A Short Guide to the General Assembly

Phase 1: Choose the Topic

The committee will begin with a series of moderated caucuses. Use these caucuses to establish your country's stance on the topic. For example:

• "The Kingdom of Denmark believes that UN member states should..."
• "It is the policy of Nigeria to react to... by doing..."

Use these moderated caucuses (mods) as opportunities to win allies! Referencing the speeches or ideas of other delegates will go a long way in building coalitions that will be vital during later portions of the conference.

The topic that you will debate will be decided by a majority vote once a substantial number of delegates have been able to speak. This phase will take place during the very beginning of Session 1.

Phase 2: Voice Your Opinion

The beginning of the conference will be composed of many moderated caucuses. Make sure that you use these to clearly establish your country's position. These are similar to the speeches given when deciding the topic but are more specific. Instead of telling the committee which problem you would like to solve, tell them how you would like to solve it.

Try to use notes (either physical or memorized) that include statistics or historical examples. These will make your speeches more memorable and persuasive. Very good speeches are passionate and relatable, but there is a fine line between a passionate speech and an irrelevant one. For example, beginning a speech with a quick joke or rhetorical question would be appropriate, so long as it allows time for the delegate to speak about their country's beliefs and position. Your speeches during moderated caucuses are how other delegates will know what your position is, so consistent participation is incredibly important.

Form Blocs

During moderated caucuses, make sure to pass notes to delegates with similar opinions that you would like to write working papers and draft resolutions with. For example:

• “Nigeria, The Kingdom of Denmark agrees with your opinion on ___. We look forward to working with you!”

During unmoderated caucuses (unmods), try to recruit more delegates to your bloc. Try to find delegates that have not found a bloc and invite them to work with you! It also can't hurt to come up with a fun name for your bloc! For example:

• “The Western Bloc”
• “The Bloc of Developing Nations.”

Begin Writing Your Working Paper

During unmoderated caucuses (and not during moderated caucuses), you and your bloc should write a paper describing your bloc's proposed solutions to the problem that your committee is debating. Make sure that working papers are as detailed as possible (a guide to writing working papers exists on jamun.org in Prep & Resources).

You will work on your position papers for all of Sessions 1 and 2 and most of Session 3. During later portions of this phase, you might consider adding details about your working paper into your speeches during moderated caucuses. For example:

• “The Western Bloc believes that... will be effective in solving the problems that Delegate Simon mentioned in his earlier speech.”

Phase 3: Mergers

Your chairs will limit the amount of draft resolutions that the committee will be allowed to vote on. This means that you will need to merge multiple working papers into single cohesive draft resolutions! Mergers are easiest when two (or more) blocs of similar opinions work together. During a merger, members from all involved blocs will come together to select the most important and agreeable clauses from their individual working papers to add to their final draft resolution.

The working paper you create after merging should look similar to both blocs writing it. Blocs should discuss their new strategy for solving the problem before starting a new working paper. For example, a working paper that limits carbon emissions might merge with a working paper that promotes solar panels as a renewable energy source to yield a draft resolution that provides a robust system that limits the creation of additional emissions while promoting cleaner energy systems.

Don't forget to name your merger! Draft resolutions with catchy names stand out during voting! For example, a draft resolution that will address air pollution could be appropriately named “Better Regulations Eliminating Airborne Toxic Health Effects (BREATHE)”. Mergers will take place during Sessions 3, 4, and 5. Use some speaking time in moderated caucuses to speak about the results of the merger that you are working on!

Phase 4: Introducing Draft Resolutions and Voting

After draft resolutions have been completed, delegates will introduce them to the committee by handing a copy to their committee chairs. From this point, draft resolutions will be read to the committee, debated, and voted on. After each draft resolution is read to the committee, there will be a period of questioning, where delegates can ask questions about the contents of the resolution to its authors for a specified amount of time.

If it is motioned for, there may also be a “Two For, Two Against” debate about each paper before they are voted on. In this form of debate, two delegates that support the paper and two delegates that are against it give alternating speeches (a supporting delegate will begin) regarding the draft resolution. More than one draft resolution can pass, so all draft resolutions will be voted on. In the case that two papers pass, the paper that is passed secondly will be used to resolve any contradictions between the two. This phase will take place during Sessions 5 and 6.

Try not to rush through a General Assembly; all of these steps take time, and this timeline is a guide. It is important to know when to compromise, and when to stand by your opinion. Remember to be diplomatic and professional!