What vote threshold is needed to set the agenda?

In most North American MUN rulebooks, a simple majority of present and voting delegates is sufficient.

Do crisis committees set an agenda?

Usually no — crisis committees typically run on a single ongoing topic driven by directives and updates, so the motion is waived.

What happens to the second topic if it loses the agenda vote?

It is not discarded; the committee debates it after concluding work on the first topic, time permitting.

Setting the Agenda

In Model UN, Setting the Agenda is typically the opening item of business once a committee is called to order, roll call is complete, and quorum is established. When a committee has been assigned two (or more) topics by the conference, delegates must vote on which topic to debate first. The other topic is not discarded; it is simply queued to be addressed after the committee concludes work on the first.

The procedure usually follows this sequence:

A delegate is recognized and moves to set the agenda to Topic A, then Topic B (or the reverse).
The motion typically requires a simple majority to pass.
Most rulebooks allow time for speakers for and against the motion — commonly two speakers each way — before the vote.
If the motion fails, another delegate may move to set the agenda in the opposite order.

Strategically, agenda-setting is the first opportunity for delegates to demonstrate leadership, signal bloc preferences, and identify allies. Speeches for or against a particular ordering often preview a country's substantive positions and can shape early bloc formation during the first unmoderated caucus.

Rules vary by conference. Under THIMUN procedure, which generally debates one topic per committee, agenda-setting is often skipped entirely. Under Harvard (HMUN/HNMUN) and most North American parliamentary-style rules, it is a required first step. In crisis committees, agenda-setting is frequently waived because there is only one running topic, with directives and crisis updates driving the flow instead.

In the real UN system, the analog is the adoption of the agenda by bodies such as the General Assembly or Security Council under their respective Rules of Procedure — for example, the GA adopts its agenda each session on the recommendation of the General Committee. The MUN motion is a stylized simulation of that practice, compressed into a single early vote.

Once the agenda is set, the chair typically opens the General Speakers' List on the first topic, formally beginning substantive debate.

The procedure usually follows this sequence:

A delegate is recognized and moves to set the agenda to Topic A, then Topic B (or the reverse).
The motion typically requires a simple majority to pass.
Most rulebooks allow time for speakers for and against the motion — commonly two speakers each way — before the vote.
If the motion fails, another delegate may move to set the agenda in the opposite order.

Once the agenda is set, the chair typically opens the General Speakers' List on the first topic, formally beginning substantive debate.

Frequently asked questions

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Frequently asked questions

Go deeper than the definition