Speech Order

In Model UN and most parliamentary committees, the speech order (sometimes called the speakers list or general speakers list, GSL) is the running queue of delegations the chair will call on to give formal speeches. When a committee opens debate, the dais typically asks delegates who wish to address the body to raise their placards; those recognized are added in the order seen, and the chair reads the list aloud or projects it.

Once on the list, a delegate speaks for the set speaking time (commonly 60 or 90 seconds in MUN, though rules vary by conference). After speaking, a delegate may yield remaining time to another delegate, to questions, or to the chair, depending on the rules of procedure in use (Harvard, THIMUN, and UN4MUN formats each handle yields differently).

Key procedural points delegates should remember:

• A delegation can usually only appear on the list once at a time; after speaking, they may submit their name again to be re-added at the bottom.
• The list runs continuously across sessions until exhausted or until a motion to close debate passes. If the list is exhausted, debate on the topic automatically closes and the committee moves to voting procedure in many rulesets.
• Moderated caucuses, unmoderated caucuses, and other motions interrupt but do not erase the speakers list — it resumes where it left off when the committee returns to formal debate.
• In the actual UN General Assembly, the speaking order for the annual general debate is determined by a long-standing protocol: Brazil traditionally speaks first, followed by the United States as host country, then other heads of state and government by rank and request, a convention dating to the 1950s.

Strategically, getting added early matters: a high spot on the list lets a delegate frame the debate, signal bloc positions, and attract co-sponsors before working papers circulate.