RULES
OF PROCEDURE
of the General Assembly
Note: These Rules of Procedure are based to a large extent upon those of the United Nations General Assembly. It should be noted that, in places, they have been adapted to the particular needs of MUNA.
III.
DELEGATIONS
Rule 25 (Composition)
IV.
CREDENTIALS
Rule 27 (Submission of Credentials)
Rule 28 (Credentials Committee)
Rule 29 (Provisional Admission to Session)
V.
PRESIDENTS AND VICE-PRESIDENTS
Rule 31 (Elections)
Rule 32 (Acting President)
Rule 33 (Powers of Acting President)
Rule 35 (General Powers of the President)
VI.
SECRETARIAT
Rule 45 (Duties of the Secretary-General)
Rule 46 (Duties of the Secretary-General)
Rule 47 (Duties of the Secretariat)
Rule 48 (Annual Report of the Secretary-General)
Rule 49 (Notification under Article 12 of the Charter)
VII.
LANGUAGES
Rule 51 (Official and Working Languages)
Rule 54 (Interpretation from other languages)
XI.
MINUTE OF SILENT PRAYER OR MEDITATION
Rule 64 (Invitation to silent prayer or meditation)
XII.
PLENARY MEETINGS
Rule 67 (Reference to Committees)
Rule 69 (Quorum)
Rule 70 (Speeches)
Rule 72 (Statements by the Secretariat)
Rule 73 (Points of Order)
Rule 74 (Time Limit on Speeches)
Rule 75 (List of Speakers)
Rule 78 (Suspension or Adjournment of the Meeting)
Rule 80 (Proposals and Amendments)
Rule 84 (Voting Rights)
Rule 85 (Two-Thirds Majority)
Rule 87 (Simple Majority)
Rule 88 (Meaning of the expression "Members present
and voting")
Rule 89 (Method of Voting)
Rule 92 (Voting on Amendments)
The delegation of a Member shall consist of not more than two representatives and one adviser.
Rule 27 (Submission of Credentials)
The credentials of representatives, and the names of members of a delegation
shall be submitted to the Secretary-General if possible not less than
one week before the date fixed for the opening of the session.
Rule 28 (Credentials Committee)
The Credentials Committee shall be appointed at the beginning of each
session. It shall consist of nine members, who shall be appointed by the
President. The committee shall elect its own officers. It shall examine
the credentials of representatives and report without delay.
Rule 29 (Provisional Admission to Session)
Any representative to whose admission a Member has made objection shall
be seated provisionally with the same rights as other representatives,
until the Credentials Committee has reported the General Assembly has
given its decision. TOP
V. PRESIDENTS AND VICE-PRESIDENTS
Rule 31 (Elections)
The General Assembly shall elect a President and eight Vice-Presidents
who shall hold office until the close of the session at which they are
elected. The Vice-Presidents shall be elected, after the election of the
Chairmen of the seven Main Committees referred to in Rule 101, on the
basis of ensuring the representative character of the General Committee.
For the purpose of MUNA, however a President and Vice-President shall
be appointed by the Rotary Club of Winnipeg. They shall hold office until
the close of the session for which they are appointed.
Rule 32 (Acting President)
If the President finds it necessary to be absent during a meeting or any
part thereof, he/she shall appoint the Vice President to take his/her
place.
Rule 33 (Powers of Acting President)
The Vice-President acting as President shall have the same powers and
duties as the President.
Rule 35 (General Powers of the President)
In addition to exercising the powers which are conferred upon him/her
elsewhere by these rules, the President shall declare the opening and
closing of each plenary meeting of the session, shall direct the discussion
in plenary meeting; ensure observance of these rules, accord the right
to speak, put questions and announce decisions. He/she shall rule on points
of order, and, subject to the rules, shall have complete control of the
proceedings at any meeting and over the maintenance of order thereat.
The President may, in the course of discussion of an item, announce to
the General Assembly the limitation of the time to be allowed to speakers,
the limitation of the number of times each representative may speak on
any question, the closure of the list of speakers or the closure of debate.
He/she may announce the suspension or adjournment of the meeting or the
adjournment of the debate on the item under discussion. TOP
Rule 45 (Duties of the Secretary-General)
The Secretary-General shall act in that capacity, in all meetings of the
General Assembly, its committee and subcommittees. He/she may designate
a member of the staff to act in his/her place at these meetings.
Rule 46 (Duties of the Secretary-General)
The Secretary-General shall provide and direct the staff required by the
General Assembly and any committees or subsidiary organs which it may
establish.
Rule 47 (Duties of the Secretariat)
The Secretariat shall receive, translate, print and distribute documents,
reports and resolutions of the General Assembly, its committees and organs;
interpret speeches made at the meetings; distribute all documents of the
General Assembly to the Members of the United Nations, and, generally,
perform all other work which the General Assembly may require.
Rule 48 (Annual Report of the Secretary-General)
The Secretary-General shall make an annual report, and such supplementary
reports as are required, to the General Assembly on the work of the Organization.
