EDGAR MAYA MODEL OAS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

RULES OF PROCEDURE

2003 edition

Changes from the 2002 Rules of Procedure

 
I. Participants IV. Assistant Sec General VII. Agenda X. Elections
II. President V. Committees VIII. Debate and Procedure XI. Documents
III. Secretary General VI. Sessions and Meetings IX. Voting XII. Responsibilities

 

Note: This document is adapted from and in many cases duplicates the Rules and Procedures established by the Office of Public Information at the Organization of American States. We gratefully acknowledge their inspiration and hard work. We have aimed to simplify some aspects of the Rules of Procedure in order to enhance the learning opportunities for our students. All references below to the Model OAS should be construed as referring only to the Edgar Maya Model OAS.

Article 1

The Edgar Maya Model Organization of American States General Assembly (MOAS) is a simulation of the General Assembly, which is the supreme organ of the Organization of American States. The simulation may depart from the real world procedures at the OAS, in order to maximize learning opportunities for students participating, or for other practical considerations.

Article 2

English is the official language for all proceedings of the Edgar Maya MOAS.
 


I. Participants

Article 3

Each OAS member state will be represented by one university country delegation.

Article 4

Each university country delegation shall consist of ten delegates. There may be an additional member who will serve as the Public Relations Officer. Any MOAS officers from previous sessions may accompany the delegation. Each delegation must include a Faculty Advisor.

Article 5

Each university country delegation shall have a Head Delegate, who shall be responsible for the general conduct of his/her delegation, so that his/her country may be represented at the Model in a coherent and consistent manner. The Head Delegate shall have the authority to assign duties to any member of the delegation. The Head Delegate will represent the delegation on the General Committee.

Article 6

Each university country delegation is also entitled to have a Public Information Officer, who shall have free access to all committee sessions, though he/she shall have neither the right to speak nor vote. His/her duties can include contact with the local media to disseminate information about the Model OAS General Assembly and the participation of his/her school in this event.

Observers

Article 7

Universities may be allowed to attend the Model as Observers, without vote, voice, or eligibility for election. Observers shall be bound by the Rules of Procedure for the Model.

Article 8

Members of delegations from observer universities should be familiar with the Rules of Procedure, in the event that an opportunity to participate directly should occur during the Model. Observer delegations may choose to maintain their observer status if they wish, however.

Credentials

Article 9

The Head Delegate of each country shall report to the Registration Desk at the designated arrival time and place in order to receive his/her delegation's credentials and other registration material.

Order of Precedence

Article 10

The Order of Precedence of delegations for the Model session shall be established by lot, at the Inaugural Plenary Session of the Model.

Article 11

The Order of Precedence shall be used for:


Table of Contents

II. President

Article 12

A special Plenary Session shall be scheduled prior to the Closing Plenary Session for the express purpose of electing the President, Secretary General, and Assistant Secretary General for the subsequent session of the Model OAS General Assembly. These officers shall serve for the duration of the Model session for which they have been elected.

Powers of the President

Article 13


Table of Contents
 

III. Secretary General

Article 14

The Secretary General of the Model participates with voice but without vote in the deliberations of the Model OAS General Assembly.

Article 15

The Secretary General of the Model shall work in close cooperation with the Coordinator(s) and the Model OAS General Secretariat Staff and President in order to ensure that proceedings run smoothly and efficiently. In addition, the Secretary General shall preside at the MOAS Closing Ceremony.
 


IV. Assistant Secretary General

Article 16

The Assistant Secretary General of the Model shall act as a liaison with, and report to, the Secretary General, in matters relating to the activities and services provided by the MOAS General Secretariat, and shall report to the President as necessary. In addition, the Assistant Secretary General shall work closely with the Chief Communications Officer in order to ensure the appropriate dissemination of pertinent documents, press releases and necessary information to the delegates and the Coordinator(s) of the Model OAS General Assembly.

