SECURITY COUNCIL Rules of Procedure

Edited by:

Angellica Belanovskaya

Evgeniya Andrejuk,

Lizaveta Sitkevich

Tatiana Pratskevich

These rules are based on the original rules of the Security Council, as stated in the Charter of the United Nations and the Statute of the International Court of Justice, but adaptations have been made to facilitate and ease debate during the Model UN conference. In general, the procedure in the Security Council shall conform to the Rules of Procedure. However, below are a number of special rules applicable only in the Security Council. In case of any conflict between rules in this chapter and the other chapter of the Rules of Procedure, the rules in this chapter shall take precedence.

I. Council Rules

Rule 1

Composition of the Security Council

The Security Council shall consist of fifteen Members of the United Nations. China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States of America are permanent members of the Security Council.

Each member of the Security Council shall have one representative.

Rule 2

Quorum

A quorum shall be made up of two-thirds, or 10 Members, of the Security Council. The Council may neither begin with the conduct of business nor vote on any substantive matter without a quorum present. However, the Chair reserves the right to adjust the quorum as it deems necessary.

Rule 3

Diplomatic Courtesy

Delegates must accord diplomatic courtesy to all other Delegates and Secretariat members at all times.

Rule 4

Security Council Officers

The Board of Directors shall appoint the Chair and the other Chair of the Security Council, and shall select any other positions necessary to help conduct the sessions of the Council.

Rule 5

Roll Call

The Chair shall call the roll for the purpose of establishing the quorum at the beginning of each session. Members who desire to be considered present shall reply «present» when the name of their delegation is called.

Rule 6

General Authority of the Security Council Chair

The Chair shall preside over the meetings of the Security Council and, under the authority of the Security Council, shall represent it in its capacity as an organ of the United Nations.

The Chair and the other Chair are independent officials representing the interests of the world community. They have no voting rights.

The Security Council Chair shall be the chairperson at all Council sessions.

The Chair shall have the authority to declare the opening and closing of each session, the adjournment of the meeting, direct discussions and mediates between the sides of the discussion during unmoderated caucus , ensure observance of these rules, accord the right to speak, advise the Council on methods of procedure that will enable the Council to accomplish its goals, rule on points and motions, assist formulating of resolutions, which are generated in the Council chamber, formulates the final text of the discussed clause or amendment and reads it to the house before voting, accumulates and write down the complete text of the discussed resolution and gives it to the house.

The Chair may decide during the session the limitation of Debate, Closure of Debate, the limitation of the time to be allowed to speakers, the limitation of the number of times each delegate may speak.

The Chair has the power to propose the suspension of the meeting or the adjournment of the debate on the item under discussion.

Rule 7

Absence of Council Chair

If the Council Chair should find it necessary to be absent during any part of a Council session, the other Chair will conduct the Council session and assume authority. The other Chair acting as Chairman shall have the same powers and duties as the Chair.

Rule 8

Provisional Agenda

The Provisional Agenda is communicated to the Members of the Security Council at least thirty days before the opening of the session.

This agenda provides the Council with topics that are the basis for its deliberations, but in no way limits the Council’s topics.

Rule 9

Adoption of the provisional agenda

The first item of the provisional agenda for each session of the Security Council is the adoption of the agenda.

Rule 10

Daily Order of Agenda Topics

The Council will establish the daily order of agenda topics at the start of each daily session. Once established, this will become the working agenda for the duration of that day.

Agenda topics will be discussed in the order in which they appear on the working agenda.

Rule 11

Amendments to the Agenda

The Agenda may be added or amended at any session of the Security Council with at least 9 votes of the Security Council members. Delegates of member states may propose to add to the working agenda any relevant question or to change the order in which agenda topics are to be discussed by the Council.

Rule 12

Statements by the Secretariat

The Secretary-General, or any member of the Secretariat, may make verbal or written statements to the Security Council at any time.

