Preparing for the 2027 conference season
One place for everything our delegates need: how MUN works, how to research and write, and a briefing for every seat we hold at both conferences.
Our two conferences
MSMUN@UWCSEA XI
9 delegates across 7 committees. Topics released. Full briefings ready for every seat.
Conference 2MY-MUNOFS XVII
8 delegates across 7 committees, hosted by OFS. Topics not released yet. Country profiles and committee primers ready.
Where should I start?
- Read Start here: MUN 101 (15 minutes).
- Learn the five points and motions you will actually use in Rules of procedure.
- Open your seat's briefing and read the "In plain words" box for each topic.
- Fill in the country stance worksheet in Researching a country.
- Write a one-minute opening speech using the template in Writing.
- Go straight to your seat's briefing and open every Go deeper panel.
- Map your bloc: who you will lobby with, who you need to win over.
- Draft 4 to 6 operative clauses before the first lobbying session.
- Read Debate and strategy for main-submitter and amendment tactics.
- Mentor one first-timer in the team.
How this site marks difficulty
| Marker | Meaning |
|---|---|
| BEG INT ADV | The level the conference assigned to the committee. |
| In plain words box | The topic explained with no jargon. Every delegate reads this first. |
| Go deeper panel | Extra law, history and tactics. Expected for INT and ADV; optional but encouraged for BEG. |
| Check the latest box | Things that may have changed since this briefing was written. Look these up in the news before the conference. |
Background was written in November 2026 from sources available up to mid-2026. World events move fast, so every briefing ends with a list of things to verify. Treat this site as your starting point, not your only source. Conference study guides, when released, take priority.
Start here: MUN 101
Model United Nations is a simulation. You become a diplomat for a country, sit in a committee with other "countries", and work together to write a resolution that solves a real global problem.
The big idea
At a MUN conference you are not yourself. You represent your assigned country's government. If you are the delegate of China, you argue what China's government would argue, even if you personally disagree. This is called staying in character or staying on policy, and it is the first thing judges look for.
Each committee discusses one or two topics. The goal is to pass a resolution: a formal document listing what the committee agrees should be done. You win respect (and awards) by being well-researched, persuasive, diplomatic and useful in getting a good resolution written and passed.
Who is in the room
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Chairs (2 or 3) | Run the debate, call on speakers, keep time and rule on procedure. Usually older students. Always address them as "Honourable Chair(s)". |
| Delegates | You. Each represents one country (or an organisation) in the committee. |
| Admin staff / pages | Pass notes between delegates and to the chair. |
| Secretariat | The students who organise the conference. The topic list names a Secretariat member "in charge" of each committee you can contact with questions. |
| Directors | Teachers from each school. They do not take part in debate. |
How a conference usually runs
Most conferences in Singapore follow a THIMUN-style format. Check each conference's handbook for its exact rules.
- Roll call. The chair reads the country names. You raise your placard and say "Present".
- Opening speeches. Each delegate gives a short speech (often 1 minute) stating their country's position on the topic.
- Lobbying. Delegates leave their seats, find allies and write draft resolutions together. Similar drafts are merged.
- Approval. The chairs check the draft resolution's format and approve it for debate.
- Debate on the resolution. The main submitter presents it, delegates speak for and against, ask questions (points of information) and propose changes (amendments).
- Voting. Countries vote for, against, or abstain. If more vote for than against, it passes.
- Repeat for the next resolution or topic. Awards are given at closing ceremony.
Ten rules for your first conference
- Speak in the third person: "The delegate of Ghana believes…", never "I think…".
- Stand up when speaking. Raise your placard to be recognised.
- Address the room: "Honourable Chairs, fellow delegates…".
- Stay on your country's policy, not your own opinion.
- Speak at least once in every session, even if just a question.
- Bring your research printed or offline. Wi-fi fails.
- Write notes to other delegates. It is how alliances form.
- Be polite to everyone. Diplomacy is scored.
- If you are lost, send a note to the chair asking. Chairs want to help.
- Have fun. Everyone else in the room is nervous too.
What you prepare before the conference
Research notes
Your country's facts, its position on each topic, its allies and what the UN has already done.
Position paper
About one page per topic explaining your country's view and proposed solutions. Some conferences require it.
Opening speech
A practised one-minute speech for each topic.
Draft clauses
3 to 6 ideas written as resolution clauses, ready to bring to lobbying.
All four are explained step by step in Researching a country and Writing.
- "Honourable Chairs, fellow delegates, the delegate of ___ would like to…"
- "Is the delegate aware that…?" (the classic way to begin a question)
- "The delegate yields the floor back to the Chair."
- "Point of personal privilege: could the delegate please speak louder?"
- "The delegate of ___ is in favour of this resolution because…"
Rules of procedure
Rules of procedure keep a room of 30 people speaking one at a time. You do not need to know every rule. Learn the handful below and you will follow everything.
Each conference publishes its own rules. MSMUN@UWCSEA and MY-MUNOFS are both Singapore middle-school conferences and likely use THIMUN-style procedure, but names of motions, speaking times and whether abstentions are allowed on amendments vary. Read both handbooks as soon as they are released.
Points: how you interrupt (politely)
| Point | When to use it | Can it interrupt a speaker? | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Point of Personal Privilege | Something stops you participating: you cannot hear, the room is too cold. | Yes, only if it is about audibility | "Point of personal privilege: could the speaker please speak up?" |
| Point of Order | The chair or a delegate broke the rules of procedure. | No | "Point of order: the delegate's speaking time has expired." |
| Point of Parliamentary Inquiry (or Point of Information to the Chair) | You have a question about the rules. | No | "Could the chair explain how amendments are voted on?" |
| Point of Information (POI) | A question to a speaker who has said they are open to POIs. Must be a question. | No, asked when the chair calls on you | "Is the delegate aware that clause 4 would cost developing nations…?" |
Motions: how the committee decides what happens next
| Motion | What it does | Usually needs |
|---|---|---|
| Motion to move into voting procedure (or "move the previous question") | Ends debate on the resolution or amendment and goes straight to the vote. | Seconds, and no objection; or a procedural vote |
| Motion to extend debate time | Adds time for more speeches. | Chair's discretion |
| Motion to divide the house | After a vote, forces every delegate to vote for or against (no abstentions). | Chair's discretion; used when the vote is close |
| Motion to split / vote clause by clause | Votes on operative clauses separately, so weak clauses can be removed. | Main submitter's consent or chair's discretion |
| Motion for a moderated caucus (UNA-USA style) | A short debate on one sub-topic where the chair calls speakers quickly. | Simple majority |
| Motion for an unmoderated caucus (UNA-USA style) | Free time to leave seats and negotiate. Similar to lobbying. | Simple majority |
| Motion to adjourn / suspend debate | Pauses the session, for example for lunch. | Usually raised by chairs |
Yields: what happens when you finish speaking
- Yield to points of information: "The delegate is open to any and all points of information." Other delegates ask you questions.
- Yield to the chair: you are finished. Use this when you want no questions.
- Yield to another delegate: gives your remaining time to an ally. Some conferences restrict this; it cannot be passed on again.
Debating a resolution, step by step
- The main submitter reads out the operative clauses.
- The main submitter gives a speech in favour, then usually yields to points of information.
- Open debate (or closed debate with separate time "for" and "against"): delegates are called on to speak.
- Delegates submit amendments in writing to the chair. If accepted, the proposer speaks, there is debate on the amendment, then a vote.
- When time runs out or someone moves into voting procedure, the committee votes on the resolution as a whole.
Voting
- Procedural votes (on motions): everyone must vote, no abstentions.
- Substantive votes (on resolutions): for, against, or abstain. Passes with more "for" than "against" in most committees.
- Security Council: needs 9 of 15 votes in favour and no "against" vote from a permanent member (China, France, Russia, UK, USA). That "against" vote is the veto. Abstaining is not a veto.
- During voting, no notes are passed and nobody leaves the room.
Amendments in detail
- An amendment can add, strike (delete) or modify a clause. Write it on the amendment sheet with the exact clause number and exact new wording.
- Amendment of the first degree: changes the resolution. Amendment of the second degree: changes an amendment that is currently being debated. Some middle-school conferences do not allow second-degree amendments.
- Preambulatory clauses usually cannot be amended. Operative clauses can.
- "Friendly" amendments (agreed by the main submitter) may pass automatically in some conferences.
- Abstentions on amendments are often not allowed. Check the handbook.
- Tactic: a well-timed amendment that removes the one clause your bloc objects to can turn an "against" into a "for", and makes you look constructive.
THIMUN style vs UNA-USA style
Two families of procedure exist. You may meet either.
| THIMUN style | UNA-USA style | |
|---|---|---|
| Writing | Resolutions written in lobbying before debate starts | Working papers develop during caucuses into draft resolutions |
| Debate on | One resolution at a time | Speakers' list on the topic, then caucuses |
| Main tools | Points of information, amendments, speeches for and against | Moderated and unmoderated caucuses, speakers' list |
| Who presents | Main submitter and co-submitters | Sponsors and signatories |
A script for the scared
Practise these out loud. They cover most of what you need to say on day one.
Researching a country
Good research answers three questions: what is the problem, what has the world already tried, and what does my country want? Work through them in this order.
The five-step method
- Understand the topic. Read the briefing on this site, then the conference study guide when it is released. Write the problem in one sentence. List the key terms and make sure you can explain each one.
- Know your country. Population, government type, economy, region, the blocs it belongs to (ASEAN, EU, African Union, G77, BRICS…), its friends and rivals.
- Find past action. Which UN resolutions, treaties and agencies already deal with this? Did your country sign, ratify, vote for or against?
- Find your country's position. Look for statements by its foreign ministry, its UN mission, or speeches at the UN on this topic. If there is nothing direct, reason from its interests and its voting record.
- Turn it into solutions. Write 3 to 6 concrete ideas your country would support, and 1 or 2 things it would never accept (its "red lines").
This is common, especially for niche topics. Ask yourself: Is my country rich or developing? Coastal or landlocked? Does it produce, buy or transit the thing being discussed? Who are its closest allies, and what do they say? A reasoned position that fits your country's interests is perfectly acceptable. Say "In line with its commitment to…" rather than inventing quotations.
Where to look
| Source | Good for |
|---|---|
| UN Meetings Coverage and Press Releases | Summaries of what each country said in a UN meeting. Search "[topic] [your country]". The single most useful source for country positions. |
| UN Digital Library | Full texts of resolutions and voting records (who voted yes, no, abstain). |
| Security Council Report | Clear background on every Security Council issue. Essential for SC delegates. |
| UN Treaty Collection | Check whether your country signed and ratified a treaty. |
| Your country's foreign ministry and UN mission website | Official statements and speeches. Search "Permanent Mission of [country] to the United Nations". |
| BBC News, Reuters, AP News | Recent events. Check the date of every article. |
| Agency websites (WHO, UNHCR, INTERPOL, IMO, UNODC, IAEA…) | Facts, data and what the agency is already doing. |
- Wikipedia is fine for a first overview. Follow its footnotes to the real source.
- AI chatbots can invent resolutions, numbers and quotes. Verify every fact you plan to say out loud.
- Write down the source and date for every fact. Delegates will ask "Where is that from?"
Country stance worksheet
Copy this into your notes and fill one in for each topic.
Reading a voting record
On the UN Digital Library, open a resolution record and look for "Voting data". A pattern of votes across several similar resolutions tells you more than one vote. Abstentions often mean "we support the goal but object to something specific". Find out what that something was: it is usually in the country's "explanation of vote" in the UN press release for that meeting.
Writing: position papers, speeches and clauses
Three kinds of writing matter in MUN. Each has a fixed shape. Learn the shape and the writing becomes much easier.
