 stated (maximum of 20 minutes), delegates will remain
seated in their chairs, however, may speak freely to one
another, under the moderation of the Chairpersons who
ensure order. Consulting the whole, similarly to the two
caucuses, may be elapsed with the appropriate motion.

d. Suspending a meeting

When the appropriate time has arrived, keeping to the

conference agenda, a delegate may raise a motion to suspend
(otherwise ‘adjourn’) the meeting. Which temporarily places it
on hold, before the recommencement of another committee
session.

6. Points

a. Point of Information

A point of information can be raised at the end of a delegate’s

speech during the General Speakers List or Moderated Caucus
in order to ask the aforementioned delegate a question. Such a
point should be brief and must be in the form of a question. By
default, there are two points of information available for each
delegate, however a committee can extend the number of
points of information via an appropriate motion. The
Chairpersons may decide to limit the points of information for
the sake of time.

b. Point of Parliamentary Inquiry

 A point of parliamentary inquiry should be raised to the
Chairpersons if a delegate has any uncertainties or questions
regarding the Rules of Procedure or Code of Conduct, which
the Chairpersons will then promptly answer. A point of
parliamentary inquiry cannot interrupt a current speaker.

c. Point of Order

A point of order can be raised if a delegate believes that the

rules of procedure were in some way not followed or
breached by a delegate or Chairperson. If the point is accepted
the Chairpersons will look to correct the breach and act
accordingly and in proportion. A point of order can interrupt the
current speaker, provided it’s sufficiently relevant at the
specific time.

d. Point of Personal Privilege

A point of personal privilege may be raised whenever the

delegate feels any form of discomfort they would like to
address. This may, for example, include asking to leave the
room, asking the current speaking delegate to speak louder, or
asking for the window to be opened. A point of personal
privilege can interrupt a current speaker.

e. Right of Reply

A right of reply can be requested whenever a delegate feels

that their country’s territorial integrity or sovereignty has been
offended by another delegate. Upon the delegate having
 explained its relevance, the Chairpersons will decide whether
such a reply is valid and may choose to punish the offending
delegate. In cases of repeated offence, the delegate may be
censored for some duration of time.

7. Motions

a. Motion to Appeal

If at any time a delegate disagrees with the ruling of a

Chairperson during a committee session, they may raise a
motion to appeal by writing a page note to the Secretariat, who
will then review it and decide on the appropriate way to act.

b. Motion to Follow-Up

A motion to follow-up can be raised after a delegate has

responded to a point of information, and should be formulated
as a short, relevant statement.

c. Motion to Censure the Delegate

If a delegate is considered to be particularly annoying or

detrimental to a discussion, there may be a motion to censure
a delegate for a specified amount of time (maximum of 10
minutes). The motion will be subject to a procedural vote,
however it may fail under the discretion of the Chairpersons.

d. Motion for the Delegate to Explain the Vote

 If a delegate is believed to be misrepresenting the policy of
their country, a motion to explain the vote during substantive
voting may be raised. This motion cannot be objected to, but
may fail under the discretion of the Chairpersons if it is being
overused. If the delegate’s answer is not satisfactory, a motion
for the delegate to change their vote may be raised.

e. Motion to Cite a Source

Whenever a delegate makes a technical claim and presents it

as a fact, the other delegates reserve the right to raise a motion
for the delegate to provide a source or basis for their claim.
There are no consequences in case of failure in providing a
valid source, however, other delegates may choose to think
twice when considering its significance or trustworthiness in
relation to the agenda.

8. Documents

a. Consent Forms

There are two consent forms which should be signed and

handed at the conference. These are a GDPR (RODO) form and
a social event form. Depending on their age, delegates over
the age of 18 will be able to sign their own forms, whereas
underage delegates will require the signature of a parent or
legal guardian.

b. Study Guides
 This is a document prepared by the chairs of each committee
which provides an overview and key information regarding the
committee topic. It’s recommended that delegates not rely
solely on the study guide and conduct their own, additional
research.

c. Working Paper

The working paper is an informal proposal for a potential

resolution prepared by one or more delegates, that does not
need to be formally addressed via standard resolution
procedure.