Table of Contents

V. Committees

Article 17

The Model OAS General Assembly has the following standing committees:

  1. - General Committee (formed by Head Delegates);
  2. - First Committee (Juridical and Political Matters);
  3. - Second Committee A (Economic and Social Matters);
  4. - Second Committee B (Education Scientific and Cultural Matters); and
  5. - Third Committee (Administrative and Budgetary Matters).
Article 18

Each university country delegation is entitled to have two delegates in each committee. The two delegates will work at the same level of responsibility on different agenda topics, with the exception of the General Committee (following Article). Each delegate may allow the other to debate in his/her absence or when the other is particularly qualified to speak on the issue under consideration, but only one delegate from a country can debate an issue at a time. If one delegate wishes to let the other delegate speak, he/she must temporarily step down. Once a delegate has left his/her seat during debate, he/she may not return until the draft resolution has been voted upon. Delegates may not switch places while a draft resolution is on the floor.

Article 19

In the General Committee, the two delegates will be designated as the Head Delegate and the Alternate Head Delegate. The same debate rules apply as in the previous Article. However, duties differ on some situations of governance of the Model and in nominating officers, as provided in other Articles.

Article 20

The General Committee shall be comprised of the Head Delegates. The President of the Model shall be the Chairperson of the General Committee, with voice but without vote. The Vice-Chairperson of the General Committee shall be determined by the Order of Precedence. The Vice-Chairperson shall replace the Chairperson according to Article 12.

Article 21

The General Committee shall see that the work of the Model and its committees proceeds correctly. It shall also decide upon matters, which may be referred to it by other committees. The Chair, Vice-Chair or any delegate on the General Committee may move to refer a proposal to the General Committee. The motion requires a 2/3 majority for approval.

Article 22

The First, Second A, Second B, and Third committees shall be composed of representatives of the member states participating in the Model. Each of the committees shall have a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson, a Rapporteur, and a Vice Rapporteur.

Article 23

The Committee Chairperson shall have, as appropriate, the same power as those indicated for the President of the Model in Article 12.

Article 24

The Elected Vice Chairperson shall assume the duties of the Chairperson in the Chair's absence. The Vice Chairperson will not serve as a representative/country delegate, but as Vice Chairperson of the committee. In the event of a temporary absence of an elected Vice Chairperson, the vacancy shall be assumed by a delegate on the committee from the next country in accordance with the Order of Precedence as indicated in Article 10. Each delegation may establish its own internal procedure for determining which of the two delegates would assume the role of Vice Chairperson.

Article 25

The Rapporteur shall keep accurate records of all committee business, including attendance and roll call votes. The Vice-Rapporteur shall be available to assist.

Article 26

The committees shall consider the agenda topics approved during the inaugural plenary session of the MOAS. Committees may not change the agenda as adopted by the Plenary Session.

Table of Contents
 


VI. Sessions and Meetings

Article 27

The Model OAS General Assembly will simulate the activities and sessions of the OAS General Assembly, and will hold the following sessions:

Plenary sessions of the Model OAS General Assembly require full participation of delegations. Delegations must be present for the Inaugural Plenary and cannot depart prior to the Closing Ceremony.

Article 28

MOAS General Assembly sessions are open to properly accredited delegates, alternates, observers and staff.

Table of Contents

VII. Agenda

Article 29

The Agenda of the Inaugural Plenary Session of the Model OAS General Assembly shall include the following (in order):

Article 30

Approval of motions to adopt the agenda or to change it in any way requires 2/3-majority vote of the member states represented at the Model.

Article 31

Once the agenda has been adopted at the Inaugural Plenary Session, no new agenda topics may be added or deleted.

Article 32

The first committee session of each of the Committees shall have as its order of business the following topics (in order):

Article 33

The second committee session of each of the Committees shall be for the purpose of submission and redistribution of draft resolutions, and such other procedural matters deemed appropriate by the Committee Chairperson. The Chairperson will attempt to establish a schedule so that delegates will know when debate on specific resolutions will begin.

