The Rules of Procedure are the rules a committee follows when it debates. They decide who may speak, when, for how long, and how the house reaches a decision.
Everyone in the room works from the same set. A delegate uses them to take part. A chair uses them to run the room. Nobody has a private version.
This section is the reference. Each rule has its own short document, so you can find one rule without reading all of them.
The rules run in the order a session runs.
the committee can start and who is allowed to vote.
Debate. Debate modes, reading time,
debate time, recognition, speeches and yields.
Points. The five ways a delegate may address the chair outside a
speech.
Motions. The ways a delegate may change what the house is doing.
Amendments. How the text of a resolution is changed.
Voting. How a decision is taken and what makes it pass.
Different kinds of committee run the same rules with different details. See General Assembly procedure, Security Council procedure, Special Committee procedure and plenary procedure.
The chair applies the rules and rules on them. A delegate who thinks the chair has made a procedural mistake raises a point of order. See The role of the chair in procedure.
In MEDIMUN, a chair may not deviate from the Rules of Procedure. See Chairs may not deviate from the Rules of Procedure.
Some rules are different from what a returning chair or delegate will remember. Read these even if you have chaired before.
Quorum changed. One third of delegations must be present to open the meeting and let debate proceed. A majority must be present for any decision to be taken. The older rule was two thirds to open. See Quorum.
Second degree amendments changed. They are allowed in every committee. The older rule allowed them only in the Security Council. See Amendment of the second degree.
Follow up points of information changed. One follow up may be allowed, at the chair's discretion. The older rule was that there were none at all. See Follow up points.
The body of every document in this section is written for any conference that follows THIMUN procedure. Anything that is specific to MEDIMUN sits in a quote that starts with In MEDIMUN. A reader from another conference can skip those quotes and still have a complete document.
If you are unsure. Ask the house to wait. Check with your co-chair. Look it up. If you still do not know, tell the house you will find out and come back to them. Then ask the secretariat. Guessing in front of the house is worse than a pause.
For a single page you can keep open during debate, see the Rules of Procedure quick reference.