Position paper
A position paper is roughly one page per topic. It shows the chairs you understand the topic and your country's view. Some conferences require it for awards.
| Paragraph | What goes in it | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Background | What the problem is, why it matters, a key statistic. | 3 to 5 sentences |
| 2. Past international action | Relevant resolutions, treaties, agencies, and how well they worked. | 3 to 5 sentences |
| 3. Country position | Your country's view, its own actions and laws, and why. | 4 to 6 sentences |
| 4. Proposed solutions | 2 to 4 concrete ideas your country supports. | 4 to 6 sentences |
- Write in the third person throughout.
- Cite at least three sources in a short list at the end.
- No opinions that your country would not hold.
Opening speech
Usually one minute, about 130 to 150 words. It has four parts: hook, position, proposals, call to action.
Example (UN Women, beginner level, invented country position for practice)
Honourable Chairs, distinguished delegates,
Right now, women in low- and middle-income countries are far less likely than men to use mobile internet. Every one of them is shut out of online classes, online banking and online jobs.
The delegation of Kenya firmly believes that closing the digital gender gap is one of the fastest ways to grow an economy. Kenya has seen mobile money transform the lives of rural women, and knows what affordable access can do.
Kenya calls on this committee to support low-cost smartphones for women's groups, to fund digital skills training in rural schools, and to make online spaces safer for women and girls.
Kenya invites every nation that shares these goals to build a resolution that connects the next billion women. Thank you. The delegate yields the floor back to the Chair.
Making speeches persuasive
- Rule of three: three proposals are easier to remember than five.
- One number, not five. A single strong statistic beats a list.
- Speak to interests. In speeches for or against a resolution, explain why other countries benefit, not only yours.
- Pause after your hook. Look up from your paper at least three times.
- Against speeches: praise the resolution's intent first, then name the exact clause that is the problem, then offer a fix (an amendment).
Resolutions
A resolution is one long sentence. It has a heading, preambulatory clauses (the reasons, in italics, ending in commas) and operative clauses (the actions, numbered, with the first word underlined, ending in semicolons, last one ending in a full stop).
QUESTION OF: Addressing the usage of Artificial Intelligence in medical fields
SUBMITTED BY: [Main submitter]
CO-SUBMITTED BY: [Countries]
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION,
Recognising that artificial intelligence can improve the speed and accuracy of diagnosis, particularly where doctors are scarce,
Deeply concerned that algorithms trained on limited data may perform worse for some populations,
Recalling the WHO guidance Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence for Health (2021),
1. Urges Member States to require that a qualified health professional remains responsible for every diagnosis supported by artificial intelligence;
2. Recommends the creation of national registers of approved medical AI tools, which would:
a) list the populations each tool was tested on,
b) record reported errors and safety incidents,
c) be publicly available;
3. Requests the WHO to publish a model testing standard for medical AI tools by 2028.
What makes a strong operative clause
Chairs and experienced delegates test clauses with five questions: Who does it? What exactly? How? Who pays? How do we know it worked?
Encourages countries to stop smuggling at sea;
Calls upon Member States with major container ports to install radiation detection equipment at port exits by 2030, with technical support from the IAEA for developing states that request it;
Mandate limits: what your committee can and cannot do
- Only the Security Council can make decisions binding on all UN members, impose sanctions or authorise force. It uses words like Decides and Demands.
- General Assembly committees (DISEC, SPECPOL) and ECOSOC can only recommend. Use Recommends, Calls upon, Encourages, Urges.
- The HRC can create investigations and Special Rapporteurs and make recommendations.
- WHO sets guidelines and can adopt binding regulations on health matters through the World Health Assembly.
- INTERPOL is a police cooperation body: it shares data and notices but does not arrest anyone itself.
- The Council of the EU adopts EU law together with the European Parliament, usually on a proposal from the European Commission.
- A clause outside your committee's powers will be challenged. Saying "Calls on the Security Council to consider…" is the safe way to reach beyond your mandate.
Phrase bank
Preambulatory (italic, end with a comma)
Acknowledging, Affirming, Alarmed by, Aware of, Bearing in mind, Believing, Concerned, Confident, Convinced, Deeply concerned, Deeply disturbed, Determined, Emphasising, Expressing its appreciation, Fully aware, Guided by, Having considered, Having examined, Keeping in mind, Noting with concern, Noting with satisfaction, Observing, Reaffirming, Realising, Recalling, Recognising, Seeking, Taking into account, Taking note, Welcoming
Operative (underlined, end with a semicolon)
Accepts, Affirms, Approves, Authorises*, Calls for, Calls upon, Condemns*, Confirms, Declares, Demands*, Designates, Draws attention, Emphasises, Encourages, Endorses, Expresses its hope, Invites, Proclaims, Recommends, Requests, Seeks, Strongly urges, Suggests, Supports, Trusts, Urges
* Strong words usually reserved for the Security Council.
Debate and strategy
Research gets you into the room. What you do in lobbying and debate decides whether your ideas end up in the resolution.
Lobbying: forming your group
- Arrive with clauses. Delegates with written clauses become the centre of groups. Bring 3 to 6, printed or on a laptop.
- Find your bloc quickly. Look for regional neighbours and countries with similar interests. Your briefing lists likely allies.
- Listen first. Ask "What does your country need in this resolution?" It is the fastest way to build trust.
- Merge. When two groups have similar ideas, combine them. Bigger groups get more votes.
- Agree roles. Choose a main submitter (the strongest speaker who knows the text) and co-submitters.
- Check format before submitting: heading, punctuation, numbering, underlining.
Points of information: asking good questions
- Speeches disguised as questions
- Yes/no questions the speaker can dodge
- Personal attacks
- "How would clause 3 be funded?"
- "Is the delegate aware that [fact], and how does the resolution address this?"
- "Does the delegate believe clause 5 respects national sovereignty, given…?"
Answering: thank the delegate, answer the actual question in two or three sentences, and link back to the resolution's strengths. If you do not know, say "The delegate will look into this and respond by note." It is better than guessing.
Strategy by level
Goals for your first conference
Give your opening speech. Ask at least two points of information a day. Get one of your ideas into a resolution. Co-submit one resolution.
Goals
Speak in every debate. Propose at least one amendment. Lead a lobbying group or be a co-submitter. Use specific facts and treaty names.
Goals
Be the main submitter. Negotiate compromises between rival blocs. Defend the resolution under questioning. Use procedure strategically.
Being the main submitter
- Know every clause well enough to explain it without reading.
- Prepare answers to the five hardest questions about your resolution before debate.
- Accept friendly amendments that win votes without weakening the core. Know which clauses you can trade away and which you cannot.
- Count votes during debate. Send notes to undecided delegates asking what would win their support.
- Keep your co-submitters speaking in favour, so it is not only your voice.
Security Council and crisis-style dynamics
- In the SC, the five permanent members each hold a veto. A resolution that one P5 member hates will fail. Negotiate with them early, especially on the words that bother them.
- Elected members gain power by acting together. Ten elected members voting as a group can block anything (a resolution needs 9 votes).
- Words matter: "condemns" vs "expresses concern", "decides" vs "calls upon". Small wording changes can win or lose a veto.
- Crisis committees (like JACC at MSMUN) react to updates delivered during the session. Keep your country's core interests clear so you can respond quickly.
Diplomacy and conduct
- Disagree with ideas, not people. "The delegate respectfully disagrees…"
- Never claim a country did something unless you can source it.
- Include quieter delegates in your group. Chairs notice.
- Dress code is usually Western business attire or school formal. Check each conference's rules.
MSMUN@UWCSEA XI
The 11th edition of MSMUN, hosted by UWCSEA in Singapore. 14 committees across three levels. Our school holds 9 seats in 7 committees.
Our delegations
Click a placard to open the full briefing. A star means the conference flagged this country as highly relevant to the topic, so expect to be at the centre of debate.
Two pairs share a committee: UAE and Singapore in HRC, and Argentina and China in WHO. Prepare together, but remember your countries do not always agree. Practise debating each other.
A theme runs through this conference
Many topics this year are about the sea (Red Sea chokepoints, maritime smuggling, coastal surveillance, piracy, the Arctic, undersea cables, sea-level rise) and about digital technology (social media, Big Tech, data privacy, cashless economies, AI in medicine, data centres). The same treaties come up again and again. Learn these once and use them in several committees:
| Framework | One-line summary | Useful in |
|---|---|---|
| UNCLOS (1982) | The "constitution of the oceans": territorial sea (12 nautical miles), exclusive economic zone (200 nm), freedom of navigation, transit passage through straits. | SC, DISEC, INTERPOL, SPECPOL, NATO |
| UN Charter Chapters VI and VII | VI: peaceful settlement of disputes. VII: binding Security Council action including sanctions and force. | SC |
| UDHR (1948) and ICCPR (1966) | Core human rights, including privacy (Art. 12 UDHR, Art. 17 ICCPR) and freedom of movement. | HRC, INTERPOL, CEU |
| Sustainable Development Goals (2015) | 17 global goals for 2030. Cite the goal number: SDG 3 health, SDG 5 gender, SDG 9 infrastructure, SDG 12 consumption, SDG 13 climate, SDG 16 justice. | ECOSOC, WHO, UN Women, COP |
Contacts
The topic list names a Secretariat member in charge of each committee for topic questions. Their names were cut off in our copy of the PDF. Ask the conference for full contact details.
| Committee | Our country | Secretariat in charge |
|---|---|---|
| SC | India | Tanish… |
| DISEC | Malaysia | Sidraat… |
| INTERPOL | China | Akhil… |
| CEU | Belgium | Kim Vy… |
| HRC | UAE, Singapore | Tanish… |
| ECOSOC | Ghana | Sidraat… |
| WHO | Argentina, China | Armaa… |
Security Council · India
The Security Council is the only UN body whose decisions bind every member state. It has 15 members: 5 permanent members with a veto (China, France, Russia, UK, USA) and 10 elected for two years.
India at a glance
- Population
- About 1.45 billion, the largest in the world
- System
- Federal parliamentary democracy
- Blocs
- G20, BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Quad (with the US, Japan and Australia), G4 (seeking permanent SC seats with Brazil, Germany and Japan), Non-Aligned Movement founder
- Foreign policy idea
- Strategic autonomy: friendly with many powers (the US, Russia, the Gulf states, Iran, Israel) and bound to none
- SC status
- Not a permanent member. Has served eight elected terms, most recently 2021–22. In this simulation you are at the table; use that to argue for SC reform when relevant.
Topic 1: Militarisation of Red Sea chokepoints
Addressing the militarization of vital maritime chokepoints in the Red Sea region.
Ships travelling between Asia and Europe squeeze through a narrow gap at the southern end of the Red Sea (the Bab el-Mandeb Strait) and then the Suez Canal. Since late 2023, Yemen's Houthi movement has fired missiles and drones at merchant ships there. Many navies sent warships to protect shipping. The Council must decide how to keep ships safe without the warships themselves making the region more dangerous.
Key terms
- Chokepoint
- A narrow sea passage that a large share of world shipping must use.
- Bab el-Mandeb
- About 29 km wide at its narrowest, between Yemen and Djibouti/Eritrea.
- Houthis (Ansar Allah)
- An armed movement controlling much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sana'a and the Red Sea port of Hodeidah. Backed by Iran.
- Freedom of navigation
- The right of all ships to pass through international waters and straits, protected by UNCLOS.
- Transit passage
- The UNCLOS right of ships to pass through straits used for international navigation without being stopped.
Background and timeline
- 2014–15: Yemen's civil war begins. A Saudi-led coalition intervenes against the Houthis. SC Resolution 2216 (2015) imposes an arms embargo on the Houthis.
- November 2023: After the Gaza war began, the Houthis seize the car carrier Galaxy Leader and start attacking ships they link to Israel, then the US and UK.
- December 2023: The US launches Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational escort coalition.
- January 2024: SC Resolution 2722 demands the Houthis stop attacks (11 in favour, 0 against, 4 abstentions: China, Russia, Algeria, Mozambique). US and UK strikes on Houthi targets follow.