Rule 49 (Notification under Article 12 of the Charter)
The Secretary-General, with the consent of the Security Council, shall
notify the General Assembly at each session of any matters, relative to
the maintenance of international peace and security which are being dealt
with by the Security Council, and shall similarly notify the General Assembly
or the Members of the United Nations if the General Assembly is not in
session, immediately the Security Council ceases to deal with such matters.
TOP
Rule 51 (Official and Working Languages)
Chinese, English, French, Arabic, Russian and Spanish shall be the official
languages of the General Assembly, its Committees and sub-Committees.
English (and French) shall be the working language(s).
Rule 54 (Interpretation from other languages)
Any representative may make a speech in a language other than the working
language(s). In this case, he/she shall himself/herself provide interpretation
into (one of) the working language(s).
XI. MINUTE OF SILENT PRAYER OR MEDITATION
Rule 64 (Invitation to silent prayer or meditation)
Immediately after the opening of the first plenary meeting and immediately
preceding the closing of the final Assembly, the President shall invite
the representatives to observe one minute of silence dedicated to prayer
or meditation. TOP
Rule 67 (Reference to Committees)
The General Assembly shall not, unless it decides otherwise, make a final
decision upon any item on the agenda until it has received the report
of a committee on that item.
Rule 69 (Quorum)
A majority of the Members of the General Assembly shall constitute a quorum.
Rule 70 (Speeches)
No representative may address the General Assembly without having previously
obtained the permission of the President. The President shall call upon
speakers in the order in which they have been designated to speak. The
President may call a speaker to order if his/her remarks are not relevant
to the subject under discussion.
Rule 72 (Statements by the Secretariat)
The Secretary-General or a member of the Secretariat designated by him/her
as his/her representative, may, at any time, make either oral or written
statements to the General Assembly concerning any question under consideration
by it.
Rule 73 (Points of Order)
During the discussion of any matter, a representative may rise to a point
of order, and the point of order shall be immediately decided by the President
in accordance with the rules of procedure. A representative rising to
a point of order may not speak on the substance of the matter under discussion.
Rule 74 (Time Limit on Speeches)
The mover will be allowed to speak for 5 minutes, the seconder for 4 minutes
and other speakers 3 minutes to each resolution or part thereof. When
a representative has spoken his/her allotted time, the President shall
call him/her to order without delay.
Rule 75 (List of Speakers)
At the beginning of each session, the President may announce the list
of speakers and declare the list closed. He/she may, however, accord the
right of reply to any Member if a speech delivered after he/she has declared
the list closed makes this desirable. TOP
Rule 78 (Suspension or Adjournment of the Meeting)
During the discussion of any matter, a representative may move the suspension
or the adjournment of the meeting. Such motions shall not be debated,
but shall be immediately put to the vote. The President may limit the
time to be allowed to the speaker moving the suspension or adjournment
of the meeting.
Rule 80 (Proposals and Amendments)
Priority will be given to amendments from the blocs. Amendments must be
submitted prior to Assembly discussion of the resolution but after discussion
in the bloc of the resolution to be amended. Each bloc may submit one
formal amendment. After these have been considered, amendments may, at
the President's discretion, be entertained from the floor.
Rule 84 (Voting Rights)
Each Member of the General Assembly shall have one vote. TOP
Rule 85 (Two-Thirds Majority)
Decisions of the General Assembly on important questions shall be made
by a two-thirds majority of the delegations present. These questions shall
include: recommendations with respect to the maintenance of international
peace and security, the election of non-permanent members of the Security
Council, the election of the Trusteeship Council in accordance with Paragraph
1c. of Article 86 of the Charter, the admission of new Members to the
United Nations, the suspension of the rights and privileges of membership,
the expulsion of Members, questions relating to the operation of the Trusteeship
System, and budgetary questions.
Rule 87 (Simple Majority)
Decisions of the General Assembly on questions other than those provided
for in Rule 85, including the determination of additional categories of
questions to be decided by a two-thirds majority, shall be made by the
total number of delegations.
Rule 88 (Meaning of the expression "Members present
and voting")
For the purpose of these rules, the phrase "Members present and voting"
means Members casting an affirmative or negative vote. It should be noted
that the Rotary M.U.N.A. recognizes an abstention as a vote per se for
all matters.
Rule 89 (Method of Voting)
The General Assembly shall vote by a roll-call on all major resolutions.
The roll-call shall be taken in the English alphabetical order of the
names of Members, beginning with the member whose name is drawn by lot
by the President. All other votes shall be taken on a standing vote.
Rule 92 (Voting on Amendments)
When an amendment is moved to a proposal, the amendment shall be voted
on first. When two or more amendments are moved to a proposal, the General
Assembly shall first on the amendment furthest removed therefrom, and
so on, until all the amendments have been put to the vote. Where, however,
the adoption of one amendment necessarily implies the rejection of another
amendment, the latter amendment shall not be put to the vote. If one or
more amendments are adopted, the amended proposal shall then be voted
upon. A motion is considered an amendment to a proposal if it merely adds
to, deletes from or revises part of that proposal.