Rule 13

Participation by Non-Council Member Nations

Any Member of the United Nations which is not a member of the Security Council may be invited, by the decision of the Security Council, to participate in the discussion of the question, when the Security Council considers that the interests of that Member are specially affected, or when a Member brings a matter to the attention of the Security Council.

A non-Council UN member nation or observer may submit proposals, draft resolutions and amendments, but may not move these to the floor or vote at any time.

These proposals and draft resolutions may be put to a vote only at the request of a representative on the Security Council.

Rule 14

Participation by Representative of a non-UN member nation, an international organization, or any other persons

If the Security Council, when discussing any issue, finds it necessary to have presented a Representative of a non-UN member nation, an international organization, or any other persons it considers competent for this purpose the Council have a right to invite them to the meeting.

These Representatives will be subject to questions and answers.

Rule 15

Open meeting

If it is determined that many nations outside of the Security Council have an interest in a specific issue, the Council may declare an “open meeting” on any issue being discussed,

In order to allow all delegations time to prepare their comments, an open meeting in the Council should be announced at least two hours in advance of the open debate session.

Any UN member nation or observer may participate in an open meeting.

Rule 16

Forms of debates

There are three forms of debates in the Security Council: formal debates, moderated caucus and unmoderated caucus. It is a decision of the Chair or of the members of the Council in which form to work.

The Council may choose to enter informal debates if the members determine that this process will better facilitate the discussion of a particular issue.

Rule 17

Formal debates

During formal debates the Chairperson establishes one continuously open speakers list. The Chair begins by asking all delegates interested in addressing the other members to raise their placards. The Chair then chooses delegates to be placed on the speakers list. Once a nation has spoken, it is crossed off the list. Delegates can be added to the bottom of the speakers list by passing a note to the Chairperson or raising a placard when the Chair asks.

Rule 18

Moderated Caucus

The purpose of the moderated caucus is to facilitate substantive debate at critical junctures in the discussion. In a moderated caucus, the Chairperson will call on delegates to speak at his or her discretion. The Chairperson rules the debates in official manner.

Rule 19

Unmoderated Caucus

In unmoderated caucus, delegates may leave their seats and address other delegates in an informal manner. Its purpose is to discuss the issue in informal format, to merge draft resolutions, to explain position of the country.

Rule 20

Speeches

No Delegate may address the Council without previously obtaining the permission of the Chair.

The Chair shall call upon speakers in an order determined by the Chair.

The Chair may call a speaker to order if his remarks are not relevant to the subject under discussion.

The Chair may limit the time to be allowed to each speaker and the number of times each representative may speak on any question.

Delegates, at the conclusion of a substantive speech, will be allowed to answer questions concerning their speech.

A speaker who desires to make a motion may do so after their speech and questioning, but prior to yielding the floor.

Rule 21

Recognition of Speakers

Delegations wishing to speak on an item before the Council will signify by raising their placards.

The exception to this rule occurs on any Point of Order, Point of Parliamentary Inquiry, Point of Information or Point of Personal Privilege, at which time a Representative should raise their placard and call out “Point of _______”.

Rule 22

Right of Reply

A delegate whose national integrity has been impugned by another delegate may request a Right of Reply. The Chairperson shall determine an appropriate time limit for the reply. The Chairperson’s decision whether to grant the Right of Reply is not open to appeal. A Right of Reply to a Right of Reply is out of order.

Rule 23

The flow of debates

The Security Council shall start debate with a blank draft resolution, unless decided otherwise by the Chair.

The Council shall debate only one clause at a time.

Proposed clauses shall be introduced by delegates taking the floor during formal debate. The Chair can set debate time on the proposed clause.

Rule 24

Amendments

All amendments must be submitted on an official amendment form to the Chair.

Typographical errors will be corrected by the Chair and announced to the house.

Once the amendment passes, it shall be incorporated into the proposed clause, debate on which shall then be resumed.