- February 2024: The EU launches Operation Aspides, a defensive escort mission that does not strike targets on land.
- 2024: Most container lines reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, adding roughly 10 to 14 days. Suez Canal revenue, vital to Egypt, falls by more than half.
- 2025: A US bombing campaign (March to May) ends with an Oman-brokered US–Houthi truce. In July the Houthis sink two Greek-operated ships. After the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire, the Houthis signal they will pause attacks.
Who is in the region
Djibouti hosts military bases of the US, China (its first overseas base, opened 2017), France, Japan and Italy. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia all border the waters. Russia has sought a naval facility in Sudan. This crowding of foreign forces is what the topic means by militarisation.
The core tensions
- Protection vs escalation: escorts protect ships, but strikes on Yemen risk a wider war.
- Root cause: the Houthis linked attacks to Gaza; some states say lasting calm needs regional peace. Others say no grievance justifies attacking civilian ships.
- Sovereignty: coastal states worry about foreign navies and bases on their doorstep.
- Economic harm: higher shipping and insurance costs hit poorer importing countries hardest, and Egypt loses canal income.
- Arms supply: how weapons reach the Houthis despite the embargo (links to Topic 2).
India's position
- Freedom of navigation is non-negotiable. Most of India's trade with Europe goes through Suez, and Indian seafarers are among the most numerous crews worldwide.
- Acts independently. India did not join the US-led coalition. Instead the Indian Navy deployed a large independent force in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden in 2024, responding to attacks and piracy. In January 2024 INS Visakhapatnam helped fight the fire on the tanker Marlin Luanda after a Houthi missile strike; in March 2024 Indian forces freed the hijacked bulk carrier Ruen from Somali pirates.
- De-escalation and dialogue. India calls for restraint by all sides and talks, keeping good relations with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, Israel and Egypt at once.
- Against non-state attacks on shipping and against terrorism in any form.
- Connectivity: India backs the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), announced in 2023, as a future alternative trade route.
Likely allies
Egypt (canal revenue), Gulf states, Japan, European members on navigation; Global South members on de-escalation and costs.
Be careful with
Strongly condemning Iran (an important partner for India, including the Chabahar port) and supporting strikes inside Yemen. India prefers neutral, balanced language.
Sample clauses India could table
1. Demands the immediate cessation of all attacks against merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden;
2. Calls upon all naval forces present in the region to coordinate through a shared maritime information centre, to prevent accidental confrontation;
3. Requests the Secretary-General to report within 90 days on the humanitarian and economic impact of shipping disruption on developing countries;
4. Encourages regional dialogue among Red Sea littoral states on a code of conduct for naval activity.
Law and Council politics
- Self-defence (Art. 51 UN Charter): the US and UK justified strikes on Yemen as self-defence. Russia and China disputed this and said Resolution 2722 did not authorise force. Expect this argument in committee.
- UNCLOS Part III protects transit passage through straits. Yemen's Houthis are not a recognised government, which complicates legal responsibility.
- UNMHA (UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement, created 2019) monitors the Hodeidah ports. Its future and the 2018 Stockholm Agreement are worth reading on.
- UNVIM inspects ships bound for Houthi-held ports for weapons.
- Veto map: Russia and China resist anything that could authorise force or single out Iran. The US, UK and France resist language criticising their naval operations. Your best route to 9 votes and no veto is protection of shipping plus de-escalation, without naming who strikes whom.
- Have Houthi attacks on shipping resumed or stayed paused since the Gaza ceasefire?
- Have major shipping lines returned to the Suez route?
- Status of Operation Aspides (EU mandates are renewed yearly) and the Yemen sanctions regime renewal.
- Any new SC resolutions on the Red Sea or Yemen in 2026.
Starter sources: Security Council Report – Yemen · UN Press (search "Resolution 2722") · Indian Ministry of External Affairs statements at the UN.
Topic 2: Sanctions evasion through dark networks
Addressing the evasion of United Nations sanctions through transnational dark networks.
The Security Council can ban countries, groups or people from buying weapons, selling oil, or using banks. These bans are called sanctions. But hidden networks get around them: fake companies, ships that switch off their trackers, cargo swapped between ships at sea, and fake paperwork. The Council must decide how to make sanctions actually work without hurting innocent people who need food and medicine.
Key terms
- Sanctions regime
- A set of SC measures against a target, overseen by a sanctions committee, often with a Panel of Experts that investigates violations.
- Shell company
- A company that exists only on paper, used to hide who really owns money or goods.
- Ship-to-ship (STS) transfer
- Moving cargo between ships at sea, often used to disguise its origin.
- AIS "going dark"
- Ships must broadcast their position (AIS). Switching it off or faking it (spoofing) hides their movements.
- Dark fleet / shadow fleet
- Ageing ships with unclear owners and weak insurance used to move sanctioned cargo.
- FATF
- Financial Action Task Force: sets global rules against money laundering and keeps a "grey list" of countries with weak controls.
The main UN sanctions regimes to know
| Regime | Target | Evasion problem |
|---|---|---|
| 1718 (2006) | North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes | Coal and oil smuggled by STS transfers, cybertheft of cryptocurrency, workers sent abroad. In March 2024 Russia vetoed renewal of the Panel of Experts, so it closed in April 2024. Eleven states then set up the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) outside the UN. |
| 1267 / 1989 / 2253 | ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida | Hawala transfers, cash couriers, crypto, front charities. |
| 2140 (2014) and 2216 | Yemen / Houthis | Weapons components smuggled by sea (link to Topic 1). |
| Iran (snapback) | Iran's nuclear programme | In September 2025 UN sanctions on Iran were reimposed after France, Germany and the UK triggered the "snapback" mechanism of Resolution 2231. Russia and China reject this as invalid, so enforcement is disputed. |
| Libya, Somalia/Al-Shabaab, DR Congo, South Sudan, Haiti, others | Arms embargoes, asset freezes, travel bans | Illegal arms flows, gold and charcoal smuggling, gang financing. |
The core tensions
- Monitoring vs politics: Panels of Experts give evidence, but P5 members can block their renewal (as with North Korea).
- Capacity: many states lack the customs, port inspection and financial intelligence to enforce sanctions.
- Humanitarian impact: banks "de-risk" and refuse anything near sanctioned places, blocking aid. Resolution 2664 (2022) created a standing humanitarian exemption across UN sanctions regimes.
- UN vs unilateral sanctions: the US and EU impose their own sanctions (for example on Russian oil). Many countries say only UN sanctions are binding.
India's position
- Implements UN sanctions faithfully and stresses that only sanctions adopted by the Security Council bind all states. India does not consider itself bound by unilateral US or EU sanctions; it continued buying Russian oil after 2022, which is not under UN sanctions.
- Terrorism first. India's top concern is the 1267 regime. It has repeatedly sought to list Pakistan-based terrorists and has criticised "technical holds" (one member quietly blocking a listing, often China) as making the system opaque.
- Transparency of sanctions committees: India wants listing and delisting decisions to be faster, evidence-based and less political.
- Cautious on humanitarian carve-outs: India abstained on Resolution 2664 (2022), warning that terrorist groups in its neighbourhood could exploit humanitarian exemptions.
- Technology: as chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, India hosted a 2022 special meeting that produced the Delhi Declaration on new technologies (drones, crypto, online payments) used by terrorists.
Likely allies
The US, UK and France on counter-terrorism financing; Global South members on capacity-building and limits to unilateral sanctions.
Be careful with
Clauses that would treat purchases of Russian or Iranian goods as "evasion" when no UN sanctions apply, and anything that gives one member a hidden veto over listings.
Sample clauses India could table
1. Decides that requests to place a hold on a proposed listing in any sanctions committee shall state the reasons and expire after six months unless renewed with justification;
2. Calls upon Member States to require ships under their flag to keep AIS transponders active, and to report suspicious ship-to-ship transfers to the relevant sanctions committee;
3. Requests the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism to expand training for financial intelligence units of developing states on detecting crypto-asset and shell-company abuse;
4. Reaffirms that only measures adopted by the Security Council under Chapter VII are binding on all Member States.
Ideas the Council has debated
- Restoring independent monitoring for the DPRK regime, or giving the Secretariat a standing monitoring capacity that cannot be vetoed each year.
- Beneficial ownership registers so shell companies reveal their real owners (a FATF recommendation).
- Flag-state responsibility: "flags of convenience" let ships register in states with little oversight. Flag-hopping ships could be listed.
- Cooperation with the IMO on vessel identification numbers and fraudulent registries.
- Reporting obligations: many states never submit implementation reports. Capacity support could be tied to reporting.
- What has the MSMT reported on North Korea's sanctions evasion?
- Current status of UN sanctions on Iran after snapback, and how states are implementing them.
- Any India–China disputes over 1267 listings in 2026.
Starter sources: UN Security Council sanctions overview · Security Council Report · FATF.
DISEC · Malaysia
DISEC is the General Assembly's First Committee. Every UN member sits on it. It deals with weapons and security, and can only make recommendations.
Malaysia at a glance
- Population
- About 34 million
- Geography
- Two parts (Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah/Sarawak on Borneo) separated by the South China Sea. Borders the Strait of Malacca, one of the busiest shipping lanes on Earth.
- Ports
- Port Klang and Tanjung Pelepas are among the world's busiest container ports.
- Blocs
- ASEAN (chaired ASEAN in 2025), Non-Aligned Movement, OIC, Commonwealth
- Foreign policy idea
- Neutrality, ASEAN centrality, and strong support for nuclear disarmament. Ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in 2020. Party to the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (Bangkok Treaty).
Topic 1: Maritime smuggling of CBRN materials
Preventing maritime smuggling of CBRN (chemical, biological, radioactive, nuclear) materials and global cargo security.
Most world trade moves in shipping containers, and only a small share are ever opened and checked. Dangerous materials that could be used to make weapons could be hidden among millions of boxes. DISEC must find ways to catch them without slowing down trade or blocking legitimate uses like hospital radiation equipment.
Key terms
- CBRN
- Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear.
- Dual-use goods
- Items with both civilian and weapons uses (certain chemicals, centrifuge parts, lab equipment).
- Transshipment
- Moving cargo from one ship to another at a hub port. Hubs like Port Klang handle huge volumes of goods that are just passing through.
- Non-state actor
- A group that is not a government, such as a terrorist organisation or criminal network.
Existing framework
| Instrument | What it does |
|---|---|
| SC Resolution 1540 (2004) | Requires all states to stop non-state actors acquiring weapons of mass destruction, including through border and export controls. A 1540 Committee supports implementation. |
| Chemical Weapons Convention, Biological Weapons Convention, NPT | Ban chemical and biological weapons and limit nuclear weapons. |
| IAEA and its Incident and Trafficking Database (ITDB) | Tracks incidents of nuclear and radioactive material out of regulatory control; helps states with detection equipment. |
| SUA Convention and 2005 Protocol (IMO) | Makes transporting WMD materials by sea a criminal offence and allows boarding procedures with flag-state consent. |
| ISPS Code (IMO, 2004) | Security rules for ships and ports. |
| WCO SAFE Framework | Customs standards for risk-based screening of cargo. |
| Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI, 2003) | A US-launched voluntary partnership to intercept WMD shipments. Malaysia joined in 2014. |
The core tensions
- Security vs trade speed: scanning every container would cripple ports and economies.
- Interdiction at sea vs freedom of navigation and flag-state rights.
- Capacity gap: developing states lack scanners and trained staff.
- Peaceful uses: the NPT protects access to nuclear technology for medicine and energy.
Malaysia's position
- Lesson learned. In the early 2000s a Malaysian company, Scomi Precision Engineering, made centrifuge parts for the A.Q. Khan nuclear smuggling network; they were seized in 2003 on a ship bound for Libya. Malaysia responded with the Strategic Trade Act 2010, controlling exports, transshipment and brokering of sensitive goods.
