| GA-1 Moment of Silence
Immediately following the opening of the first plenary meeting and immediately preceding the closing of the final plenary meeting of each session of the General Assembly, the Secretary-General shall invite the representatives to observe one minute of silence dedicated to prayer or meditation. GA-2 Scope of the Rules These rules shall be applicable for all General Assembly and committee proceedings, and for proceedings of the Security Council except in circumstances where specific Security Council rules apply (see Security Council rules below). These rules shall be considered adopted prior to the opening of the session. GA-3 Parliamentary Short Form Appended to these rules is a parliamentary short form, with additional information concerning motions and points herein. This form shall be considered part of the Rules of Procedure and designates the order of precedence for motions. GA-4 Date of the Meeting The General Assembly shall meet every year in regular session as determined by the Secretariat. GA-5 Adjournment of Session The General Assembly may decide at any session to adjourn temporarily and resume its meeting at a later date. Adjournment of the meeting implies that all business of the body has been completed, and will only apply at the final closing of the committee session and the final closing of the plenary session. This is a procedural motion and requires the approval of the Chair. It is not subject to debate, and will be put to immediate vote. GA-6 Language English shall be the official working language of the conference. GA-7 The Secretary-General and the Secretariat The Secretary-General shall appoint the directors, assistant directors, and rapporteurs to act on his/her behalf in the administration of the conference. Note - The term "Secretariat" refers collectively to those designated to act on behalf of the Secretary-General. GA-8 Statements by the Secretariat The Secretary-General, or a member of the Secretariat designated by him/her, may, at any time, make either oral or written statements to any plenary meeting or committee concerning any question or issue. GA-9 Delegations The delegation of a member state shall consist of no more than two representatives in any committee. Each member state shall have only one vote, regardless of the number of representative delegates. GA-10 Provisional Agenda The provisional agenda for a regular session of all committees of the conference shall be decided by the Secretary-General and communicated to the members of the United Nations at a suitable time before the session. The provisional agenda is the topic list provided by the directors of the committees. The order of the topics does not imply the order of the agenda. GA-11 Credentials The credentials and names of representatives of members shall be submitted if possible to the Secretary-General not less than one week prior to the opening of the session. GA-12 Functions and Powers of the Chairperson The Chair:
GA-13 Quorum The Chair may declare a meeting open and permit debate to proceed or a procedural vote to be taken when at least one quarter of the members of the committee are present. The attendance of a majority of members of the committee shall be required for any substantive vote to be taken. Note: Procedural votes refer to motions regarding the nature of debate (i.e. a motion for recess, or the closure of the speakers' list). Substantive votes address the subject of debate itself (i.e. a vote on the contents of a resolution or amendment). GA-14 Adoption of the Agenda The first order of business for the Committee shall be the consideration of the agenda. The only motion in order at this time will be in the form of "I move that topic area X be placed first on the agenda, topic area Y be placed second on the agenda . . ." until all the topic areas have been ordered. Proposals regarding the order of agenda shall be voted upon in the order in which they are proposed. Once one proposal has been adopted, all other motions regarding the agenda will be assumed to have failed, and debate will proceed immediately to the first topic area. This is a procedural motion and is not subject to debate. It requires a simple majority to pass. GA-15 Change of Agenda Where applicable, a committee may change the order of the remaining agenda topics after the first topic has been closed or adjourned. This is a procedural motion and is not subject to debate. It requires a simple majority to pass. GA-16 Debate After the agenda has been established, one continuous speakers' list shall be maintained by the Chair to facilitate general debate. This speakers' list shall be followed for all committee debate, except when superseded by procedural motions or the introduction of a resolution or amendment. Speakers must address their remarks to the topic area under discussion and may refer to any resolutions which have been formally introduced. GA-17 Speeches No member may address a committee without having previously obtained the permission of the Chair. The Chair shall establish a speakers' list in the order in which members signify their desire to speak. The Chair may call a speaker to order if his/her remarks are not relevant to the topic under discussion. A member may speak as often as s/he wishes; however, a member must wait until s/he has spoken before being placed on the list again. GA-18 Time Limit on Speeches The Chair may, upon consultation with the committee or upon the proposal by a member of the committee, limit the time allotted to each speaker. When that time limit is exceeded, the Chair shall immediately call that member to order. GA-19 Closure of the Speakers' List The speakers' list may be closed at any time. If the motion is carried, no further speakers may be added. This is a procedural motion debatable to the extent of one speaker in favor and one opposed. It