Rule 25

Amendments to the Amendment

An amendment to the amendment will be in order. No amendments of the 2^nd degree will be in order.

An amendment to an amendment may be introduced in written or orally.

In order to introduce an amendment to an amendment, a delegate shall request the floor when the Chair asks for speakers either against or in favor of the original amendment.

Rule 26

Voting on Amendments to an Amendment

Voting on an amendment to an amendment shall take place once debate time on the amendment to the amendment has elapsed. If the house passes the amendment to the amendment, the original amendment also passes as a whole. If the amendment to the amendment fails the house goes back into debate on the original amendment.

Rule 27

Note Passing

Note Passing is in order during the entire session, except during voting on a resolution, for the purpose of communication with other delegations and the Chairperson. The Chairperson may suspend note passing for any period of time if he feels that decorum in the committee is not maintained. All notes passed between the delegates shall be screened by the administration staff responsible for note passing. Should a member of the staff find a note not in compliance with section of the Rules of Procedure, the note shall be passed to the Chairperson, who will take appropriate disciplinary action against the sender of the note.

Note Passing shall be suspended during voting procedures.

Rule 28

Order of consideration of clauses and amendments

The Security Council session considers first the clause, draft project or amendment submitted or seconded by more Security Council member states than the others or selected by the unanimous decision of the Chair based upon priority and contents of the proposed draft.

Rule 29

The end of debate

At the end of debate, all passed proposed clauses shall be considered as a draft resolution. The Chair shall reserve at least 30 minutes for a debate on the entire draft resolution, at the conclusion of which shall stand a vote on the draft resolution.

Rule 30

Yields

A delegate granted the right to speak on a substantive issue may yield in one of three ways:

Yield to another delegate. His or her remaining time will be given to that delegate.

Yield to questions. Questioners will be selected by the Chairperson and limited to one question each.

The Chairperson will have the right to call to order any delegate whose question is, in the opinion of the Chairperson, rhetorical and leading and/or not designed to elicit information. Only the speaker’s answers to questions will be deducted from the speaker’s remaining time.

Yield to the chair. Such a yield should be made if the delegate does not wish to yield to questions or another delegate. The Chairperson will then move to the next speaker.

Delegates must declare any yield by the conclusion of his or her speech. If time runs out, the

Chairperson will simply move on to the next speaker.

Rule 31

Method of voting

The Сouncil shall normally vote by show of placards, but any representative may request a roll-call using the Motion to Divide the House. The roll-call shall be taken in the English alphabetical order of the names of the members, beginning with the member whose name is drawn by lot by the Chairman. The name of each member shall be called in any roll-call, and its representative shall reply "in favour", "against" or "abstaining".

Rule 32

Voting Rights

Each Security Council member delegation has one vote.

No delegate may cast a vote on behalf of another country.

Decisions of the Security Council on procedur­al matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members.

Decisions of the Security Council on all other matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members including the concurring votes of the permanent members.

Rule 33

Consent of the Five Permanent Members

As established in the Charter of the United Nations, each of the five Permanent Members - China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States - shall have the right to veto any substantive matter which comes to a vote before the Security Council.

A vote “against” by any Permanent Member, along with ten affirmative votes by other Council members, shall constitute a veto and cause the motion to fail.

Rule 34

Conduct During Voting

After the Chair has announced the beginning of voting, no representative shall interrupt the voting except on a point of order in connection with the actual conduct of the voting or point of personal privilege.

Rule 35

Rights of Explanation

Rights of explanation are permitted on all substantive votes after voting. The Chair may permit members to explain their votes, either before or after the voting. The Chair may limit the time to be allowed for such explanations.

Rule 36

Rule Changes

The Security Council and the Chair have a right to change the rules of procedure in case it makes their work more efficient and fruitful.

II. Points

Rule 37

None of the points shall interrupt a speech except for a Point of Personal Privilege referring to audibility. Any point made by a delegate should be raised at the conclusion of the speech, or can be addressed by the Chairperson, at his or her discretion, during the speech.