- Strong on disarmament: champion of the TPNW and the Bangkok Treaty; wants a world free of nuclear weapons, not only non-proliferation.
- Pro-trade: as a major port and transshipment state, Malaysia favours smart, risk-based screening and information sharing over blanket inspections.
- Capacity-building and ASEAN cooperation: supports training, IAEA assistance and regional customs cooperation.
- Sovereignty: cautious about foreign navies boarding ships in or near its waters.
Likely allies
ASEAN states (especially Singapore and Indonesia), NAM members, states supporting the TPNW.
Sample clauses
1. Encourages Member States, particularly those with major transshipment hubs, to adopt national strategic trade laws covering transit, transshipment and brokering of dual-use goods;
2. Calls upon the IAEA to expand its provision of radiation detection equipment and training to developing coastal states upon request;
3. Recommends regional customs information-sharing platforms, building on existing ASEAN mechanisms, to flag high-risk cargo;
4. Reaffirms the inalienable right of all states to the peaceful use of nuclear technology for medical, agricultural and energy purposes.
Going further
- Container Security Initiative (CSI): US customs officers placed at foreign ports (including Port Klang) to screen US-bound containers. Ask: should screening be done by the exporting or importing state?
- Biological materials are hardest to detect; there is no BWC verification body. Proposals for one have been debated for decades.
- Data: the IAEA's ITDB has recorded thousands of incidents since 1993, mostly minor and not linked to trafficking. Use this carefully; do not exaggerate the threat.
- Latest IAEA ITDB fact sheet numbers.
- Any 2026 amendments to Malaysia's Strategic Trade Act.
- 1540 Committee mandate status.
Starter sources: 1540 Committee · IAEA ITDB · IMO.
Topic 2: Coastal defence networks and surveillance ethics
Addressing the dilemma of coastal defence networks and the ethics of maritime surveillance.
Countries watch their seas with radar, satellites and drones to catch smugglers, pirates and intruders. That helps security. But it also collects lots of data about ordinary fishermen and sailors, and when two countries claim the same waters, one country's "surveillance" can look like spying or a threat to the other. How much watching is fair, and who controls the data?
Key terms
- Maritime domain awareness (MDA)
- Knowing what is happening at sea: who is where, doing what.
- Territorial sea / EEZ
- 12 nautical miles of near-full sovereignty; up to 200 nm of rights over resources (exclusive economic zone).
- Grey-zone activity
- Pressure below the level of war, such as coast guard or militia vessels patrolling disputed waters.
- Dual-use surveillance
- Systems that can monitor smugglers and also track rivals or citizens.
The core tensions
- Security vs privacy: bulk tracking of civilian vessels and crews.
- Surveillance in disputed waters can provoke incidents, especially in the South China Sea.
- Foreign surveillance: survey ships and drones collecting data in another state's EEZ. UNCLOS is unclear on military surveys in an EEZ, and states disagree.
- Inequality: rich states have satellites; smaller states depend on shared data.
Malaysia's position
- Practical cooperation: Malaysia runs the Malacca Strait Patrol with Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, including "Eyes in the Sky" air patrols. This is a model of sharing surveillance among neighbours.
- Sovereignty in the South China Sea: Chinese coast guard ships have regularly patrolled near Malaysia's oil and gas fields (for example Luconia Shoals off Sarawak). Malaysia prefers quiet diplomacy with China and a binding ASEAN–China Code of Conduct, rather than public confrontation.
- UNCLOS as the foundation: rights in the EEZ must be respected; foreign surveillance in Malaysia's EEZ needs consent.
- Data protection: supports clear rules on what data is collected about civilian vessels and how long it is kept.
Sample clauses
1. Encourages regional maritime surveillance partnerships, modelled on the Malacca Strait Patrol, that share information on piracy and smuggling among neighbouring states;
2. Recommends that Member States adopt clear national rules limiting the collection and storage of personal data of civilian seafarers to what is necessary for security;
3. Calls upon states operating in disputed waters to establish communication hotlines between coast guards to prevent incidents;
4. Urges respect for coastal states' rights in their exclusive economic zones as set out in UNCLOS.
Going further
- Information Fusion Centre (Singapore, 2009) shares maritime information among many navies, including Malaysia.
- CUES (Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea, 2014): voluntary safety rules for naval encounters. Could be extended to coast guards.
- ReCAAP: Asian anti-piracy information agreement. Malaysia is not a contracting party but cooperates; a good research question is why.
- AI and drones: automated detection can misidentify fishermen as threats. Who is accountable?
- Progress on the ASEAN–China Code of Conduct for the South China Sea.
- Recent incidents involving Malaysian waters.
INTERPOL · China ★
INTERPOL connects the police of 196 member countries. It shares databases and issues notices, but has no agents who arrest people. Its constitution bans it from political, military, religious or racial matters (Article 3).
China at a glance
- Population
- About 1.41 billion
- System
- One-party state led by the Communist Party of China
- Maritime
- World's largest shipbuilder and trading nation, home to many of the busiest container ports, and the largest navy by number of ships
- Policing priorities
- Returning fugitives (especially in corruption cases), counter-terrorism, cross-border fraud and scam centres in Southeast Asia
- INTERPOL ties
- Hosted the INTERPOL General Assembly in Beijing in 2017. A Chinese official, Meng Hongwei, was INTERPOL President until he was detained in China in 2018.
The conference flagged China as highly relevant. On Topic 2, China is often named by NGOs and journalists in debates about Red Notice misuse. Expect hard questions. Prepare calm, policy-based answers.
Topic 1: Maritime piracy and illegal smuggling
Strengthening international cooperation against maritime piracy and illegal smuggling.
Pirates attack ships to steal cargo or kidnap crew. Smugglers use the sea to move drugs, weapons, people and wildlife. Criminals cross borders easily, but police stop at borders. INTERPOL helps police in different countries share information so criminals can be identified and caught wherever they go.
Where it happens
- Gulf of Aden / Somalia: piracy peaked around 2011, fell sharply, then returned in 2023–24.
- Gulf of Guinea (West Africa): kidnapping of crews for ransom; fell after 2021 thanks to regional cooperation (the Yaoundé Code of Conduct).
- Singapore Strait: many incidents of sea robbery from ships, mostly minor thefts, rising in recent years according to ReCAAP.
- Drug routes: cocaine in containers from South America to Europe; methamphetamine across Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Key terms and tools
- Piracy (UNCLOS Art. 101)
- Violence for private ends on the high seas. In territorial waters the same act is "armed robbery at sea".
- Universal jurisdiction
- Any state may seize pirates on the high seas and prosecute them.
- INTERPOL databases
- Maritime piracy database, stolen and lost travel documents, fingerprints, DNA.
- Notices
- Colour-coded alerts. Red = wanted person. Blue = locate. Purple = criminal methods. Orange = threat.
The core tensions
- Different laws: some states have no piracy offence in national law, so suspects are released ("catch and release").
- Evidence collected by navies is often unusable in court.
- Root causes: poverty, illegal fishing and weak governance in coastal communities.
- Sharing intelligence vs protecting sources and sovereignty.
China's position
- Active contributor: the Chinese navy has escorted ships in the Gulf of Aden continuously since December 2008, and China opened a support base in Djibouti in 2017. China is a contracting party to ReCAAP.
- Sovereignty and non-interference: cooperation should respect each state's laws and jurisdiction, through UN and INTERPOL channels rather than unilateral action.
- Root causes: China stresses development (ports, infrastructure, jobs) as a long-term cure for piracy, linking to its Belt and Road Initiative and Global Security Initiative.
- Capacity-building for developing countries' police and coast guards.
Sample clauses
1. Encourages member countries to connect their maritime law-enforcement agencies to INTERPOL's maritime piracy database and to contribute evidence from seized vessels;
2. Recommends that member countries adopt national laws criminalising piracy and armed robbery at sea, with INTERPOL providing model legislation upon request;
3. Calls for joint training programmes on maritime evidence collection between navies, coast guards and police, with priority for developing coastal states;
4. Emphasises that cooperation shall respect the sovereignty and jurisdiction of each member country.
Topic 2: Misuse of Red Notices
Addressing the misuse of Red Notices in INTERPOL.
A Red Notice is a request from one country to police worldwide: "Find and hold this person so we can ask for them to be sent back to face trial." It helps catch real criminals who flee abroad. But some governments have used Red Notices against journalists, activists or political opponents who fled, so these people get arrested at airports abroad. INTERPOL must stop that abuse while keeping the system useful.
How it works
- A country's police send a request with case details to INTERPOL's General Secretariat in Lyon.
- A Notices and Diffusions Task Force checks it against INTERPOL's rules (including Article 3 on political matters and Article 2 on human rights).
- If approved, the notice is published to all member countries. It is not an arrest warrant; each country decides what to do.
- A person who believes a notice is unfair can complain to the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL's Files (CCF), an independent body that can order deletion.
A diffusion is a less formal alert sent directly to chosen countries; it was harder to review before reforms.
Well-known cases (useful in debate)
- Red Notices requested by Russia, Turkey, Tajikistan, the UAE, Bahrain and others have been criticised by NGOs as targeting critics.
- China: a Red Notice for Uyghur activist Dolkun Isa was deleted in 2018. Uyghur activist Idris Hasan was arrested in Morocco in 2021 on the basis of an Interpol notice that was later cancelled; he spent years in detention.
- Since 2015 INTERPOL has adopted refugee policy: notices are generally refused against recognised refugees when the requesting country is the one they fled.
China's position
- Red Notices are vital for justice. China's "Sky Net" campaign (since 2015) seeks the return of officials accused of corruption who fled abroad with public money. China argues that some countries shelter corrupt fugitives.
- Against "politicisation" of INTERPOL: China argues that labelling its requests as political is itself political, and that INTERPOL should follow facts and legal procedure.
- Sovereignty: each country's judicial decisions should be respected.
- Efficiency: supports faster processing and better data, not new barriers.
Likely allies
Russia, many Central Asian, Gulf and Global South states that rely on INTERPOL to recover fugitives and assets.
Likely critics
The US, UK, EU states, Canada, Australia, and human rights NGOs (Fair Trials, Safeguard Defenders).
A constructive approach for the delegate
China gains most by supporting reforms that look neutral and efficient (better review, clearer evidence standards) while resisting anything that singles out particular countries, suspends member states, or lets non-member bodies judge national courts.
1. Supports increasing the resources of the Notices and Diffusions Task Force so that every request is reviewed promptly against INTERPOL's rules;
2. Recommends clear, uniform evidence standards for all Red Notice requests, applied equally to all member countries;
3. Encourages member countries to cooperate in the recovery of assets stolen through corruption and in the return of fugitives, in line with the UN Convention against Corruption;
4. Reaffirms INTERPOL's neutrality and the principle that it shall not be used to interfere in the internal affairs of any member country.
Reform ideas on the table
- Suspending countries that repeatedly abuse the system (some propose this for persistent abusers; INTERPOL placed Russia's requests under extra scrutiny in 2022).
- Publishing statistics on refused and deleted notices by country.
- Faster CCF decisions and legal aid for applicants.
- Requiring national courts to review Red Notices before arrests.
- Watch the "Transnational Repression" debate: Western states use this term for governments targeting dissidents abroad. China rejects it. Know the term and have a response ready.
- Decisions of the most recent INTERPOL General Assembly (held each autumn).
- INTERPOL's current President and Secretary General.
- Recent CCF annual report statistics.
Starter sources: INTERPOL: Red Notices · CCF · ReCAAP ISC.
CEU · Belgium
The Council of the EU is where ministers from the 27 member states meet to adopt EU laws (together with the European Parliament) and coordinate policy. It is not a UN body, so you debate as an EU government among EU partners.