requires a 2/3 majority to pass. Note: The purpose of this motion is to end debate on the topic, and bring about a vote on any resolutions which have been moved to the floor. When a closed speakers' list is exhausted, debate automatically ends and an immediate vote is taken. GA-20 Reopening the Speakers' List The speakers' list may be reopened if at least one speaker remains on the list. If the motion carries, more names may be added to the list. This is debatable to the extent of one speaker in favor and one opposed, and requires a 2/3 majority to pass. GA-21 Points of Information A delegate may wish to accept points of information at the conclusion of his/her speech. At this time, delegates on the floor may be recognized by the Chair to pose brief questions to the speaker concerning the substance of his/her speech. The time it takes for a point of information to be asked is not subtracted from the speaker's speaking time. One follow-up point of information will be permitted. Note: A delegate who wishes to accept points of information does not "yield to questions." Rather s/he will "accept points of information." GA-22 Yields to the Chair A delegate may yield his/her time to the Chair. In this case, any remaining allotted time is given over to the Chair, and debate will move to the next speaker on the speakers' list. A delegate who yields to the Chair may not accept any points of information. GA-23 Yield to Another Delegate A delegate may yield the remainder of his/her speaking time (or can automatically yield if there is no time limit) to another delegate. Such a yield need not be designated at the beginning of a speech but may be made at the end of the original delegate's speech. If a delegate wishes to accept points of information, s/he must do so before yielding to another delegate. Delegates who have accepted yielded time may not subsequently yield to another delegate, but may accept points of information. GA-24 Right of Reply A delegate whose personal or national dignity has been impugned by another delegate may request a right of reply. Requests for right of reply must be submitted to the Chair in writing, and must contain the objectionable statement. The decision of the Chair to grant a right of reply is not appealable, nor is it subject to debate. The time allotted for a right of reply shall not exceed one minute. A request to reply to a statement made by a delegate exercising his/her right of reply is not in order. GA-25 Informal Session The body may move into informal session at any time. If the motion carries, the rules of procedure will be suspended, but the Chair will continue to maintain decorum and facilitate debate. No motions are in order during informal session except a motion to recess or a motion to return to formal debate. This motion is debatable to the extent of one speaker in favor and one opposed, and requires a simple majority to pass. GA-26 Point of Personal Privilege Whenever a delegate experiences personal discomforts which impair his/her ability to participate in the proceedings, that delegate may rise to a point of personal privilege to request that the discomfort be corrected. Note: While a point of personal privilege may interrupt a speaker, delegates should use this power with the utmost discretion. GA-27 Points of Order During the discussion of any matter, a delegate may rise to a point of order to complain of improper parliamentary procedure, and the point of order shall be immediately decided by the Chair in accordance with these rules of procedure. The Chair may rule out of order those points which are dilatory or improper; such a decision is unappealable. A representative rising to a point of order may not speak on the substance of the matter under discussion. Note: A point of order may only interrupt a speaker when the speech itself is not following proper parliamentary procedure. GA-28 Points of Parliamentary Inquiry When the floor is open, a delegate may rise to a point of parliamentary inquiry to ask a question of the Chair regarding parliamentary procedure. A point of parliamentary inquiry may never interrupt a speaker. GA-29 Appealing the Decision of the Chair Any decision of the Chair, with the exception of those matters that are explicitly designated as unappealable by these rules, may be appealed by a delegate. Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Chair, and then be moved from the floor. Speakers on this matter will consist of the Chair speaking in defense of his/her ruling and appealing delegate speaking on why s/he is appealing the decision of the Chair. The appeal shall then be put to a vote, and the decision of the Chair shall stand unless overruled by two-thirds of those members present and voting. The Chair's refusal to sign a resolution or amendment is never appealable. GA-30 Dilatory Motions and Amendments The Chair may rule out of order any motion or amendment which closely resembles an amendment or motion upon which the body has already decided, or which is frivolous or absurd. This declaration is subject to appeal. GA-31 Limit or Extend Time of Debate Any representative may move to limit debate or to extend a limit to debate. The motion may limit the number of speakers, the number of times representatives may speak on a question, length of speeches, length of debate on a particular resolution and/or topic, or any combination of the above. This motion is debatable to the extent of one speaker in favor and one opposed, and requires a simple majority to pass. GA-32 Withdrawal of Procedural Motions and Resolutions A procedural motion may be withdrawn by its proposer at any time before voting has commenced, provided that it has not been amended. A resolution may only be withdrawn by its original sponsor prior to the beginning of voting. A motion or resolution thus withdrawn may be reintroduced by any member.
