How to: General Assembly

A position paper for general assembly is usually more structured than a crisis position paper. They normally consist of 1-2 pages of research about the three issues, what has been done to address them in the past, and what your country intends to do to address them at the upcoming conference. More than anything, position papers are a great tool for you to explore your country's foreign policy goals. See the position paper below for a reference. 

Some useful sources for your research include;

• Your country's foreign policy document (usually, there is a large comprehensive document of foreign policy made public by the country's Department of State equivalent)

• The CIA World Factbook

• Passed UN Resolutions

• UN websites 

• News articles

A General Assembly committee is usually what people think of when they think of the United Nations. A group of countries come together with a series of structured speeches and unstructured discussions to resolve the issues that face the contemporary world. These discussions culminate in something called a draft resolution - a policy outline created by committee members describing what actions should be taken by the UN to solve global problems. These resolutions are voted on by the general assembly, potentially leading to the creation of a formal policy. 

Points

• Point of Inquiry - A delegate may raise their placard and say this when they have a question about committee proceedings

• Point of Order - If a delegate feels as though the rules of debate have been violated, they may call a point of order

• Point of Personal Privilege - If a delegate believes there is something preventing them from debating to their best ability (e.g. need to use the restroom, can't see the board, can't hear, etc.) they may call this point

Motions

• Open Debate - Begins the debating session

• Unmoderated Caucus - A period of time where delegates may freely converse with one another outside of formal debate. Usually used for creating blocs (groups of delegates with similar interests) or drafting resolutions. 

• Moderated Caucus - A set of speakers are given the floor to talk about specific issues

• Round Robin - Similar to a moderated caucus, except all countries are circulated to discuss a specific issue

• 2 For, 2 Against - When introducing resolutions, delegates may call for a 2 for, 2 against debate. This grants selected delegates the floor to debate the draft resolution being presented. 

• Suspend the Rules - Used when delegates feel confident about the draft resolutions and wish to begin voting

• Adjourn Debate - Ends the debating session

Other Terms

• Present - You are present at the committee, but reserve the right to abstain from voting on resolutions if you want to. 

• Present & Voting - You are present, and you must vote on every resolution with either yes or no. 

• Decorum - This is a term used to call the committee to order by the committee chair. Usually, it means that the committee is getting too loud or that an unmoderated caucus has ended. 

• Simple Majority - More than 50% of the committee members that are present

• Blocs - Groups of delegates, usually with common policy interests.