Article 34

The Chairperson of the Third Committee (Administrative and Budget matters) shall set a deadline for receiving from all other committees resolutions having budgetary implications. The resolutions are to be presented to the Rapporteur of the Third Committee following their adoption in the committees of origin.

Article 35

The agenda of the last session of each Committee shall include, in addition to other pending business as determined by the Chairperson:

Article 36

The Second Plenary Session shall be for the purpose of the election of the President, Secretary General, and Assistant Secretary General of the next Model OAS General Assembly.

Article 37

Article 38

The closing ceremony shall include:


Table of Contents

VIII. Debate and Procedure

Modus Operandi

Article 39

All aspects of debate will be conducted according to the adopted modus operandi of each committee.

Quorum

Article 40

A majority of the registered delegations representing member states of the OAS shall constitute a quorum at the Plenary Sessions and committee meetings of the Model OAS General Assembly. In order for a vote to be taken, 2/3 of the registered delegations must be in attendance at the committee meeting or Plenary Session.

In the event that delegations must depart prior to the conclusion of the General Assembly, this will be taken into account when considering quorum.

Article 41

At the start of each Plenary and Committee meeting, the Rapporteur will call the roll to determine attendance, consistent with Article 39. Delegates who arrive after the roll call has been completed must be recognized by the Chairperson before the delegation may take part in the proceedings.

Proposals (Draft Resolutions)

Article 42

Proposals shall be presented in writing (typed) to the Rapporteur of the Committee. In order for a proposal to be accepted for consideration, it must conform to the following specifications:

  1. The proposal must deal specifically with a topic on the agenda of the committee in question;
  2. The proposal must conform to the stylistic standards of the Model OAS General Assembly. The Coordinator(s) will provide the standard proposal format. Proposals that do not comply with the proposed format will be automatically rejected;
  3. The proposal must bear the signature of the Faculty Advisor of the delegation making the proposal, approving the proposal for form and substance; and
  4. The proposal must bear the signatures of at least five (5) delegates representing at least five (5) delegations, other than the proponent's, indicating commitment to support the proposal as originally presented.
Article 43

In each committee, each delegation may present up to four proposals, but no more than one per agenda topic, excluding courtesy resolutions and declarations. This provision does not apply, however, to proposals which may originate in the course of debate on a given topic, or within working groups.

Article 44

After proposals are submitted, they will be reviewed by MOAS staff and officials. At the discretion of the officials reviewing draft resolutions, two or more resolutions may be considered similar enough in content that they be combined into a single draft resolution, to be prepared by the delegations that had submitted the original draft resolution, organized as a "working group."

The resulting draft resolution will be co-sponsored by several delegations; in this case the total number of co-sponsors and co-signatories must be greater than or equal to six.

Article 45

Delegates assigned to a working group may not re-submit their original individual proposal. Cosignatories of working group proposals will be listed by alphabetical order. The members of the working group will elect the primary presenter/speaker on the proposal.

Debate

Article 46

Debate on each proposal considered shall consist of the following procedures:

Article 47

When debate is completed on a Draft Resolution, the Chairperson shall announce the next Draft Resolution to be introduced and debated. Immediately after that announcement, there shall be an interim caucusing session, to last no longer than five minutes. During this session, delegates are expected to remain in the committee's meeting room. At the conclusion of the caucus session, delegates will return to order immediately, to begin the discussion of the announced Draft Resolution, consistent with the previous article.

Presentation of Proposal

Article 48

A proposal is formally presented to the committee first through the reading of the proposal title, and operative clauses by the committee rapporteur, and then by the presentation speech of the proposal's sponsor. The presentation speech should deal directly with the proposal being considered. The chair will automatically recognize the sponsor of the proposal to speak after the reading of the title and operative clauses.