GA-33 Working Papers Delegates may present working papers to the Chair for copying and distribution among the members of the committee. A working paper need not be in resolution form and is intended to facilitate the work of the committee. Copying and distribution of working papers shall be at the discretion of the Chair. GA-34 Resolutions Resolutions shall be submitted in writing to the Director, who shall circulate copies to the members. No proposal shall be voted upon unless copies of it have been circulated to all members. A resolution must contain the name(s) of the original sponsor(s), and will be given a number by the Chair. Other members may add their names to a list of secondary sponsors at any time during debate on the topic. A resolution must have the signatures (not indicating support for, but rather an interest in discussing the resolution) of one-fifth of the membership of the body (but not less than five members) and amendments must have the signatures (again, not necessarily the support) of one-tenth of the membership (no less than three). GA-35 Introducing Resolutions Once a resolution has been approved as stipulated above and has been copied and distributed, an original sponsor may rise to introduce the resolution, subject to recognition by the Chair. The delegate will read the resolution and answer questions of clarity (not substance). A question of clarity shall be considered anything concerning punctuation, semantics, or the definition of terms contained in the resolution. A question of substance is anything that asks the sponsoring delegate to debate the nature of the resolution, or clarify his/her position on the resolution. Presentation of a resolution shall last no longer than three minutes. GA-36 Order of Consideration of Resolutions There will be equal access to all the resolutions on a particular agenda topic under discussion. Any delegate may move consideration of any resolution pertinent to the topic area being discussed. GA-37 Friendly Amendments If an amendment to a resolution is proposed and gains the concurrence of the original sponsor(s), the amendment shall immediately become a part of the resolution itself. This shall be termed a "friendly amendment."
GA-38 Unfriendly Amendments Any amendments to a resolution may be submitted to the Chair for copying and distribution among the committee provided it has been signed by one-tenth of the committee, but no less than three members. When an amendment has been presented to a committee, it will be read by the Chair in its entirety for the committee. Any amendment to a preambulatory phrase must also include an amendment to at least one operative clause. Secondary and tertiary amendments are not permitted. GA-39 Adjournment of Debate (Tabling) During the discussion of any matter, a member may move the adjournment of the debate on the topic area under discussion. If the motion passes, the topic is said to be tabled and the committee moves immediately to the next topic on the agenda. When debate on a topic area has been adjourned it may not be considered at the same session unless the committee decides to resume debate on the topic. This motion is debatable to the extent of two speakers in favor and two opposed, and requires a 2/3 majority to pass.