Council of the EU = national ministers, makes laws. European Council = heads of government, sets direction. Council of Europe = a separate 46-member human rights organisation in Strasbourg. European Commission = proposes laws and enforces competition rules. European Parliament = elected MEPs, co-legislator.
Belgium at a glance
- Population
- About 11.8 million
- System
- Federal constitutional monarchy. Power is shared between the federal government, three regions (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels) and three language communities (Dutch, French, German). Education and youth policy belong to the communities.
- EU role
- Founding member. Brussels hosts the Commission, the Council and the Parliament (with Strasbourg). Held the Council presidency in the first half of 2024.
- Government
- Prime Minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) has led a five-party coalition since February 2025.
- Approach
- Strongly pro-European, consensus-building, likes EU-wide rules over 27 different national ones. Belgium often acts as a bridge between larger states.
Topic 1: Teen social media, mental health and civil liberties
Regulating teen social media access to balance mental health and youth civil liberties.
Many people worry that social media apps are designed to be addictive and expose teens to harmful content, affecting their mental health. Some countries want to ban social media for under-15s or under-16s. But teens also use social media to talk with friends, learn and express themselves, and checking everyone's age could mean collecting lots of personal data. How should the EU protect young people without taking away their rights?
What already exists
- GDPR (2018): a child under the "digital age of consent" needs a parent's permission for apps to process their data. Each country picks an age between 13 and 16. Belgium chose 13.
- Digital Services Act (DSA): from 2024, big platforms must assess risks to minors, and Article 28 requires a high level of privacy, safety and security for minors. It bans ads targeted at minors using profiling. The Commission published guidelines on protecting minors in July 2025.
- EU age-verification app: a privacy-preserving prototype piloted from 2025 by Denmark, France, Greece, Italy and Spain, designed to prove "over 18" without revealing identity.
- National moves: France passed a law in 2023 requiring parental consent under 15. Several states, including Denmark, France, Spain and Greece, have pushed for an EU "digital majority age". Outside Europe, Australia's ban on social media accounts for under-16s took effect in December 2025.
- In late 2025 the European Parliament called for an EU-wide minimum age of 16 for social media (13 with parental consent). The Commission set up an expert panel on the question.
The core tensions
- Ban vs design rules: keep teens off, or force platforms to make apps safer (no infinite scroll, no autoplay, no streaks for minors)?
- Age verification vs privacy: checking ages may require ID or face scans.
- Children's rights: the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child protects children's right to information, expression and to be heard.
- EU-wide vs national rules: 27 different ages would fragment the single market.
- Evidence: research shows associations between heavy use and poor mental health, but scientists disagree on how strongly social media causes harm.
Belgium's position (suggested line)
- Prefers a single EU approach to a patchwork of national bans, because platforms operate across borders.
- Platform responsibility first: enforce the DSA strongly, require safe-by-design features for minors, and fine non-compliant platforms.
- Open to a harmonised digital majority age if age verification is privacy-preserving (such as the EU app) and not based on collecting ID documents.
- Education and prevention belong largely to Belgium's communities: digital literacy in schools, support for parents. Belgian communities have moved to limit smartphone use in schools.
- Youth voice: include young people in policy design, consistent with the topic's emphasis.
In October 2025 EU ministers signed the Jutland Declaration on protecting minors online. Find out whether Belgium endorsed it and what the federal government and communities have said since. Adjust this stance to match.
Sample clauses
1. Calls upon the Commission to propose a harmonised EU digital minimum age for social media, applied through privacy-preserving age verification that does not require platforms to store identity documents;
2. Urges very large online platforms to disable by default, for users under 16, features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay and engagement streaks;
3. Encourages Member States to integrate digital and media literacy into school curricula from primary level;
4. Invites the creation of an EU youth advisory panel on digital policy.
Topic 2: Antitrust, Big Tech and anti-monopoly enforcement
Regulating anti-trust Big Tech and enforcement of anti-monopoly measures.
A few huge tech companies (Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft and others) control app stores, search, social media and online shopping. They can favour their own products, block rivals and use our data to stay on top. The EU wants fair competition so smaller companies have a chance and consumers have choice, but it does not want to scare away innovation or start a trade war.
Key terms
- Antitrust / competition law
- Rules against monopolies and unfair business practices. In the EU: Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, enforced by the Commission.
- Gatekeeper
- Under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a large platform that controls access between businesses and consumers. Designated gatekeepers include Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, Microsoft and Booking.
- Self-preferencing
- A platform ranking its own products above rivals', for example in search results.
- Interoperability
- Letting products from different companies work together, such as messaging across apps.
Key cases
- Google Shopping: €2.42 billion fine (2017), upheld by the EU Court of Justice in 2024.
- Google Android: €4.34 billion fine (2018), later reduced slightly by the General Court.
- First DMA fines (April 2025): Apple €500 million (anti-steering in the App Store) and Meta €200 million ("pay or consent" advertising model).
- Google adtech: €2.95 billion fine (September 2025).
- The US government criticised EU digital rules as unfair to American companies and threatened trade measures. This shapes the debate.
The core tensions
- Strict enforcement vs innovation and investment.
- EU digital sovereignty vs relations with the US.
- Fines as a "cost of doing business": are they big enough to change behaviour? (DMA allows up to 10% of global turnover, 20% for repeat offences.)
- Speed: cases take years while tech markets change in months.
- "Simplification": pressure in 2025 to cut regulatory burden on European firms.
Belgium's position (suggested line)
- Strong supporter of the DMA and of firm, fast enforcement by the Commission.
- Pro-single market: rules should be applied uniformly so Belgian and European start-ups can compete.
- Consumer protection: choice of apps, payment systems and default services.
- Open to dialogue with the US but against weakening EU law under trade pressure.
- Belgium has its own Belgian Competition Authority, which cooperates with the Commission through the European Competition Network.
Likely allies and divides
France, the Netherlands, Spain and Germany generally back strong digital rules. Ireland (home to many Big Tech European HQs) and some states focused on attracting investment tend to be more cautious.
Sample clauses
1. Calls upon the Commission to set binding deadlines for concluding DMA non-compliance proceedings;
2. Encourages closer cooperation between national competition authorities and the Commission to share evidence on digital markets;
3. Supports interoperability obligations that allow European start-ups to connect to gatekeeper platforms on fair terms;
4. Affirms that EU competition rules apply equally to all companies regardless of their country of origin.
Going further
- Read about AI and competition: whether cloud and AI model providers should be designated gatekeepers.
- Structural remedies (forcing a company to sell part of its business) vs fines. The Commission raised this possibility in the Google adtech case.
- Council procedure: the Council does not enforce antitrust; it legislates and sets political direction. Clauses should "call on the Commission" or propose legislative changes.
- New DMA decisions, fines or gatekeeper designations in 2026.
- Status of EU–US trade talks touching digital rules.
- Outcome of the Commission's expert panel on social media age.
Starter sources: Digital Markets Act · Digital Services Act · Council of the EU.
HRC · United Arab Emirates and Singapore
The Human Rights Council has 47 member states, elected by the General Assembly. It promotes and protects human rights, investigates abuses and reviews every country's record (the Universal Periodic Review).
The UAE and Singapore are both small, wealthy, open economies that put order and stability first, and neither has signed the 1951 Refugee Convention. You will often agree. Work as a team in lobbying, but write your own speeches.
Countries at a glance
United Arab Emirates
Federation of seven emirates; population about 11 million, of whom roughly 9 in 10 are foreign residents. Major humanitarian donor. Hosted Afghan evacuees in 2021. Blocs: Gulf Cooperation Council, Arab League, OIC, BRICS (joined 2024).
Singapore
City-state; population about 6 million in 735 km². Strong rule of law, efficient government, strict public order. Blocs: ASEAN, Commonwealth, NAM, Forum of Small States (which Singapore founded at the UN).
Topic 1: Legal frameworks and opportunities for asylum seekers
Establishing legal frameworks and safeguarding opportunities for asylum seekers.
An asylum seeker is someone who has fled their country and asked another country for protection, but whose claim has not yet been decided. If accepted, they become a refugee. While they wait, often for years, many cannot work, go to school, or find housing. The committee must decide how countries can treat asylum seekers fairly and share the responsibility.
Key terms
- Refugee
- A person outside their country with a well-founded fear of persecution because of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or social group (1951 Convention).
- Non-refoulement
- The rule that nobody may be sent back to a place where they face serious harm. It is considered customary international law, binding even on states that have not signed the Convention.
- Burden sharing
- Spreading responsibility for refugees, since most are hosted by neighbouring developing countries.
- Detention
- Holding asylum seekers in closed centres while claims are processed.
Framework
- 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol; around 149 states are party to one or both.
- UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
- Global Compact on Refugees (2018): non-binding plan to share responsibility.
- Regional systems: the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum (adopted 2024, applying from mid-2026); the Bangkok Principles in Asia (non-binding).
The core tensions
- Sovereignty over borders vs international protection duties.
- Fast processing vs fair hearings.
- Right to work: helps dignity and the economy, but some states fear it attracts more arrivals.
- "Offshoring" (processing claims in third countries) and its legality.
United Arab Emirates
- Not party to the 1951 Convention and has no national asylum law. It frames its approach as hospitality and humanitarian aid rather than legal obligation; Syrians, Yemenis and others have been allowed to stay on residence permits.
- Big humanitarian donor: funds UNHCR and refugee camps abroad (for example in Jordan), and built the Emirates Humanitarian City that hosted Afghan evacuees in 2021.
- Prefers helping refugees near their home region and addressing root causes (conflict, poverty) over resettlement.
- Against binding obligations that override national immigration control.
Sample clause
1. Encourages Member States in a position to do so to increase humanitarian funding to countries hosting large refugee populations, particularly for education and healthcare;
Singapore
- Not party to the 1951 Convention. Singapore's long-standing position is that, as a small and densely populated city-state, it cannot accept refugees or asylum seekers for settlement.
- History: during the Vietnamese boat people crisis (1970s to 1990s), Singapore allowed temporary stay in a UNHCR camp only for people guaranteed resettlement elsewhere.
- Supports international cooperation through UNHCR and ASEAN, and contributes humanitarian aid, for example for Rohingya refugees.
- Emphasises orderly migration, rule of law and combating people smuggling and trafficking (Bali Process member).
Sample clause
1. Calls for strengthened regional cooperation against people smuggling and human trafficking, including information sharing among border agencies, while respecting the principle of non-refoulement;
Other delegates may ask: "Why hasn't your country signed the Refugee Convention?" Prepare a calm answer: explain your country's size or situation, then point to what it does do (aid, funding, cooperation). Never deny non-refoulement; say your country respects it.
Topic 2: Right to privacy and personal data
Protecting the right to privacy and personal identity in the digital age through regulating the collection, sale and misuse of personal data.
Apps, websites and governments collect huge amounts of information about us: where we go, what we buy, what we search. Some companies, called data brokers, buy and sell this data. It can be used for scams, identity theft, discrimination or surveillance. How should the law protect our privacy while still allowing useful services and keeping people safe?
Key terms
- Personal data
- Any information that identifies a person.
- Informed consent
- Agreeing to data use after clearly understanding it, not by clicking through 40 pages of terms.
- Data broker
- A company that collects and sells personal data.
- Data localisation
- Rules requiring data to be stored inside a country.
Framework
- UDHR Article 12 and ICCPR Article 17: right to privacy.
- UN General Assembly resolution 68/167 (2013), "The right to privacy in the digital age", followed by regular updates; the HRC created a Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy in 2015.
- National models: the EU's GDPR is the strictest and most copied; many Asian and Gulf states have their own laws.
Singapore
- Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) 2012, strengthened in 2020 with higher fines and mandatory breach notification. Includes a national Do Not Call registry.
- Balances privacy with innovation: Singapore wants to be a trusted digital hub and promotes trusted cross-border data flows (for example the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement with Chile and New Zealand).
