David Li, Undersecretary General for Content
So, now that we have gone over all of the details of a MUN conference, what might an actual conference look like?
Several weeks before the conference, everyone has a position paper written out and turned in. Everyone is eagerly anticipating the conference.
On the first day of the conference, everyone is seated and ready to debate. Someone motions to commence debate, everyone votes in favor. The Chairs do a roll call. The delegates set the agenda. People speak for which topic they want to debate, and one topic gets selected via a vote. The delegates all speak in the Primary Speakers List. When the Primary Speakers List has been exhausted, the delegates go on to the Secondary Speakers List. The list goes on for a while, before someone motions for either an unmoderated or a moderated caucus. Others follow with different motions, one of the motions gets passed. The committee does that caucus, and when it’s done, they move back to the SSL. This repeats for several committee sessions, before the draft resolutions are ready, and someone motions to vote on the draft resolution. After a series of negotiations, compromises, and amendments, hopefully one resolution gets passed, or none at all. Then someone motions to close debate, and the conference is over.
Congratulations! That was a conference, in a nutshell. The actual process of debating is much more nuanced and requires much more creativity, but hopefully, having read these blog posts, you will not be entering the debate entirely blind!
Before we close off, there are many habits in MUN that may seem strange to first time delegates. Here is a small list of them, hopefully this can help you avoid some confusions.
Hitting the table - Delegates may hit their placards against the table to make a clack-clack sound either during or after someone’s speech. This is a sign of support for what is being said, or what has been said. Think of it as clapping, except it’s less disruptive.
Referring to yourself and other delegates as countries - personal pronouns (I, me, you, etc.) and referring to other delegates by their real names are strictly forbidden in speeches. Instead, all delegates must refer to other delegates as “the delegate of ____” or simply “country name.” For example, “DId you see France’s speech? That was amazing.” or “I would argue against the delegate of France’s point that…” And all delegates must refer to themselves in the third person when motioning or delivering speeches. This is because they are representing not just themselves, but their respective countries, and so whatever they are saying should also be said on behalf of their countries, not just themselves.
Decorum - If the room ever gets too rowdy, one of the chairs might shout “Decorum!” That basically means “Silence!” or “Order!” And it’s asking all delegates to be quiet and maintain order.
Signing placards - At the end of every conference, delegates will sign each others’ placards and leave messages for each other, so don’t lose your placard!
Fun Mun, Gossip Box, or Superlatives - Oftentimes the last hour or so of the conference will not be spent on serious debate, but instead be spend on gossip and recollecting the memories of the weekend. Different chairs do different various of ‘Fun Mun.’ The two most common activities are gossip boxes and superlatives. The gossip box is where the chair collects anonymous pieces of gossip from all the delegates, and reads it aloud to the whole committee. Superlatives are when the chair collects ‘Who is most…’ questions from the delegates, and everyone votes on who they think fits the criteria. Who is most likely to become a dictator? Who is most likely to nuke France? Who had the best hair? And so on.
Delegate socials - MUN is a very social activity, and returning home having made a good friend in a MUN conference is so much more valuable than returning home with an award. OxfordMUN offers a delegate socials on Saturday evening, where all delegates are invited to attend a social event with non-alcoholic drinks, and get to know each other in a casual setting, outside of the competitiveness of debate.
Gavelling - The chair will have a small hammer called a gavel that they bang on a gavel block to make a loud sound if they ever need to get the delegates’ attention. At the end of the conference, the gavel is usually gifted to the best delegate in the committee. And so references to the gavel usually refer to prizes or awards. Gavelling can be used as a synonym for winning the best delegate. Gavel hunters would be people who are doing everything they can to win an award.