English is the official working language of this conference and will be used during all committee sessions.
The Committee
The Committee is composed of Delegates as well as the Dais. The Dais is composed of a Chairperson (referred to as “Chair”), and one or more Vice-Chairpersons (“Vice-Chair”). In addition, it may include one or more Directors and one or more Rapporteurs.
Role of the Dais Members
The Chair declares the opening and closing of each committee session and may propose procedural motions to which there are no objections. The Chair has control of committee proceedings during the conference and will moderate the discussion, announce decisions, rule on any points or motions, and enforce the rules. The Chair can temporarily transfer his duties to any other member of the dais. Procedural matters are subject to the discretion of the Chair. The Chair may take any action that is not covered in the Rules of Procedure in order to facilitate the flow of debate.
The Vice-Chair assists the Chair with procedural matters during the course of the committee sessions.
The Director helps delegates write working papers, edits them for format and approves their content; the Director may suggest to delegates that they alter or combine their working papers in order to make them more appropriate to the topic at hand. The Director must approve all working papers before they can become Draft Resolutions. (See the section 15).
The Rapporteur is a liaison between the committee and conference services, and coordinates the administrative aspects of the committee proceedings.
Non-Governmental Actors
A representative of a non-member delegation, a non-governmental organization or a pharmaceutical representative shall have the same rights as a full member except that he or she may not vote on substantive matters, or be sponsor to resolutions. Delegates representing non-governmental organizations will have access to certain unique procedural actions, as follows:
(1) Oral Statements to Committee: non-governmental actors may submit a written appeal to his or her chair explaining the topic and intention of the proposed statement (maximum 3 minutes). The chair will then, at his or her discretion, interrupt the normal flow of debate to introduce the delegate.
(2) Circulation of written pronouncements: non-governmental actors may submit to the chair a written pronouncement of no more than 500 words, addressing the position and work of his or her organization. This pronouncement will then, at the discretion of the chair, be distributed throughout the committee.
Conduct of Proceedings
Regional Blocs
The Committee proceedings during the Regional Blocs will be conducted in Moderated Caucus format. During a moderated caucus, the Chair asks those delegates wishing to speak to raise their placards. The Chair will then recognize a delegate for remarks not exceeding the amount of time allotted. Once the delegate has completed their remarks, the Chair will ask whether Delegates have any points or motions. The points and motions that can be made will be described below. If no points or motions are made, the next speaker will be chosen.
During the Regional Blocs, delegates also have the option of entering an unmoderated caucus, as described below.
Plenary Session
During the Plenary Session, committee proceedings will involve the use of a Speaker’s List. To better coordinate the flow of debate in the Plenary, a larger committee than the regional blocs, the Chair will open a Speaker’s List and will ask for delegates who wish to be added to this list at the beginning of each committee session. Those delegates who wish to be added will be recognized on the spot and added to the list. Those who wish to be added later during the session may send a note to the dais. After each speaker the chair will ask for two 30 second comments from other delegates. The content of the comments must pertain solely to the preceding speech.
During the Plenary Session, delegates may motion to enter a moderated or unmoderated caucus, as described below.
Speaking time
The Chair may specify the time allotted to each speaker; alternatively, delegates may motion to set the speaking time or to increase or decrease the existing time. If the time allotted is exceeded, the Chair will call the delegate to order.
Points
Point of Personal Privilege
During the discussion of any matter, a delegate may raise a Point of Personal Privilege and the Chair shall immediately address the point. A Point of Personal Privilege must refer to a matter of personal comfort or safety and/or the well-being of the members of the committee, for example, if a delegate is unable to hear the speaker. A Point of Personal Privilege may interrupt a speaker.
Point of Order
During the discussion of any matter, a delegate may raise a Point of Order and the Chair shall immediately consider the request. A Point of Order must relate to the rules of the committee or to the way the Chair is exercising his or her power. A delegate raising a Point of Order may not speak on the substance of the matter under discussion. A Point of Order may interrupt a speaker.