- The PDPA does not apply to government agencies, which follow separate public-sector rules. In 2021 it emerged that police could use TraceTogether contact-tracing data for serious crimes, which caused public debate; the law was then limited to serious offences. Be ready for questions on this.
United Arab Emirates
- Federal Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021), plus separate regimes in the financial free zones (DIFC and ADGM) modelled on GDPR.
- Ambitions to lead in AI and smart government (it appointed the world's first Minister of State for AI in 2017).
- Stresses security and the state's right to regulate data for public order and counter-terrorism.
- The UAE has faced criticism from human rights groups over surveillance of activists. Prepare a measured response focused on national security and the rule of law.
Shared clause ideas for the UAE and Singapore
1. Encourages Member States to adopt comprehensive personal data protection laws that require clear and meaningful consent, breach notification and penalties for misuse;
2. Recommends that data brokers be registered and required to disclose the sources and buyers of the personal data they trade;
3. Supports trusted cross-border data flows based on mutually recognised protection standards;
4. Affirms that limits on privacy for legitimate public security purposes must be lawful, necessary and proportionate.
- Is the UAE or Singapore currently a member of the HRC?
- Any 2026 amendments to the PDPA or UAE PDPL.
- New HRC or GA resolutions on privacy in the digital age.
Starter sources: UNHCR: 1951 Convention · OHCHR: privacy in the digital age · Singapore PDPC.
ECOSOC · Ghana
ECOSOC has 54 member states and coordinates the UN's work on economic, social and environmental issues, including the Sustainable Development Goals. It makes recommendations.
Ghana at a glance
- Population
- About 34 million
- System
- Stable multi-party democracy. President John Dramani Mahama since January 2025.
- Economy
- Gold, cocoa and oil exports. Went through a debt crisis in 2022 and an IMF programme from 2023.
- Blocs
- African Union, ECOWAS, G77, Commonwealth. Accra hosts the AfCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Area) Secretariat.
Topic 1: Equal access to digital finance in cashless economies
Ensuring equal access to digital technology and financial services in increasingly cashless economies.
More and more payments happen by phone or card instead of cash. That is fast and convenient, but people without a smartphone, internet, a bank account or digital skills (often older people, rural communities, people with disabilities and the poor) risk being left out of everyday life. How can countries go digital without leaving anyone behind?
Key terms
- Financial inclusion
- Everyone having access to useful, affordable financial services.
- Mobile money
- Sending, saving and paying money through a basic mobile phone account, without a bank. Pioneered by M-Pesa in Kenya.
- Unbanked
- Adults with no account at a bank or mobile money provider.
- CBDC
- Central bank digital currency: a digital form of a country's cash.
Ghana's position
- A mobile money success story: mobile money ("MoMo") is used by a large majority of Ghanaian adults, and Ghana built one of Africa's first systems letting different mobile money providers and banks send money to each other (interoperability, 2018).
- Lessons on taxes: Ghana introduced an electronic transfer levy (E-Levy) in 2022. Many people moved back to cash and it was unpopular. It was repealed in 2025. Ghana can warn others that taxing digital payments can harm inclusion.
- Digital ID: the Ghana Card national ID is linked to mobile money and bank accounts, which reduces fraud but must protect privacy.
- Explored a digital cedi (eCedi) pilot.
- Priorities: keep cash available, affordable data and smartphones, financial literacy in local languages, protection against mobile money fraud, and fair fees.
Likely allies
Kenya, Nigeria and other AU states; India (with its UPI system), developing countries in the G77.
Sample clauses
1. Recommends that Member States ensure cash remains accepted for essential goods and public services while digital payment systems expand;
2. Encourages interoperable mobile money systems that allow transfers between all providers and banks at low cost;
3. Calls upon Member States to avoid taxes on digital transactions that discourage low-income users from joining the formal financial system;
4. Urges financial literacy campaigns in local languages, with special attention to women, older persons and rural communities.
Topic 2: Fast fashion and destruction of unsold stock
Addressing fast fashion pressures and unsold inventory destructions.
Fast fashion brands make huge amounts of cheap clothing very quickly. Much is worn only a few times, and some unsold new clothing is simply burned or thrown away. Used clothes from rich countries are shipped to countries like Ghana, where much of it is unsellable and ends up in landfills, rivers and on beaches. How can we make less waste while protecting jobs and affordable clothing?
Key terms
- Extended producer responsibility (EPR)
- Making the company that sells a product pay for dealing with its waste.
- Circular economy
- Keeping products in use through repair, resale and recycling.
- Overproduction
- Making more than can be sold.
Ghana's position
- On the receiving end: Accra's Kantamanto market is one of the world's largest second-hand clothing markets, receiving millions of garments every week. Locally they are called obroni wawu ("dead white man's clothes"). A large share is unsellable waste, polluting beaches and lagoons. A major fire hit Kantamanto in January 2025.
- But the trade supports livelihoods: tens of thousands of traders, tailors and upcyclers. Ghana does not simply want a ban; it wants better quality and someone else to pay for the waste.
- Supports EPR fees paid by brands in exporting countries, with funds flowing to the countries that manage the waste.
- Supports bans on destroying unsold goods, such as France's 2020 law and the EU ban on destroying unsold clothes and shoes that applies to large companies from July 2026, and wants such goods to be reused responsibly, not dumped abroad.
Likely allies
Kenya and other East African importers of second-hand clothes; Chile (Atacama Desert clothing dumps); Bangladesh and Cambodia on fair treatment of garment workers; the EU on EPR.
Sample clauses
1. Recommends that Member States introduce extended producer responsibility schemes for textiles, with a share of fees allocated to waste management in countries receiving used clothing exports;
2. Encourages Member States to prohibit the destruction of unsold new clothing and to require its donation, resale or recycling;
3. Calls for quality standards for used-clothing exports so that unwearable textiles are not shipped as second-hand goods;
4. Supports training and finance for upcycling and textile recycling enterprises in developing countries.
- Rebuilding of Kantamanto after the 2025 fire.
- Ghana's latest mobile money statistics (Bank of Ghana).
- Progress of EU textile EPR rules.
Starter sources: World Bank Global Findex · Bank of Ghana · UNEP (search "textiles").
WHO · Argentina and China ★
WHO is the UN's health agency. Its member states meet each year at the World Health Assembly. It sets health guidelines and standards, and helps countries respond to health threats.
In February 2025, President Javier Milei announced that Argentina would leave WHO, following the United States, citing disagreement with WHO's handling of COVID-19 and a wish to protect national sovereignty in health policy. Find out whether the withdrawal has been completed. Either way, Argentina's delegate represents a government that is sceptical of WHO's authority and prefers national decisions and free markets. That is a strong, distinctive role to play.
Countries at a glance
Argentina
Population about 46 million. President Javier Milei (libertarian, since December 2023) focuses on cutting state spending and regulation. Large agricultural exporter. Member of Mercosur and the G20.
China
Population about 1.41 billion. World's largest producer of plastics and a fast-growing leader in medical AI. Strong supporter of WHO, especially since the US withdrawal, and a major voice for developing countries.
Topic 1: Microplastics in food and drink
Addressing laws and regulations of microplastics in products meant for human consumption.
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic, smaller than 5 mm. They have been found in drinking water, bottled water, seafood, salt and even inside the human body. Scientists do not yet know how harmful they are. Countries need to decide how to test for them, how to reduce them, and how to warn people without causing panic.
What we know
- WHO reviewed microplastics in drinking water in 2019 and found no clear evidence of health risk at the levels then measured, but called for more research and for less plastic pollution.
- There is no agreed method to measure microplastics, which makes laws hard to write.
- The EU restricted microplastics intentionally added to products (2023). Many countries banned microbeads in cosmetics.
- Negotiations on a global plastics treaty failed to reach agreement in Busan (2024) and Geneva (August 2025). The main split: limiting plastic production (supported by many European, African and island states) vs focusing on waste management (preferred by major oil and plastic producers).
China
- Banned plastic microbeads in personal-care products (production banned from end of 2020, sales from end of 2022) and has rules to reduce single-use plastics.
- In plastics treaty talks, China has opposed binding global caps on plastic production, preferring national action and better waste management.
- Supports more research and standard testing methods, with technology transfer to developing countries.
1. Requests WHO to develop standardised methods for measuring microplastics in drinking water and food, and to share them with all Member States;
Argentina
- The Milei government opposes new international regulation that would burden business, and argues health decisions belong to national governments.
- Argentina will favour science first: do not regulate until evidence of harm is clear, which matches the topic's warning against "overstating current scientific evidence".
- Supports voluntary industry measures and national testing.
1. Emphasises that any regulation of microplastics in food and drinking water should be based on robust scientific evidence of harm and decided at the national level;
Topic 2: Artificial intelligence in medicine
Addressing the usage of artificial intelligence in medical fields.
Computers can now read X-rays, spot diseases early, help plan treatment and speed up drug discovery. This could help millions, especially where there are too few doctors. But AI can make mistakes, may work less well for some groups of people if it was trained on limited data, and uses private health information. Who is responsible when AI gets it wrong?
Framework
- WHO guidance Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence for Health (2021) sets six principles, including protecting autonomy, transparency, accountability and equity. Further guidance on large language models followed in 2024.
- The EU AI Act (2024) treats most medical AI as "high-risk", requiring testing and human oversight.
China
- One of the fastest adopters: hospitals use AI for imaging, triage and administration; large tech firms build medical AI models.
- Regulation keeps doctors responsible: Chinese rules on online diagnosis forbid AI from replacing doctors in diagnosis and prescribing.
- Promotes AI for development and the Global AI Governance Initiative (2023), with an emphasis on sharing technology with developing countries and on data security under national control.
1. Calls upon Member States to ensure that a licensed medical professional retains final responsibility for any diagnosis or prescription supported by artificial intelligence;
Argentina
- The government is pro-innovation and pro-deregulation, keen to attract tech investment.
- Prefers light, flexible national rules over binding international standards; stresses competition and private sector innovation.
- Could support voluntary guidance and sharing of best practice, and protection of patient data under national law.
1. Encourages Member States to adopt flexible, risk-based national frameworks for medical AI that protect patients without discouraging innovation and investment;
China and Argentina will disagree on how strong WHO's role should be. Run a five-minute practice where each delegate questions the other with points of information.
- Status of Argentina's withdrawal from WHO.
- Any new round of plastics treaty negotiations.
- WHO guidance on AI published in 2026.
Starter sources: WHO: Ethics and governance of AI for health · UNEP: plastics treaty negotiations · UN Press.
All committees' topics
The full topic list from the conference, including committees where we have no delegates. Useful if allocations change and for spotting overlaps between committees.
| # | Committee | Level | Topic 1 | Topic 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joint Antarctic Crisis Committee (JACC) | ADV | Strengthening international cooperation to prevent the militarization and strategic competition of Antarctica. (single crisis topic) | |
| 2 | Security Council (SC) | ADV | Militarization of vital maritime chokepoints in the Red Sea region | Evasion of UN sanctions through transnational dark networks |
| 3 | DISEC | INT | Preventing maritime smuggling of CBRN materials and global cargo security | Coastal defence networks and the ethics of maritime surveillance |
| 4 | SPECPOL | INT | Regulating the Arctic frontier: sovereignty, resource extraction and demilitarization | Legal status of territories threatened by permanent sea-level rise |
| 5 | INTERPOL | INT | International cooperation against maritime piracy and illegal smuggling | Misuse of Red Notices in INTERPOL |
| 6 | NATO | INT | Reforming NATO's framework to address cyberattacks and hybrid warfare | Safeguarding critical undersea infrastructure against state-sponsored sabotage |
| 7 | Council of the EU (CEU) | INT | Regulating teen social media access: mental health and youth civil liberties | Regulating anti-trust Big Tech and enforcement of anti-monopoly measures |
| 8 | African Union (AU) | INT | The Sahel split: Alliance of Sahel States vs ECOWAS | Horn of Africa port dispute and contested sovereignty |
| 9 | International Olympic Committee (IOC) | INT | Protecting young athletes from extreme pressure and exploitation | Preventing corruption and improving transparency within Olympic institutions |
| 10 | UN Women (UNW) | BEG | Digital literacy and internet access for women in the Global South | Economic independence and social support for women-led households in the Global South |
| 11 | COP-31 | BEG | Environmental and energy impacts of data-centre expansion | Public health risks in LEDCs as climate change worsens |
| 12 | Human Rights Council (HRC) | BEG | Legal frameworks and opportunities for asylum seekers | Right to privacy and personal identity in the digital age (personal data) |
| 13 | ECOSOC | BEG | Equal access to digital technology and financial services in cashless economies | Fast fashion pressures and unsold inventory destruction |
| 14 | World Health Organisation (WHO) | BEG | Laws and regulations on microplastics in products for human consumption | Usage of artificial intelligence in medical fields |
Committees in bold are those where we hold seats. Full topic descriptions are in the original PDF from the conference.