The Chair is entitled to rule a point out of order at any time.

Rule 38

Point of Personal Privilege

Whenever a delegate experiences personal discomfort, which impairs his or her ability to participate in the proceedings, he or she may rise to a Point of Personal Privilege to request that the discomfort be corrected.

Only a Point of Personal Privilege may interrupt a speaker, but if referring to audibility only.

Rule 39

Point of Order

During the discussion of any matter, a delegate may rise to a Point of Order to indicate an instance of improper parliamentary procedure or the General Assembly or its Committee is proceeding in a manner contrary to these rules.

The Point of Order will be immediately ruled on by the Chairperson in accordance with these rules of procedure.

Rule 40

Points of Parliamentary Inquiry

A Point of Parliamentary Inquiry is a question to the Chairperson regarding the rules of procedure.

It is in order when the delegate raising the point did not understand a part of the proceedings and wishes that the Chair clarifies this.

Rule 41

Point of Information

A Point of information is a question to the speaker, who has the floor if he/she has indicated that is willing to yield to points of information.

A Point of Information must be formulated as a question.

iII. Procedural Motions

Rule 42

A motion may only be made when the floor is not taken and when there is no voting procedure.

Each motion should be seconded by the House in order to be considered. And if objection is present, it should be clarified.

Each motion shall be put to a vote even if there is no objection to them.

The Chair is entitled to overrule any motion in interest of the debate (except Motion to Appeal the Decision of the Chair).

Rule 43

Motions in Order during the Debate:

The following motions are in order during the entire debate:

Motion to Extend Debating Time:

The Motion to Extend Debating Time is needed when the delegate wishes to continue debate on an amendment or a draft resolution although debate time, as set by the Chair, is about to elapse. The delegate putting the motion forward must specify the time by which he wishes to extend debate time.

The motion shall be put to a vote, requiring a simple majority to pass.

Once the motion carries, the Chair shall add the specified time to the remaining debate time.

Motion to Move the Previous Question:

The Motion to Move the Previous Question means that the delegate putting the motion forward wishes to end the debate on the current amendment or draft resolution and move directly into voting procedure.

The motion requires a 2/3 majority to pass (absolute majority for amendments).

Motion to Appeal the Decision of the Chair:

The Motion to Appeal the Decision of the Chair is in order when the delegate is sure that the decision of the Chair is wrong and out of order. An appeal must be made immediately following the ruling in question.

The motion needs a 2/3 majority to pass.

Once the motion passes, the Chair shall withdraw the decision in question and continue with the debate/voting procedure.

Motion for Unmoderated Caucus

The Motion for Unmoderated Caucus is needed when the delegate wishes to discuss the issue in informal format. A time limit for the caucus shouldn’t exceed twenty minutes.

The Motion requires a simple majority to pass.

Motion to Follow Up:

The Motion to Follow Up is a right of the further point of information from the same questioner, if there are no other points on the floor, or when a questioner supposes that the point is misunderstood.

The Motion to Follow Up is overruled by the Chair at any time.

Rule 44

Motions in Order after Voting on a draft resolution

These motions are in order, after the vote was cast.

Motion to Divide the House:

The Motion to Divide the House is in order when the delegate putting the motion forward wishes that every delegation declares its vote aloud.

The Chair shall rule this motion out of order if the number of abstentions cannot change the outcome of the vote or when there is a minor difference between the number of votes “in favour” and “against”.

The motion requires a simple majority to pass.

Motion to Retake Votes:

The Motion to Retake Votes is used when the delegate supposes that there is a need to vote once again.

The motion requires an absolute majority to carry.

Motion to Split the House:

The motion to Split the House is used if the delegate wishes that the members of the House explain their votes.

The delegates will be called upon in a roll-call and asked to answer accordingly to their vote.

The motion requires a simple majority to pass.

Date: 2015-02-03; view: 921