Questions concerning Proposal

Article 49

Immediately following the speech by the sponsor, the chair will recognize delegates to ask questions concerning the proposal. All questions must pertain specifically to the proposal, and all questions must be made in the form of a question. All questions and answers must be conducted through the presiding Chairperson, or they will be ruled out of order.

Article 50

During the question period, any delegate may move to limit the number of questions or to end the question period immediately. This procedural motion must be approved by a 2/3 vote.

Speakers List

Article 51

A Speakers List will be opened for discussion of the proposal being considered. Speakers will be identified as being in favor of the proposal or against the proposal, for purposes of balancing debates.

Article 52

The delegates on the Speakers List may speak when recognized by the Chair. The Chair will determine the order of speakers.

Motion to extend Speakers List

Article 53

Once the Speakers List has been exhausted, the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, or any delegate may move to extend the speaker's list. This procedural motion will be subject to a majority vote by the committee, unless the Chair observes that there is no objection to extending the Speakers List.

Article 54

Delegates who have spoken on prior speakers lists may be recognized to speak on subsequent speakers lists, however priority will be given to those delegations who were not recognized on prior speakers lists. Sponsors of proposals may also participate on any subsequent speaker's lists.

Points of Order

Article 55

During the discussion of a topic, any delegate may raise a point of order, to address immediately a procedural error. The President or Chairperson shall promptly act upon points of order. Any delegation may appeal the President or Chairperson's decision, in which case the appeal shall be put to a simple majority vote. While raising a point of order, a delegate may not discuss the substance of the matter under discussion; rather, the delegate's point must focus on the perceived procedural error.

Suspension of Debate

Article 56

The President, Chairperson, or any delegate may propose suspension of debate. This motion, if approved, tables the draft resolution or topic under consideration without a vote or conclusion of the speaker's list.. Only two delegations may speak in favor of, and two against, this procedural motion, which then shall be put to a simple majority vote. Any proposal tabled in this fashion may be reconsidered subsequently, under the procedures of Article 61, as appropriate.

Closing of Debate

Article 57

At any point in a debate, the President, Chairperson, or any delegate may propose that debate be closed. This procedural motion, if approved, closes debate, and moves to an immediate vote on the matter being considered. A Speakers List on the motion to close debate shall be limited to two delegations who wish to speak against the motion to close debate. This Speakers List may not be extended. This procedural motion shall be declared approved if voted for by 2/3 of the member states.

Amendments

Article 58

At any time during the consideration of the proposal, a motion may be made to amend it by a delegate on the Speakers List. The text of proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to the Rapporteur, preferably in typewritten form.

Article 59

A motion shall be considered to be an amendment to a proposal only when it constitutes an addition to, or deletion from the proposal, or changes part of the proposal. A motion that would totally change the original intent of the proposal or that is not directly related to it may not be approved for form and substance, at the discretion of the presiding Chairperson.

Article 60

All amendments must follow these procedures. No "friendly amendments" are permitted. Delegates must make a maximum effort to ensure that their draft resolutions are written as they intend them to be, prior to debate.

Withdrawal of Proposals and Amendments

Article 61

The proponent or any of the co-sponsors of a motion may withdraw a motion, proposal, or amendment, before it has been put to a vote. Any delegation may reintroduce a motion, proposal, or amendment that has been withdrawn.

Reconsideration of Decisions

Article 62

Delegates may move to reconsider earlier votes in any committee or in Plenary Sessions. If there has been a roll call vote on the earlier question, a motion to reconsider can be made only by a delegation that has voted in the affirmative in the roll call vote. Motions for the reconsideration of decisions must be approved by a vote of 2/3 of the member states.

Suspension or Adjournment of the Session or Meeting

Article 63

During the discussion of any topic, the President, Chairperson, or any delegate may propose that the session or meeting be suspended or adjourned. A motion to suspend session recesses the current meeting for an amount of time specified by the proponent of the motion. A motion to adjourn ends the committee session until the next scheduled meeting. This procedural motion shall be put to a simple majority vote immediately and without discussion.