Point of Parliamentary Inquiry
If there is no discussion on the floor, a delegate may raise a Point of Inquiry to request clarification on procedure. A Point of Inquiry may never interrupt a speaker.
Motions
A procedural motion is one which relates to the flow of debate rather than to the topic being discussed. Substantive motions refer to voting procedure on Draft Resolutions and Amendments presented to the committee.
Motion to enter a Moderated Caucus
The purpose of a moderated caucus is to allow delegates who are actively involved in the current committee proceedings to make their comments to the body without having to wait for their turn on the speaker’s list. The moderated caucus allows more delegates to speak within a shorter time frame than the speaker’s list, thus stimulating discussion and clarifying the positions of delegates involved. The motion for a moderated caucus must include a time limit for delegate remarks and a time limit for the entire caucus (e.g., “The country of [country name] moves for a five minute moderated caucus with a 30-second speaking time, for the purpose of [specific topic]”). Such a moderated caucus would have enough time for ten speakers. During moderated caucuses, the chair shall recognize delegates for remarks without the use of a speakers list.
To motion for a moderated caucus is only in order during the plenary session; in the regional blocs the default is to be in a moderated caucus. In the plenary, once the time for the moderated caucus has expired, the committee session will return to either moderated caucus format or the speaker’s list.
Motion to enter an Unmoderated Caucus
An unmoderated caucus allows delegates to leave their seats and meet as groups in a nonstructured format to discuss the progress of the committee session as well as continue editing working papers.
The recommendation for an unmoderated caucus requires a time limit to be made (e.g., “The nation of [country name] moves for a 10-minute unmoderated caucus, for the purpose of [specific topic]”). Unmoderated caucuses allow delegates to have informal discussions. Once the time for the unmoderated caucus has expired, the committee session will return to either moderated caucus format or the speaker’s list.
Closure of Debate
A delegate may at any time during the final committee session move for the closure of debate on the item under discussion, after which debate will end and all draft resolutions and amendments will be put to an immediate vote. Permission to speak on the closure of debate shall be accorded only to two speakers opposing the closure, after which the motion shall be immediately put to a vote. This motion requires a two-thirds majority decision. Upon passage of this motion, the Chair shall declare the closure of debate and immediately move into voting procedure on the substantive proposals introduced and pending before the committee. The committee shall also close debate and move into voting procedure when the speakers list has been exhausted.
Order of Procedural Motions
The motions below shall have precedence in the following order over all other proposals or motions before the committee and may interrupt the speaker:
(1) Point of Personal Privilege
(2) Point of Order
All other points shall be considered in the order they are made or at the chairs discretion.
Submission of Draft Resolutions and Amendments
1. Regional Blocs
Working Paper/Draft Resolutions
During the Regional Blocs, delegates will be working with other members of their Bloc to write working papers, which are essentially lists of ideas for solutions to the problems being discussed that are not structured in Draft Resolution format. These working papers will set out the main ideas that delegates would like to be contained in a future Consensus Statement of the World Health Organization. Working papers shall be submitted to the Director for approval. All submissions must have the proper number of authors (3); working papers do not require signatories.
Directives
During a crisis, delegates may propose directives for committee consideration. A directive is a short statement proposing action that the committee will take. More than one directive may be passed for each topic matter and directives could be amended. All submissions must have the proper number of sponsors (3) and signatories (20 percent of countries present in committee) before the directive is submitted to the chair. Being a signatory to a directive signifies only the desire to see the directive debated, and does not indicate approval of the directive. The format of directives is similar to resolutions. However in order to immediately solve crisis, directives do not need perambulatory clauses. When a crisis happens, delegates should directly draft operative clauses, which should address detailed methods to be taken. Directives follow the same voting procedures as resolutions.
2. Plenary Session
Delegates may bring the working papers to the Plenary Session, where they will put them into formal Draft Resolution format with the help of the committee Directors. Draft resolutions and amendments shall be submitted to the Director on the draft resolution forms given to delegates in committee. All submissions must have the proper number of sponsors (3) and signatories (20 percent of countries present in committee).