Note: When debate is adjourned, no vote will be taken on any proposed resolutions. GA-40 Resumption of Debate Debate may be resumed on an adjourned topic if any delegate moves for resumption of debate. This is debatable to the extent of two speakers in favor and two opposed, and requires a 2/3 majority to pass. GA-41 Recess of the Meeting During the discussion of any matter, a delegate may move to suspend the meeting. Such a motion shall include the proposed length of such a recess. A recess for the purpose of caucusing shall not exceed twenty minutes in length. The Chair has a right to overrule such a motion if deemed inappropriate at that moment. This motion is not debatable and requires a simple majority to pass. GA-42 Closure of Debate A member may at any time move the closure of debate on the item under consideration. Closure of debate will compel the committee to cease debate and move to an immediate vote on all resolutions which are before the committee, regardless of the status of the speakers' list. This is debatable to the extent of two speakers in favor (one of these should be the proposer of the motion) and two speakers opposed. It requires a 2/3 majority for passage. GA-43 Precedence of Procedural Motions The following motions shall have precedence in the following order over all other proposals or motions before the committee:
GA-44 Voting Rights Each member of the United Nations shall have one vote. Observer delegations may not vote on substantive matters, but may vote on procedural motions. GA-45 Voting Members may vote in favor, against or abstain from voting on any substantive proposal. In order to pass a proposal, a simple majority of members present and voting shall be required. "Members present and voting" refers to those members casting an affirmative or negative vote; those abstaining are considered not to have voted and are thus excluded from this total. GA-46 Important Questions The following issues are considered important questions:
Any member may move that a resolution addresses an important question. This motion is not debatable, and requires a two-thirds majority to pass. If the motion passes, any resolution which is so designated requires the concurrence of two-thirds of members present and voting, instead of a simple majority as stipulated under Rule GA-45.
GA-47 Competence Any motion calling for a decision on the competence of the committee to adopt a proposal submitted to it shall be voted upon before voting begins on the proposal in question. This motion is used to determine whether or not it is within the scope of a committee to discuss a particular issue. Note: The Secretary-General has approved the competence of each committee to discuss the topic areas included in the Provisional Agenda. In this vote, an affirmative vote indicates the body is not competent to discuss a proposal. GA-48 Voting Procedure Votes shall normally be taken by means of a show of placards. However, upon the request of a member and the concurrence of the Chair in consultation with the committee, a roll-call vote may be taken. The roll-call shall be taken in English alphabetical order of the names of the members, beginning with a member state whose name is chosen at random by the Chair. The name of each member state shall be called, and one of the delegates shall respond Yes, No, Abstain, or Pass. A delegate who passes during the first sequence of the roll-call must vote during the second sequence. Delegates may request the right to explain their votes after the sequence of voting in which they cast a vote has been completed. Since a member who abstains is considered to have not voted, s/he may not explain an abstention. Note: The roll-call vote shall be applicable for substantive decisions only. GA-49 Conduct During Voting After the Chair has announced the beginning of voting, no member shall interrupt the voting except on a point of order in connection with the conduct of voting. In addition, the doors will be barred, preventing anyone from leaving or entering the room. During the vote members should maintain decorum; no caucusing should take place and no notes should be passed. GA-50 Voting on Amendments Amendments shall be put to a vote directly before the committee votes on the proposal as a whole. When two or more amendments to a proposal are moved, the committee shall first vote on the amendment furthest removed in substance from the original proposal, and then on the amendment next furthest removed therefrom, and so on. Where, however, the adoption of one amendment necessarily implies the rejection of another amendment, the latter amendment shall not be put to a vote. GA-51 Division of the Proposal A motion may be made to divide the operative clauses of a proposal to allow the committee to vote upon them separately. Only the operative clauses of a resolution can be divided. Such a motion must be submitted in writing to the Chair and moved after the passage of a closure of debate motion. In the event of several motions for division, the Chair shall order the motions such that the one which divides the resolution into the most parts shall be voted upon the first, followed by the less radical motions for division. If any motion for division is adopted, a substantive vote shall be taken on each of the divided parts. Those parts which are approved shall then be voted upon as a whole. If all operative clauses of the proposal have been rejected, the proposal shall be considered to have failed as a whole. This is debatable to the extent of two speakers in favor and two opposed, and requires a simple majority to pass. GA-52 Security Council Priority In accordance with Article 12 of the United Nations Charter, the General Assembly may discuss any matter concurrently being discussed by the Security Council, but may not accept or reject any resolution relating to the matter until the Security Council has taken final action. A suspension of the matter for more than ten hours, or a vote on a resolution by the Security Council shall be considered final action. The Secretary-General or his/her appointed representative shall inform the General Assembly at each session of any matters relating to international peace and security which are being discussed by the Security Council, and shall notify the Assembly after the Security Council has taken final action on the matter.
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