- INTERPOL piracy and DISEC CBRN smuggling and SC dark networks all deal with illicit shipping. Delegates from these three can share research.
- HRC privacy, CEU social media and WHO AI all involve personal data and consent.
- ECOSOC cashless economies and UN Women digital literacy both deal with the digital divide.
MY-MUNOFS XVII
The 17th edition of MY-MUNOFS, hosted by the Overseas Family School (OFS) in Singapore. We hold 8 seats in 7 committees. Topics have not been released yet.
Our delegations
While we wait for topics
- Learn your country. Read its profile on the next page, then fill in the general parts of the stance worksheet (sections 3, 8 and the country facts).
- Learn your committee. Read the committee primer below: what it can and cannot do, and the documents it relies on.
- Read the news. Follow your country for 10 minutes a week. Save interesting articles.
- Help a teammate. Several MY-MUNOFS delegates may also attend MSMUN. Practise in the MSMUN mock debates.
Send the topic list and this site will be updated with full briefings in the same format as MSMUN: plain-words summary, background, country stance, sample clauses and things to verify.
Committee primers
| Committee | What it is | What it can do | Key documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| HRC (two sessions) | Human Rights Council, 47 members, Geneva | Adopt resolutions, create investigations and Special Rapporteurs, review countries (UPR) | UDHR, ICCPR, ICESCR, CRC, CEDAW |
| ECOSOC | Economic and Social Council, 54 members | Recommend policy, coordinate UN agencies, follow up on the SDGs | 2030 Agenda (SDGs), Addis Ababa Action Agenda |
| UNESCO | UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Paris | Set education and culture standards, list World Heritage sites, run programmes, adopt conventions | World Heritage Convention (1972), Convention on Cultural Diversity (2005), Recommendation on the Ethics of AI (2021) |
| IOC | International Olympic Committee, Lausanne. A private, non-governmental body, not a UN agency | Choose host cities, set eligibility rules, run the Olympic Movement | Olympic Charter, Olympic Agenda 2020+5 |
| UNODC | UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Vienna | Help states fight drugs, organised crime, corruption and terrorism through research and technical assistance | Drug conventions (1961, 1971, 1988), UNTOC (Palermo), UNCAC |
| DISEC | GA First Committee, all members | Recommend action on disarmament and security | NPT, CWC, BWC, Arms Trade Treaty, TPNW |
| SPECPOL | GA Fourth Committee, all members | Recommend action on decolonisation, peacekeeping, Palestine refugees, outer space, mine action | UN Charter Chapter XI, GA Res 1514 (1960) on decolonisation |
In a real IOC, members represent the Olympic Movement, not their countries. At MUN you will usually represent your country's National Olympic Committee and its interests. Check the conference handbook on how this works. Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe became IOC President in June 2025, the first woman and first African in the role.
Country profiles
A starting point for each of our eight delegations: key facts, how the country sees the world, and what to watch out for. Topic-specific stances will be added when topics are released.
Jordan · HRC 1
- Basics
- Kingdom, population about 11.5 million; King Abdullah II. Few natural resources and severe water scarcity.
- Big theme
- One of the world's largest refugee hosts relative to its population: over 2 million registered Palestine refugees (under UNRWA) and hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees. Not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, but works with UNHCR under a 1998 agreement.
- Foreign policy
- Moderate, Western-aligned (close to the US and EU), peace treaty with Israel (1994), strong supporter of a two-state solution and of Palestinian rights. The King is custodian of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
- At the HRC
- Will speak for refugee hosts' needs (burden sharing, funding), Palestinian rights, and moderate religious tolerance. Faces questions on freedom of expression and assembly.
Kenya · HRC 2
- Basics
- Republic, population about 56 million; President William Ruto since 2022. East Africa's economic hub and a tech leader (M-Pesa mobile money).
- Big themes
- Hosts large refugee camps (Dadaab, Kakuma) mainly for Somalis and South Sudanese, and is moving towards integrating refugees into communities (the Shirika Plan). Led the multinational security mission to Haiti from 2024.
- Foreign policy
- African Union and East African Community leader; Nairobi hosts UNEP and UN-Habitat headquarters. Strong voice on climate finance and debt relief.
- At the HRC
- Will champion African perspectives, climate justice, refugee hosting. Faces questions about police conduct during the 2024 and 2025 youth-led protests.
China · ECOSOC
- Basics
- Population about 1.41 billion; world's second-largest economy; largest trading nation and manufacturer.
- Development identity
- Presents itself as the largest developing country and a partner of the Global South (G77 + China). Flagship programmes: the Belt and Road Initiative (2013) and the Global Development Initiative (2021). Lifted hundreds of millions out of extreme poverty.
- Principles
- Sovereignty, non-interference, development as the basis of human rights, South-South cooperation, multilateralism through the UN.
- Watch out
- Questions on debt from Belt and Road loans and on labour or environmental standards. Prepare answers that stress partnership and mutual benefit.
- Tip
- See also the INTERPOL and WHO China briefings for MSMUN, which describe China's diplomatic style.
Israel · UNESCO
- Basics
- Parliamentary democracy, population about 10 million. Strong in science, technology and innovation ("start-up nation").
- Relationship with UNESCO
- Israel left UNESCO at the end of 2018 (together with the United States), accusing the organisation of anti-Israel bias, after Palestine was admitted as a member in 2011 and after resolutions on Jerusalem and Hebron heritage sites. Ask the organisers how a non-member is represented in this committee.
- Likely priorities
- Political neutrality of UNESCO, protection of Jewish heritage sites, Holocaust education and fighting antisemitism, science and innovation cooperation.
- Handle with care
- The Israeli–Palestinian conflict and the Gaza war are extremely sensitive. Represent Israel's government position accurately and respectfully, rely on official statements, and keep debate on policy, never on people. Coaches: brief this delegate personally.
Qatar · IOC
- Basics
- Emirate, population about 3 million (most are foreign workers); one of the world's richest countries per person thanks to natural gas.
- Sport strategy
- Uses sport for global visibility: hosted the 2006 Asian Games, the 2022 FIFA World Cup and many world championships. Aspire Academy trains young athletes. Has declared interest in hosting the 2036 Summer Olympics.
- Watch out
- Criticism over migrant worker conditions around the 2022 World Cup, and "sportswashing" accusations. Qatar points to its labour reforms (ending parts of the kafala system, a minimum wage in 2021).
- Likely priorities
- Opening hosting rights to new regions, athlete development, investment in sport, mediation and peace through sport.
Germany · UNODC
- Basics
- Federal republic, population about 84 million; EU's largest economy. Chancellor Friedrich Merz since May 2025.
- Drug policy
- Supports harm reduction and public health approaches (drug consumption rooms, needle exchange). In April 2024 Germany legalised possession and home growing of cannabis for adults and allowed non-profit cannabis clubs, a debated issue under the UN drug conventions. The current government has promised to evaluate the law.
- Crime and corruption
- Major donor to UNODC. Strong on money laundering rules, rule of law and human rights in criminal justice. Concerned about synthetic drugs and organised crime networks in Europe.
- Allies
- EU states, Switzerland, Canada; often works with Latin American states that favour drug policy reform.
India · DISEC
- Basics
- See the SC India briefing for India's general foreign policy.
- Nuclear status
- Nuclear-armed since 1998 tests (first test 1974). Not party to the NPT, which it calls discriminatory, nor the CTBT. Has a no-first-use nuclear doctrine and a voluntary moratorium on testing. Seeks membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
- Disarmament stance
- Supports universal, non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament in a time-bound framework; supports negotiations on a fissile material treaty and preventing an arms race in outer space.
- Security concerns
- Cross-border terrorism (Operation Sindoor against targets in Pakistan in May 2025 followed the Pahalgam attack), border tensions with China, drones and new technologies in warfare.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · SPECPOL
- Basics
- Small island developing state (SIDS) in the Caribbean, population about 100,000. Independent from the UK since 1979; King Charles III is head of state.
- Punching above its weight
- In 2020–21 it was the smallest country ever elected to the UN Security Council.
- Big themes
- Climate vulnerability: Hurricane Beryl devastated the Grenadines in July 2024; the La Soufrière volcano erupted in 2021. Champion of climate finance, loss and damage, and SIDS issues. Supports reparations for slavery and colonialism through CARICOM.
- Foreign policy
- CARICOM, OECS, Commonwealth, ALBA. One of the few countries that recognises Taiwan (Republic of China) rather than the People's Republic. Supports the remaining decolonisation agenda.
- Check
- A general election was held in late 2025. Check who now leads the government and whether foreign policy has shifted.
Training plan
Ten 60-minute sessions starting the week of 9 November 2026. The first six prepare the team for MSMUN@UWCSEA XI. The last four build on that conference and prepare for MY-MUNOFS XVII.
Every session has an interactive slide deck with director notes, timers and step-by-step reveals: open the session slides.
5 min warm-up speaking drill · 15 min teach one skill · 30 min practise in country roles · 10 min exit ticket, feedback and homework. Each director plan below gives the exact run sheet, what to prepare, what to say, and how to adapt it for beginners and experienced delegates.
Block A · Before MSMUN@UWCSEA XI
Launch: what is MUN, and who am I?
Allocations, MUN 101, speaking in the third person. Homework: read your briefing and start the stance worksheet.
Rules of procedure in action
Points, motions, yields and voting, practised in a fun mini-debate on school phone bans.
From research to opening speech
Stance worksheets checked, speech structure taught, first speeches delivered and questioned.
Writing clauses and lobbying
Resolution format, clause surgery, then a lobbying and merging simulation.
Questions, answers and amendments
Points of information, hot seat, and amending a practice resolution.
Dress rehearsal for MSMUN
Full mock committee with breaking news, then conference logistics.
Conference takes place here. Ask every delegate to note one thing that went well and one thing they would do differently. You will use these in session 7.
Block B · Before MY-MUNOFS XVII
Debrief and MY-MUNOFS launch
Lessons from MSMUN, new allocations and committees, research begins.
Research sprint and speeches
Stance worksheets for MY-MUNOFS topics, speeches drafted and delivered.
Clauses, blocs and advanced tactics
Clause writing for new topics, bloc mapping, main-submitter practice.
Dress rehearsal for MY-MUNOFS
Full mock committee and final logistics.
Ground rules for directors
- You do not need to be a MUN expert. Each plan lists the pages to read first (about 15 minutes). In the room, you act as chair and timekeeper; students do the talking.
- Keep time strictly. 60 minutes goes fast. Use a visible timer. If you run late, cut practice time, never the exit ticket and homework.
- Every student speaks every session. This is the single biggest driver of confidence.
- Use the mentors. Advanced and intermediate delegates (SC India, DISEC Malaysia, INTERPOL China, CEU Belgium) can chair drills and coach beginners.
