Amendments are where a resolution improves or falls apart. One chair reads every amendment as it arrives, judges which are worth debating, and keeps the resolution text up to date as they pass.
The rules are in Amendments overview. This document is about the chair's judgement.
Amendments may only be submitted during open debate time. Say so when you open debate on a resolution.
In MEDIMUN, amendments are submitted in MediBook. This is not at the chair's discretion. See Chair amendments in MediBook.
Do not wait until debate ends. Read them as they come in. When the current speech finishes you should already know what is next, and whether it is worth the house's time.
You decide which amendments are debated.
Prefer constructive amendments, such as adding a clause or making a vague clause specific. Discourage destructive ones, such as striking a clause because the delegate dislikes the alliance that wrote it.
See Which amendments a chair entertains.
Once an amendment has been moved. You cannot stop it being debated, unless there is a procedural mistake. Referring to more than one clause is the usual one.
An amendment about spelling or grammar should not be debated. Make the change directly and tell the house you have made it.
Do not spend fifteen minutes of the whole committee's time on a missing comma.
One amendment covers one clause at most.
If the change has to be made in several places. An amendment may cover more than one clause. Renaming a body that appears in four clauses is the standard example.
If the clause has already been amended. A further amendment is allowed in two cases. If it touches something not yet discussed. Or if it is needed to make the clause fit later changes. Otherwise do not take it. See Amending an already amended clause.
Closed debate is the norm for amendments. Announce the entry into closed debate and set time in favour and time against.
Write down where you are. Confusing debate on an amendment with debate on the resolution is the mistake chairs make most. Once the house is confused about which text is being debated, the session is hard to recover.
See Debate modes and Time for and time against.
Every amendment is put to a vote, even a one word change. There are no friendly amendments.
On an amendment, delegates vote for or against. There is no division of the house on an amendment.
If the chair believes it is an obvious error. You may put the amendment to a vote with no debate. Ask whether there are objections first. Never adopt it without a vote.
Clapping is not in order after an amendment. It is only in order when a resolution as a whole passes.
An amendment to an amendment.
It may only be submitted during time against the first degree amendment.
Debate on it does not count against the time for the first degree amendment.
The procedure is the same as for a normal amendment.
Abstentions are in order on a second degree amendment.
If it passes, the first degree amendment passes automatically. The two are then counted as one.
If it fails, debate on the first degree amendment resumes.
See Amendment of the second degree.
This changed. The older MEDIMUN rule allowed second degree amendments only in the Security Council. They are now allowed generally. Returning chairs will remember the old rule.
If a delegate moves a third degree amendment. It is out of order. That is true in the Security Council as well.
As amendments pass, the resolution changes. One chair keeps the working text up to date. When the house votes on the resolution as a whole, everyone should know what they are voting on.
Read the amended clause back to the house after each amendment passes.
Amendments of the first degree are taken against the clause being debated, and only that clause. Once the Council has voted on a clause, it does not return to it.
See Security Council procedure.
SCREENSHOT: /medibook/sessions/22/committees/ga1/debate/control - the amendments queue with one amendment open for review