Student handbook wmoas

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Washington Model Organization of the American States Student Handbook – 2012 Edition
Introduction The Washington Model Organization of the American States is a simulation of the General Assembly of the Organization of the American States. The Model General Assembly is conducted under the auspices of the Institute for Diplomatic Dialogue in the Americas (IDDA), and is supported by theOrganization of American States itself. The Model is held in Washington, DC, every spring. University students from all parts of the Americas attend and participate, representing as many as thirty-four Member States. The Model provides students with an excellent opportunity to test their knowledge and diplomatic skills with their peers from other schools, during a five-day period of intense interactionand work. This interaction is where the WMOAS is truly enjoyable and educational. The ability to speak with so many varied and unique individuals from different backgrounds allows students to broaden their conversational and interpersonal skills in a way that classrooms simply cannot teach. But ultimately the value of this experience depends heavily on the investment students make to prepare forthe Model. The more prepared students are, the more fun they tend to have at the Model, and the more profitable the experience in terms of learning. Less preparation means less work, but it also means a less satisfying experience. The Washington Model OAS General Assembly is rooted in the concepts of diplomacy, negotiation, compromise, and cooperation. It assumes appropriate diplomatic decorum.Aggressive behavior and excessive personal ambition are “personae non gratae” at the WMOAS. A Code of Conduct document emphasizes these ideals. This Student Handbook aims to help you get the most out of your WMOAS experience. Sections below begin with an Overview of the Model, and then cover topics including preparation for the Model, and what to do during the Model. There is a Glossary of terms, asample Proposed Draft Resolution (PDR), and a flowchart, at the end. Note that a major resource for all participants is the WMOAS web page: http://www.wmoas.org. Many of the items mentioned in this Handbook will have much more detailed descriptions on the web page, including specific rules or procedures. For example, the agenda of topics is briefly mentioned below, but the current complete agendaof topics, with the full names of the five Standing Committees, is available on the web page. Similarly, the Rules of Procedure and the Model’s (draft) Program are available online. Keep in mind that the online resources can frequently be updated: the Rules of Procedures, once established, don’t change very much, but the Program (Schedule) is likely to change as we get closer to the Model inWashington. Overview of the Model Each participating university represents a Member State of the OAS and sends a delegation of up to ten students, one of whom is the Head Delegate, and one the Alternate Head Delegate; the remaining delegates are designated as Delegates or Alternates. Some delegations also include a Public Information Officer who can help coordinate the efforts of the delegation. Thisdiplomatic team is divided among five Standing Committees, each of which has an agenda of up to four substantive topics,

2 topics that will be the basis for diplomatic work during the Model. Every delegation is represented on each committee, so there are a maximum of thirty-four Delegates or Alternates at the committee table (and up to another thirty-four delegates in the room, seated behindtheir delegate partners). Within each delegation, the pair of delegates assigned to each Standing Committee is expected to become very familiar with the agenda topics of the committee to which they are assigned. Each delegate is normally expected to produce a Proposed Draft Resolution (PDR) for consideration by the committee (although in some cases a delegate pair may produce one single PDR)....