A sponsor is a delegate who has contributed to the writing of a draft resolution and fully agrees with all the clauses. A signatory, however, does not have to fully agree with the contents of the draft resolution. The delegate that signs a draft resolution as a signatory simply agrees that the resolution should be discussed in committee session. After a draft resolution is introduced, additional sponsors can be added only if all existing sponsors of a resolution agree; signatories may not be removed once a resolution has been introduced.
During the course of the Plenary Session, delegates may also propose amendments to Draft Resolutions that have been presented. See Rule 15. Once the formatting is approved by the dais and the document has been distributed, the Chair will recognize a motion to Introduce the Draft Resolution, described below.
Introducing Draft Resolutions
Once the Director has approved a draft resolution and the draft resolution has been copied and distributed, a delegate may raise a motion to introduce the draft resolution. The motion is automatically approved and does not require a vote. The content of the introduction shall be limited to summarizing the operative clauses of the draft resolution. After the draft resolution is introduced, the Chair will move into a five minute question and answer session, during which delegates may question the sponsors about the draft resolution’s content. Questions asked must specifically pertain to the substantive matters raised in the draft resolution. Time use to ask questions will not be deducted from the 5 minutes. Additional questions and comments regarding the resolution are encouraged to be raised through the speakers list.
Amendments
Both friendly and unfriendly amendments require the approval of the Chair. An amendment is considered friendly if all sponsors of the initial draft resolution agree to its inclusion. Such an amendment is adopted automatically. Unfriendly amendments are voted on by the committee once debate has been closed. An unfriendly amendment must have the approval of the Director and the signatures of 20 percent of the committee. Amendments to amendments are out of order.
Voting
Methods of Decision
All procedural decisions, except for the closure of debate, shall be made by a simple majority of the delegations present. Delegations physically present in the committee may not abstain on procedural motions. Decisions on draft resolutions and amendments shall require a simple majority in favour.
Voting Rights
On procedural motions, members may not abstain. Each present delegation shall have one vote. Observing nations, pharmaceutical representatives and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) cannot vote on substantive matters. Each vote may be a Yes, No or Abstain.
Conduct While in Voting Procedure
After the Chair has announced the beginning of voting on the draft resolutions, no representative may enter or leave the room, nor shall any representative interrupt the voting except on a Point of Personal Privilege, Point of Parliamentary Inquiry or a Point of Order in connection with the actual conduct of the voting. Communication between delegates is strictly forbidden.
Method of Voting
Delegations may vote in favour of or against a proposal or may abstain from voting. The committee shall normally vote by show of placards, but any delegate may request a roll-call vote on substantive matters. During a roll-call vote, delegations may answer with an affirmative vote, a negative vote or an abstention (when appropriate). Delegations that appear to be voting out of policy, while casting an affirmative or negative vote, may reserve the right to explain their vote by Voting with Rights. Delegations must announce that they are Voting with Rights at the time they cast their vote. The Chair may permit delegations Voting with Rights to explain their votes after voting has concluded but before the decision has been announced. A roll call vote on a procedural matter is never in order.
Order of Draft Resolutions
If two or more draft resolutions are introduced to the committee then they shall be voted on in the order in which they have been submitted.
Voting on Unfriendly Amendments
During the voting procedure on a substantive proposal, unfriendly amendments to a resolution shall be voted on first. When two or more amendments are proposed to a resolution concurrently, the committee shall vote on the amendments in the order in which they were presented. Where, however, the adoption of the amendment necessarily implies the rejection of another amendment (as decided by the Chair), the latter amendment shall not be put to a vote. If one or more amendments are adopted, the amended proposal shall then be voted upon.
Passage of Resolutions
If a vote does not result in a simple majority in favour, the resolution shall be regarded as rejected. A simple majority is defined as more votes in favour than opposed. Therefore, a motion fails on a tie vote. Any number of abstentions may not cause a motion to fail.
Resolution Writing
Resolutions are some of the most important policy instruments in international law. Resolutions typically represent the opinion of a United Nations body on any topic or issue on its agenda, while also detailing its recommended course of action. Therefore, it is vitally important that delegates know how to write resolutions.