Order of Procedural Motions

Article 64

Motions shall have precedence in the order set forth below, from highest ranking to lowest:


Table of Contents

IX. Voting

Right to Vote

Article 65

Each delegation shall have the right to one vote.

Majority Required

Article 66

In both the Plenary Session and in the Committee Meetings, decisions shall be taken by the vote of a majority of the member states registered for the Model, except in those cases in which these Rules of Procedure may provide otherwise.

Voting Procedure

Article 67

Votes shall be taken by a show of placards, but any delegation may move for a role-call vote, which shall be automatically granted, using the Order of Precedence of the delegations, established at the Inaugural Plenary Session. Votes shall be taken by secret ballot only in the cases and in the manner provided for in the Rules and Procedure. No representative may interrupt the voting, except for a Point of Order relating to the manner in which the voting is conducted. The voting shall be considered terminated when the President or Chairperson has announced the results.

Article 68

When taking a vote by a show of placards, the President or the Chairperson shall ask for "those in favor," "those opposed," and "abstentions." When named in a roll call, a delegate shall answer "yes," "no," or "abstain."

Voting on Proposals (Draft Resolutions)

Article 69

After discussion is closed, the proposal being considered, along with any approved amendments, shall be put to a vote immediately. Proposals shall be voted upon in the order in which they are presented. Proposals are approved by a majority vote.

Voting on Amendments

Article 70

A simple majority is required to approve draft amendments.

Article 71

When several draft amendments to a proposal are presented, the consideration and vote of each draft amendment shall be taken in the order in which they were proposed.

Article 72

When the adoption of one amendment necessarily implies the exclusion of another, as determined by the Chair, the latter shall not be put to consideration or a vote.

Article 73

All delegations, regardless of their status as co-sponsors or co-signatories may vote in favor of draft amendments. The adoption of an amendment to a proposal releases cosignatories from their obligation to vote in favor of the proposal.

Voting by Parts

Article 74

Prior to the vote on any proposal or amendment that contains several parts, any delegation may move for Voting by Parts. If the Chair perceives no opposition to this procedural motion, he or she will proceed to conduct the vote by parts. If there is opposition, the procedural motion will be put to an immediate vote, without debate. The procedural motion to vote by parts is approved by a simple majority.

Article 75

If voting by parts is accepted, each operative clause of the proposal shall be voted upon individually, in order. The resulting proposal, which will consist of operative clauses approved by majority vote, shall be put to a final vote. When all the parts of a proposal or amendment have been rejected, a proposal or amendment shall be considered to have been rejected as a whole.

Explanation of a Vote

Article 76

After the voting on a draft resolution or amendment has ended, any delegate may request the floor -- via a Point of Order -- to give a brief explanation of the delegation's vote. The President or Chairperson shall use discretion in limiting time spent on explanation of votes.
 

Table of Contents

X. Elections

Article 77

Elections of officers of the Model OAS General Assembly shall be by secret ballot, except when officers are elected by acclamation.

Article 78

In cases when only one person is to be elected, if no candidate obtains the vote of a majority of the member states on the first ballot, a second and, if necessary, a third ballot shall be taken. (The second ballot is limited to the two candidates receiving the largest number of votes on the first ballot.)

Article 79

Only registered participants (observers excluded) may be candidates for the elective offices of President, Secretary General, Assistant Secretary General, Committee Chairperson and Vice Chairperson. Candidates for these positions must obtain the support of at least five delegations, in addition to his/her own delegation for the nomination to be valid. A delegation may support only one candidate for each office; however, signing a nominating petition for a candidate does not bind a delegation to vote for the candidate in question.