d. Draft Resolution

Once a working paper has been introduced to the committee

by the appropriate motion, and preliminary discussions
finished, it can then become a draft resolution. Delegates may
then individually propose amendments which they would like
to see introduced. This is done by addressing a page note or
otherwise communicating to the chairs the desired change,
consisting of what they would like to be added, subtracted, or
replaced to an article of the resolution. After having gathered
all the proposed amendments, the Chairs of the committee will
then read them out one by one, and the sponsors of the
Working Paper will express whether they believe the
amendment is friendly or unfriendly to the resolution. If at least
one of them states that the Amendment is ‘unfriendly’, the
amendment will then be subject to a procedural vote by roll-
call.
e. Resolution

After all the amendments have been successfully voted upon,

the Working Paper automatically becomes the committee’s
resolution and will be read out during the General Assembly
and voted on (barring exceptions presented in the ‘Alternative
Committee Rules’ section)
i. Sponsors and Signatories

During the process of writing the Working Paper, three

appropriate sponsors must be chosen to whom the final
resolution will be credited to and who will present it to the
General Assembly. Additionally, all present committee
members who will vote on the paper should be included
as signatories (even if they disapprove of the resolution) to
show their partaking in the discussions.

9. Voting Procedure

a. Types of Votes

i. Procedural Voting

Procedural voting sees the committee vote by

acclamation (i.e. the raising of placards upon the request of
the Chairs or Secretariat) in favour or against any
procedural committee matters such as motions or points. It
may also be done by roll-call, upon an appropriate motion
being made.
 ii. Substantive Voting

Substantive matters are to be voted upon by roll call,

whereby each delegate casts one vote in favour, against,
abstains from voting, or ‘passes’ to a second round of
voting. If delegates stated they were present and voting
during the establishment of the quorum, they are not
allowed to abstain. Substantive voting can be done by
acclamation upon the appropriate motion having been
raised.

iii. Motion to Split the House

A motion to split the house may be raised whenever a

substantive vote fails, and involves a repeat of the vote,
this time without the right to abstain for any delegates (with
the exception of observers).

10. Alternative Committee Rules

a. Security-Council & Historical Security-Council

i. Voting Procedure

As opposed to the other committees, in the Security-

Council all substantive voting procedures require votes in
favour from at least nine members in order to pass,
including that of the permanent members, who must
either vote in favour or abstain.
 ii. Right of Veto

The Security-Council stands out amongst the other

committees due to the presence of the five permanent
members: the United States of America, the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the French
Republic, the People’s Republic of China, and the Russian
Federation. The support or at the very least abstention of
these countries is obligatory for any resolution to pass, and
each P5 member effectively holds the right to veto both
amendments and resolutions. Their voice is crucial when it
comes to discussions and has to be taken into account for
a resolution to pass in the committee.

iii. Veto Concern

At any point during discussions, a permanent member

may express a veto concern if they believe the current
state of a resolution goes against their country’s security
interests. Upon such a concern being officially declared,
any current caucus is interrupted and a max-length
moderated caucus on the topic of said concern
immediately begins.

iv. P5 Caucus

During discussions, if a particularly heated or pressing

issue is on the floor which the committee is struggling to
effectively address, one of the permanent members can
raise a motion for a P5 caucus of up to 20 minutes,
 whereby the P5 members leave the committee room and
privately discuss the issue amongst themselves. Two such
caucuses may be motioned for over the course of the
committee sessions, with the second one being half the
length of time of the first.

v. Motion to Unite for Peace

If despite efforts to compromise and reach consensus

amongst the P5 members, a final resolution is vetoed by
any one of them, in a last ditch attempt to save it, any
member of the Security-Council may raise a motion to
United for Peace. If the motion passes with nine votes in
favour (without the right to veto for any of the permanent
members), the resolution is to be read and voted upon in
the General Assembly by all delegates, bypassing the right
to veto of the P5.

b. European Council

The European Council follows all the rules laid out by the
Rules of Procedure, however, as it is a non-UN body, its
resolution is to be voted upon during the committee hearings,
and subsequently, if it is passed, read out during the General
Assembly.

c. African Union

The African Union, like the European Council, differs from

other committees when it comes to the process of passing a
 resolution, as it is also a non-UN body. As a result, any
resolution has to be passed during a committee session, and
afterwards read out during the General Assembly to inform the
other delegates what was decided.

d. International Criminal Court

The voting rules, as well as Rules of Procedure, for the

International Criminal Court are stated in a separate document
drafted by the Chairpersons of said committee, due to its
unique and more complex nature as a committee.