Tips+from+ACUMMUN+Handbook

The following tips are adapted from the //ACAMMUN Middle School Delegate Training Handbook//
Lobbying and Merging So, you’re researched your country and the issues for debate at the conference; you’ve created a policy statement about each issue; you’ve written a resolution on each issue and you’ve arrived at the conference ready to start convincing others that your ideas are great. Lobbying and merging is the first step to seeing your ideas debated on the General Assembly floor. But, what is it, and how does one do it? To be a bit more technical, Lobbying refers to a time when you have an open, non-formal discussion with other members of the forum to try to convince them of the appropriateness of your ideas. Again, lobbying simply means you are trying, through informal debate, to get other people to agree with your ideas and to accept them as ones valid enough to be included in an eventual merged resolution. **Merging** is what we call putting your ideas together with another delegate’s ideas to come up with one stronger idea. **Lobbying** and merging happen both at the same time and they’re the first things that happen at an MUN conference. The goal: To merge your ideas together with the ideas of at least 7 other delegates to come up with one resolution between you that is strong and tries to solve the issue in an interesting and workable manner. To be fully ready to participate in the Lobbying and Merging session each delegate should bring **10 paper copies** of their already finished draft resolutions with them to share with other students. Merging (Creating Consensus): Resolutions are not documents written in isolation, nor are they the personal property of the original author. They are simply a basis for discussion. They must be drafted and “tested” through discussion with fellow delegates and teachers prior to the conference, and with allies during the lobbying and merging process. The main aim should be to formulate a resolution that both sustains your country’s position and attracts the support of others. A delegate should never disregard his/her country’s position in the process of negotiation, but neither should s/he be uncompromising if the end result is mutually beneficial to the negotiating parties. Delegates should be expect their draft resolutions to be merged with others as long as national interests and security are not undermined, e.g. debt-burdened countries are not about to support a solution to the debt problem if it obliges them to limit their GNP. Such a solution would work counter to the long-term potential for debt repayment and growth in the particular country. There are some dangers, however, in the merging process. Delegates will try to merge too many resolutions together in order to create the largest possible bloc for voting strength, or in order to achieve consensus at any price. This may in fact create an illogical, unrealistic or inherently contradictory resolutions for debate. It is essential that delegates recognize this point and seek to create resolutions which are representative of the politics of specific interest groups and which make realistic recommendation for actions to be taken in dealing with the issues.

In the Lobby:

This is INFORMAL debate time. The conference process begins in the lobby with informal discussions among delegates from different nations. This is done in “ad hoc” style meetings - meetings that are impromptu (not prepared) and where attendance is not kept or required. Participants at ad hoc style meetings can quietly leave and join other meetings if they find that the one they are sitting in on does not serve their needs. Anyone can call an ad hoc meeting. It is during this period that draft resolutions are changed, merged with other, or perhaps even discarded because the delegate has accepted another resolution that more adequately represents his nation’s interest. Again, the resolution the delegate brings with him must be seen only as a draft document that is to serve as a basis for negotiation in the lobby, where delegates will compare resolutions and exchange views on issues. Delegates cannot expect to register their draft resolutions without participating in the lobby process. To do so would mean missing out on an essential component of the whole conference experience. It is important to find an ad hoc committee in which you can comfortably Merge and debate your resolution. It’s therefore important to try and quickly figure out what countries might have created resolutions similar enough to yours, or on similar enough topics that a discussion about merging might be fruitful. It would be impossible for one country, whose resolution on the issue of arms control is about a worldwide ban on Nuclear weapons to be merged with one about the removal of landmines in Asian countries. The two topics are just not similar enough for a true merger to happen. So: during the lobbying process, look for others with similar views and ideas, or whose resolutions discuss the same part of the problem. These will be the people/countries with whom you’ll be able to most successfully merge.
 * Please note:** You are only allowed to sign 1 (one) co-submitters form for each issue. Make your vote count! If you don’t actually like the resolution, don’t sign the form. In signing you are stating your written support of the resolution as it is written after the lobbying/merging session.
 * To finish up:** When you are done lobbying and merging ideas with a group of people one person of that group needs to take on the responsibility of typing up the merged resolution, printing this out, attaching the Co-submission form to the front of the resolution and submitting it to the Directors for final selection/approval for debate in the GA. This needs to be completed before the allotted time for submissions.

** Again, the steps involved in Lobbying and Merging: **

 o  Bring your draft resolution, with 10-15 copies of it, to the Lobbying/merging session. o  Discuss the draft resolution with other delegates individually or in ad hoc groups. o  Agree on additions, deletions or mergers with other resolutions. o  Obtain a co-submitters form from the Chair of your committee. o  Acquire the appropriate number of co-submitters through their written signatures on the form. o  Rewrite the draft resolution to include all merged/changed/deleted items. o  Attach your Co-submitters form to the retyped resolution. o  Submit the resolution, and co-submitters form to the Resolution Submission Room by the time required.  o  The selection committee will then include all approved resolutions in the Official Resolution Booklet. The Official Resolution Booklet will be passed out to all students before the conference debates. **Only these approved resolutions will be eligible for debate during the issue sessions.**