Article 80

Only Head Delegates may sign nominating petitions for President, Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General, and they may not sign more than one for each office. Other delegates may sign nominating petitions only for Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the committee to which they have been assigned. They may not sign more than one nominating petition for each position.

Article 81

Nominated candidates shall be allowed to make a three minute presentation of their views and qualifications.

Article 82

Elected officers may not run for a second term for the same office at the following session of the Model OAS General Assembly.

Article 83

Candidates for all offices must undertake formally to be present at the following session of the Model OAS General Assembly.

Table of Contents

XI. Documents for the Model OAS General Assembly

Article 84

All delegations, as part of their preparation for the model, shall be responsible for obtaining all documents relevant to their draft proposals and other research. The Coordinator(s) of the model will provide a "final document" to each delegation, via the Faculty Advisor, for distribution to its members.

Table of Contents
 


XII. Responsibilities of Participating Institutions

Article 85

Each participating institution shall ensure prompt payment of the Registration Fee established by the Faculty Council of the Edgar Maya MOAS.

Article 86

Each participating institution shall appoint a member of its faculty to serve as advisor to the prospective student delegation, preferably an individual versed in inter-American affairs and the functioning of international organizations, particularly the OAS. The advisor shall be the focal point of contact for the institution, the student delegation, and the Coordinator(s) of the Model.

Article 87

The Faculty Advisors shall accompany their respective student delegations to the Model OAS General Assembly sessions.

Article 88

Faculty Advisors shall select student delegations sufficiently in advance to permit proper preparation for the Model, choosing as participants individuals enrolled in subject areas with a relationship to inter-American affairs, for whom participation in the MOAS can prove useful for their academic development.

Article 89

Faculty Advisors should take an active role in all phases of preparation for the Model, scheduling and attending discussion sessions, assigning research topics to individual students, monitoring the progress of their efforts, and stimulating them to work as a team. The quality of the proposals presented by the delegations clearly reflects the quality of work of the Faculty Advisor.

Article 90

Faculty Advisors should seek to ensure that student delegates receive academic credit for participation in sessions of the Model OAS General Assembly.

Article 92

Faculty Advisors should ensure that their student delegations attend all officially scheduled conferences, meetings, and ceremonies for the entire duration of the Model. Should conditions make it necessary to leave any event early, the Coordinator(s) of the Model OAS General Assembly must be notified immediately.

Article 93

Once the Model session has begun, Faculty Advisors should assume the role of observers, confining advice and comments for delegates to time outside of Committee and Plenary sessions. Remarks regarding problems that may arise during the Model should be addressed, in private, to the MOAS Coordinator(s), the appropriate committee officer, or to an OAS staff consultant(s). Advisors and faculty assigned as Technical Consultants to committee sessions should avoid direct participation in proceedings, except in emergency, or at the request of the Committee Chairperson, or, in his or her absence, the Vice Chairperson, or the Rapporteur or Assistant Rapporteur.

Article 94

During the Model, the Coordinator(s) will ask faculty advisors to serve on panels evaluating proposed draft resolutions, to assist at committee sessions, and other such duties, as needed. Faculty are asked to fulfill these duties as Technical Consultants, so that the Model can flow smoothly.

Article 95

Upon returning to their respective institutions, Faculty Advisors should meet with the student delegations to evaluate the meeting in terms of the participation. The Coordinator(s) will welcome suggestions and observations.

Article 96

If students earn academic credit for courses connected with participation in the MOAS, it is recommended strongly that grades be based on student performance at the Model Sessions. It is recommended that judgment should not be based on the number of proposals accepted or the number of times the delegate speaks in committee sessions, but on preparation before the MOAS, and on "staying in character"during the Model.

Article 97

Faculty Advisors shall be responsible for maintaining a permanent OAS reference library composed of background materials or other materials generated by earlier sessions of the MOAS.

Article 98

Faculty Advisors should ensure that student reservations for accommodations are made as far in advance as possible.

Table of Contents