TMF Guides · Model UN
MUN Rules of Procedure, In the Order You'll Use Them
Rules of procedure are the operating system of a committee. You do not need to memorise a rulebook — you need to know which six motions do ninety percent of the work and when each is in order.
The session in order
Roll call opens committee: each delegation responds present or present and voting. Then the agenda is set, the general speakers' list opens, and debate alternates between the speakers' list and caucuses until documentation is ready for voting procedure.
- Roll call → agenda setting → general speakers' list.
- Motion for moderated caucus / unmoderated caucus.
- Working papers → draft resolutions → amendments.
- Motion to close debate → voting procedure.
The four points
Point of Personal Privilege addresses your comfort — audibility, temperature, leaving the room. It is the only point that may interrupt a speaker.
Point of Order flags a procedural violation. Point of Parliamentary Inquiry asks the chair a procedural question. Point of Information is a question to the speaker, permitted only when they yield to questions.
Voting procedure
Once debate closes, the committee is sealed — no entry, no exit, no notes. Procedural votes require every present delegation to vote and cannot be abstained; substantive votes on resolutions allow abstention from delegations that answered simply present.
Delegations that answered present and voting may not abstain on substantive matters.
Frequently asked questions
Which point can interrupt a speaker?
Only a Point of Personal Privilege regarding audibility, and at some conferences a Point of Order, may interrupt a speaker.
What is the difference between present and present and voting?
A delegation that answers present may abstain on substantive votes. One that answers present and voting must vote yes or no.
Can you abstain on a procedural vote?
No. Procedural votes require all present delegations to vote for or against.
Keep reading
Moderated Caucus: The Format That Decides Most MUN Committees
What a moderated caucus is, how to raise one, how speaking time and total time work, and how to actually dominate a moderated caucus as a delegate.
How to Write a MUN Resolution
MUN resolution format explained — preambulatory and operative clauses, phrase lists, sponsors and signatories, amendments and how resolutions actually pass.
MUN Glossary: The Terms You'll Hear on Day One
A compact glossary of Model UN terminology — caucus, yield, dilatory, placard, dais, working paper, signatory, division of the question and more.
Put it into practice
The MUN Factory 3.0 — registrations open
Fifteen committees across UN, Indian, Special and Event formats. Individual and delegation tracks, with tiered discounts from five delegates.