Motion to Close the Speakers List

In Model UN, the General Speakers List (GSL) is the default queue of delegates wishing to address the committee on the topic at large. A Motion to Close the Speakers List asks the chair to stop accepting new additions to that list. Delegates already on the list still speak in order, but once the last one finishes, formal debate on the topic ends and the committee must move to voting procedure on any draft resolutions or amendments on the floor.

The motion is procedural, meaning observer states and all members vote, and abstentions are typically not permitted. Most rulebooks—including those modeled on the UN General Assembly's Rules of Procedure and the common THIMUN, NMUN, and Harvard MUN variants—require a simple majority to pass, though some conferences set a two-thirds threshold because of how decisively it shapes the end of debate. The chair will usually ask if there are any objections before putting it to a vote.

Strategically, closing the speakers list is a signal that a bloc believes debate has matured and wants to force the committee toward voting. It is often paired with, or quickly followed by, a motion to move into voting procedure once the list is exhausted. Delegates who still want to speak should add themselves to the list before the motion passes, since the list cannot be reopened in the same session unless a separate motion to reopen succeeds.

Key practical points:

• The motion does not end debate immediately; it only freezes additions.
• It applies to the GSL on the current topic, not to speakers lists for specific amendments or moderated caucuses.
• A related but distinct motion, closure of debate (sometimes called "motion to close debate"), does end debate immediately and moves the body straight to voting; it usually requires a two-thirds majority and permits speakers against.

Confusing the two is one of the most common procedural errors among new delegates.