Important note: Pre-Written Resolutions in any form are not allowed at MonWHO. These run
counter to the spirit of MonWHO as the conference aims to promote consensus-building in its committees. All daises are empowered to inquire as to the status of any resolution brought before them and to disregard resolutions they feel to be pre-written.
Preambulatory Clauses
The preambulatory clause should outline the history of the problem, show that the topic falls under the authority of the committee, and demonstrate that there is a need for a resolution. It is also useful to point out relevant sections of the Charter of the United Nations, cite previous UN resolutions or precedents of international law. The preambulatory clauses should specifically refer to actual situations. The preambulatory clauses may include altruistic appeals to common sense or the humanitarian instincts of the members with reference to the Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, or other well-known, influential documents. The importance of the preambulatory clauses depend on the question under consideration. In some cases, the preambulatory clause are a mere formality; it is only the operative clauses that are debated. However, the preambulatory clauses are still critical because they provide a framework through which the problem is viewed. Remember that preambulatory clauses cannot be amended.
Common First Words of Preambulatory Clauses:
Affirming
Alarmed by
Approving
Aware of
Believing
Bearing in mind
Cognisant of
Confident
Contemplating
Convinced
Declaring
Deploring
Deeply concerned
Deeply conscious
Deeply disturbed
Deeply regretting
Desiring
Emphasising
Expecting
Expressing its appreciation
Expressing its satisfaction
Fulfilling
Fully aware
Fully believing
Further deploring
Guided by
Having adopted
Having considered
Having considered further
Having devoted attention
Having examined
Having received
Having studied
Keeping in mind
Noting further
Noting with regret
Noting with satisfaction
Noting with deep concern
Noting with approval
Observing
Reaffirming
Realising
Recalling
Recognising
Seeking
Taking into account
Taking note
Viewing with appreciation
Welcoming
Operative Clauses
Proposed solutions are listed in a series of numbered operative clauses. Each operative clause calls for a specific action. The action may be vague, such as denouncing a given situation, or concrete, such as calling for a cease-fire or monetary commitment. Remember that resolutions are not binding upon Member States; the World Health Assembly can only make recommendations. Resolutions are not complete solutions. Prior to research should establish failed alternatives; imaginations and study produce new courses of action. Delegates must act within their nation’s foreign policy when sponsoring draft resolutions. Operative clauses begin with active present tense verbs and end with semicolons except the final clause, which ends with a period.
Common First Words of Operative Clauses:
Accepts
Affirms
Applauds
Approves
Authorises
Calls for
Calls upon
Condemns
Congratulates
Confirms
Considers
Declares
Declares accordingly
Deplores
Draws attentions
Designates
Emphasises
Encourages
Endorses
Expresses its appreciation
Expresses its hope
Further invites
Further proclaims
Further reminds
Further requests
Further resolves
Has resolved
Notes
Proclaims
Reaffirms
Recommends
Reminds
Regrets
Resolves
Requests
Strongly condemns
Supporrts
Takes note of
Trusts
Urges
Amendments
An amendment is a clarification or a change to a draft resolution that incorporates additional interests or concerns into a formally submitted resolution. Please refer to the rules on amendments for details.
Acceptable amendments include:
- Addition of a word or a phrase,
- Deletion of a word or a phrase, and/or
- A combination of addition and deletion
Unacceptable amendments include:
- Amendment of preambulatory clauses, and/or
- Amendments which change the entire intent of the resolution
Draft Resolution Formatting
In general, draft resolutions must have:
- The name of the committee in the top-left corner on the first line (World Health Assembly).
- The draft resolution code in the top-left corner on the second line. Eg. The resolution code “WHA/1.2” would indicate that the document in question was the second draft resolution on the first topic discussed by the committee.
- The names of the sponsoring member-states in the top-left corner on the third line and the signatories on the fourth line
- The date the draft was proposed in the top-right corner of the second line.
In the body of the draft resolution:
The title should be two lines down from the names of the signatories. It should be centred, bold and underlined. Two lines down from the title, indented and in italics should appear the name of the organ followed by a comma.
