Model United Nations: Closing Plenary

TL;DR

Learn about the rules for the closing plenary session of the General Assembly at Model United Nations conferences, including options for voting on resolutions and concluding the session.

Transcript

Hi. This is Noah Zerbe. Welcome back to  my Model United Nations video series.   This video series focuses on preparing students to  be familiar with the rules of debate used at the   Model United Nations of the Far West conference,  held every April in San Francisco. While the video   focuses on the rules for MUNFW, the basic concepts  of parliame... Read More

Key Insights

• 🇺🇳 Model United Nations of the Far West (MUNFW) has specific rules for the closing plenary session, but the basic concepts of parliamentary procedure are applicable to Model United Nations conferences in general.
• 😚 The General Assembly considers the report and resolutions passed by each committee at the closing plenary session.
• 👍 There are four options for the General Assembly to discuss and take action on committee reports, with option 3 being the most commonly used for approving resolutions.
• 🥡 Committees that do not report to the General Assembly, such as the Security Council or ECOSOC, only follow option four for taking note of the committee's report.

Questions & Answers

Q: What happens during the closing plenary session of the General Assembly at Model United Nations conferences?

During the closing plenary session, the General Assembly listens to reports from each committee and decides on the resolutions passed by each committee.

Q: What are the options for the General Assembly when discussing committee reports?

The General Assembly has four options: voting on each resolution separately with discussion, voting on resolutions separately without discussion, approving all resolutions collectively, or taking note of the committee's report without direct action on the resolutions.

Q: What is required for each option to be approved by the General Assembly?

Option 1 and option 2 require a simple majority to pass, while option 3 and option 4 require two speakers in favor and two speakers against, with a two-thirds majority needed for approval.

Q: When does the closing plenary session conclude?

The closing plenary session concludes with the passing of the Adjournment of the Meeting motion, which is typically done without objection as the last item of the conference.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The closing plenary session of the General Assembly is held on the final day of the conference and involves hearing reports from each committee and deciding on the resolutions passed by each committee.

• There are four options for the General Assembly when discussing committee reports: voting on each resolution separately with discussion, voting on resolutions separately without discussion, approving all resolutions collectively, or taking note of the committee's report without direct action on the resolutions.

• Once all committee reports have been discussed and action has been taken, the session concludes with the passing of the Adjournment of the Meeting motion.