Yes with Reservations

In Model UN, "yes with reservations" is a vote cast during substantive voting on a draft resolution or amendment indicating that the delegate supports the document's overall passage but objects to one or more specific clauses. The vote counts the same as a standard "yes" for tallying purposes — it contributes to the affirmative total required for adoption — but it signals diplomatic distance from particular provisions.

The option is only available during a roll call vote, which any delegate may request before voting begins (typically requiring a second or chair's discretion, depending on the rules of procedure used). When the chair calls each delegation alphabetically, delegates may respond with "yes," "no," "abstain," "pass," or "yes/no with rights." A delegate who votes "yes with reservations" is generally entitled to a brief right of explanation after the roll is complete, during which they justify their reservation in 30 seconds to one minute, depending on conference rules.

Reservations are not permitted on amendments under most rulesets (including THIMUN, UNA-USA, and Harvard WorldMUN variants), because amendments are considered too narrow to warrant partial support. They are also typically barred on procedural votes.

Strategically, "yes with reservations" allows a delegation to:

• Preserve bloc unity while flagging a national red line
• Mirror real diplomatic behavior, where states often join consensus while issuing interpretive declarations (analogous to reservations under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, 1969, Articles 19–23)
• Build a record for future negotiation rounds

It is distinct from a true treaty reservation in international law: in MUN, the vote does not actually exempt the delegation from any clause — the resolution either passes whole or fails whole. The reservation is rhetorical and diplomatic rather than legally operative.

Chairs sometimes restrict the practice if debate is running long, since each explanation extends voting procedure. Delegates should check the background guide or rules of procedure for the specific conference before relying on the option.