- Feedback formula: "two stars and a wish": two specific strengths, one specific improvement.
- Students new for MY-MUNOFS (not at MSMUN) should read MUN 101 and Rules of procedure before session 7 and be paired with an MSMUN veteran.
Only session 1 has a date. Once the conference dates are known, space sessions 1–6 before MSMUN and 7–10 before MY-MUNOFS. If MSMUN is very soon, run two sessions a week rather than cutting any.
Session 1: What is MUN, and who am I?
Open the session 1 slides. Press P for presenter view (notes beside the slide), S to start a slide's timer, F for full screen.
By the end, every student can
- Explain in one sentence what happens at a MUN conference.
- Name their committee, country and two topics.
- Speak for 30 seconds about their country in the third person.
Before the session
Run sheet
| Time | Activity | Director notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5 | Welcome and hook. Show the MSMUN topic list. Ask: "Which of these have you heard about in the news?" | Take three or four answers. The goal is curiosity, not correct facts. |
| 5–20 | Teach: MUN in 15 minutes. Walk through "How a conference usually runs" and "Who is in the room" on MUN 101. | Ask an experienced delegate to describe their first conference in one minute. Stress: you represent your country, not yourself. |
| 20–25 | Allocations. Hand out slips and placards. Students sit by committee. | Point out the pairs: UAE & Singapore (HRC), Argentina & China (WHO). |
| 25–35 | Research race. Students open their briefing page and find: population, one bloc, one fact that matters for Topic 1. | Devices needed. Beginners use the "at a glance" box; experienced delegates must find one fact not on the site. |
| 35–50 | Drill: third-person introductions. Each student stands, raises placard and speaks 30 seconds: "Honourable Chairs, fellow delegates, the delegate of ___ represents a country that…" | Anyone who says "I" restarts (with good humour). Give each speaker one star. |
| 50–60 | Exit ticket and homework. Students write: "My committee is ___, my country is ___, and one thing I want to find out is ___." | Collect tickets; use them to spot who needs help. |
Differentiation
Give the speech opener on a card. Allow 20 seconds instead of 30. Pair each beginner with a mentor for the research race.
Their introduction must include their country's main bloc and its likely view on Topic 1. Ask them to mentor a beginner until session 3.
Homework (before session 2)
- Read the "In plain words" box and key terms for both topics on your briefing page.
- Fill in sections 1–3 of the stance worksheet for Topic 1.
- Take the procedure quiz in the Toolkit once.
Students disappointed by their allocation. Point out that small or unusual countries often win awards because chairs notice delegates who make a "hard" country work.
If you are short of time: shorten the research race to 5 minutes.
Session 2: Rules of procedure in action
Open the session 2 slides. Press P for presenter view (notes beside the slide), S to start a slide's timer, F for full screen.
By the end, every student can
- Use a point of information, point of personal privilege and point of order correctly.
- Yield the floor and explain how a vote passes.
- Speak at least twice in a formal debate.
Before the session
Run sheet
| Time | Activity | Director notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5 | Warm-up: quiz-off. Read three quiz questions from the Toolkit; students hold up fingers for the answer. | Quick check of homework. |
| 5–20 | Teach: the five things you will say. Points (personal privilege, order, parliamentary inquiry, information), yields, and voting. Model each one aloud. | Use the "Script for the scared" box. Have the class repeat each phrase. |
| 20–50 | Mini-debate on the practice resolution, with each student keeping their country. Sequence: main submitter (a mentor) reads it (2 min) → speech for (1 min) → 3 POIs → speech against → POIs → open floor → motion to move into voting → vote. | Pause the debate to coach: "Who could raise a point now?" Deliberately mumble once so someone raises personal privilege. Make one procedural "mistake" so someone raises a point of order. |
| 50–60 | Exit ticket: students write which point fits: (a) you can't hear; (b) the chair skipped a vote; (c) you want to question the speaker. | Answers: personal privilege, point of order, point of information. |
Practice resolution (display this)
QUESTION OF: Mobile phones in schools
SUBMITTED BY: [mentor's country]
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,
Concerned that smartphones in class may reduce concentration and increase online bullying,
Recognising that phones can also support learning and keep families in contact,
1. Recommends that Member States ban personal smartphone use during lessons in primary and lower secondary schools;
2. Encourages schools to provide secure phone storage that students can access at break times;
3. Calls upon Member States to teach digital wellbeing as part of the school curriculum.
Why this topic: everyone has an opinion, so students can focus on procedure. It also connects to the CEU teen social media topic.
Differentiation
Target: one point of information and one vote. Give them a phrase card. Praise every attempt.
One acts as main submitter, one co-chairs. Others must link their speech to their real country's view on technology.
Homework
- Complete the full stance worksheet for Topic 1 and sections 1–6 for Topic 2.
- Score at least 8/10 in the procedure quiz.
- Check whether the MSMUN handbook or study guides are out, and whether position papers are required (director to confirm).
If you are short of time: skip the second "against" speech and go straight to voting.
Session 3: From research to opening speech
Open the session 3 slides. Press P for presenter view (notes beside the slide), S to start a slide's timer, F for full screen.
By the end, every student can
- State their country's position on Topic 1 in one sentence, with evidence.
- Deliver a structured one-minute opening speech.
- Ask a relevant question about another country's speech.
Before the session
Run sheet
| Time | Activity | Director notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5 | Warm-up: one-sentence stance. Each student says: "The delegate of ___ believes that ___ because ___." | Listen for personal opinion instead of country policy. |
| 5–15 | Worksheet check in pairs. Partners ask: "Where is that from?" for two of the facts. | Pairs: UAE + Singapore, Argentina + China, others with a mentor. |
| 15–25 | Teach: hook, position, proposals, call to action. Read the example speech on Writing, then label its four parts together. | Show how a strong hook uses one fact, not five. |
| 25–40 | Write. Students draft their Topic 1 opening speech using the template. | Circulate. Check third person and that proposals are concrete. |
| 40–55 | Deliver. As many as time allows give their speech (1 min max) and take one POI. | Time strictly. Those who don't speak today go first next session. |
| 55–60 | Feedback and homework. | Two stars and a wish for two or three speakers. |
Differentiation
Speech may be read from paper. Target: 45–60 seconds and three proposals.
No full script, only notes. Must name a treaty or resolution and an ally. Advanced (SC India) prepares both topics' speeches today.
Homework
- Finish and practise aloud both opening speeches (time them).
- If required: position paper for both topics using the template. Director sets the internal deadline before the conference deadline.
- Finish the stance worksheet for Topic 2.
Students copying sentences from websites or AI tools into speeches. Ask them to explain any sentence in their own words.
Session 4: Writing clauses and lobbying
Open the session 4 slides. Press P for presenter view (notes beside the slide), S to start a slide's timer, F for full screen.
By the end, every student can
- Format a resolution correctly (heading, preambulatory, operative).
- Turn a vague idea into a specific clause.
- Approach another delegate to merge ideas.
Before the session
Run sheet
| Time | Activity | Director notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5 | Warm-up: two students who did not speak last session deliver their opening speech. | |
| 5–15 | Teach: anatomy of a resolution. Use the WHO example. Then the five-question test: who, what, how, who pays, how do we know it worked? | Point out the italic, underline and punctuation rules. |
| 15–25 | Clause surgery. Groups of three fix one weak clause each, then share. | Weak clauses: "Encourages countries to stop smuggling." / "Asks everyone to protect data." / "Says fast fashion is bad." |
| 25–35 | Write. Each student drafts 3 operative clauses for Topic 1, using their briefing's sample clauses as a model. | Beginners may adapt a sample clause; others write new ones. |
| 35–55 | Lobbying simulation. Theme: "Protecting people at sea and online." Students stand, find others whose clauses fit together, and merge into one short draft with a main submitter. | Expect two groups (maritime: India, Malaysia, China-INTERPOL; digital: the others). Push groups to agree a main submitter and heading. |
| 55–60 | Exit ticket: "One clause I'd fight for, and one I'd trade away." |
Differentiation
Target: two correctly formatted clauses and joining a group. A phrase bank print-out helps.
Lead a lobbying group, act as main submitter, check the merged draft's format. Must include one clause that wins over a rival bloc.
Homework
- 4–6 operative clauses for each topic, saved and printed.
- Main submitters: type up the merged practice draft for session 5.
Session 5: Questions, answers and amendments
Open the session 5 slides. Press P for presenter view (notes beside the slide), S to start a slide's timer, F for full screen.
By the end, every student can
- Ask a sharp point of information and answer one under pressure.
- Write and propose an amendment.
- Answer the hardest question about their country calmly.
Before the session
Run sheet
| Time | Activity | Director notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5 | Warm-up: question or statement? Read five sentences; students say if each is a valid POI. | Use the avoid/try examples on the Debate page. |
| 5–25 | Hot seat. Each student defends one of their real clauses for 90 seconds of rapid POIs. | Run two hot seats in parallel if the group is large, a mentor chairing one. Use the hard questions from each briefing ("Why hasn't your country signed…?"). |
| 25–35 | Teach: amendments. Add, strike, modify. Show how to fill in the sheet. | |
| 35–55 | Amendment debate on the practice resolution. Each student must find one flaw and submit an amendment. Debate and vote on the best three. | The flaws are planted (see notes under the resolution). |
| 55–60 | Exit ticket: "The hardest question I could be asked at MSMUN, and my answer." | Collect and review before session 6. |
Practice resolution with deliberate flaws
QUESTION OF: Keeping shipping safe in international straits
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,
Alarmed by attacks on merchant ships in key straits,
Recalling the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,
1. Encourages countries to make the seas safer;
2. Decides to send a UN navy to every strait in the world;
3. Calls upon all coastal states to share ship-tracking data with all other states, including the personal details of every crew member;
4. Recommends that developing coastal states buy new patrol boats;
5. Requests the Secretary-General to report on the cost of shipping disruption to developing countries.
- Clause 1: too vague (who? how?).
- Clause 2: outside the General Assembly's mandate; only the Security Council can decide on forces, and "every strait" is unrealistic.
- Clause 3: privacy problem (links to DISEC Topic 2 and HRC Topic 2).
- Clause 4: who pays? Needs funding or assistance.
- Clause 5: reasonable; a good one to defend.
Differentiation
Find clause 1 or 4. One POI in hot seat is enough to ask; answer two.
Spot the mandate problem in clause 2 and propose a fix ("Calls upon the Security Council to consider…"). Longer hot seat (2 min).
Homework
- Print or save offline: briefing, worksheets, speeches, clauses.
- Check every "Check the latest" item on your briefing in the news, and update your notes.
- Mentors: run one 10-minute practice with your beginner.
Session 6: Dress rehearsal for MSMUN
Open the session 6 slides. Press P for presenter view (notes beside the slide), S to start a slide's timer, F for full screen.
By the end, every student can
- Run through a full conference cycle confidently.
- Adapt to new information during debate.
- Say exactly what to bring and where to be on conference day.
Before the session
Run sheet
| Time | Activity | Director notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 | Roll call, formal, with placards: "Present". | Set the tone: conference behaviour from now on. |
| 3–20 | Opening speech round on real Topic 1s, 1 minute each, no POIs. | Strict timer. This is their last practice of the real speech. |
| 20–30 | Breaking news. Hand each pair a card. They have 5 minutes to agree a response, then announce it in a 30-second statement. | Watch for students staying in character under pressure. |
| 30–45 | Fast debate on the merged practice draft from session 4: speech for, POIs, amendment, vote. | Let students run it; intervene only on procedure. |
| 45–55 | Logistics briefing. Schedule, dress code, what to bring, contact plan, conduct expectations. | See checklist below. |
| 55–60 | Goals. Each student says one goal for the conference. | Write them down; review them in session 7. |
Breaking-news cards
These are fictional scenarios for practice only. Make sure students know they are invented.
SC · DISEC · INTERPOL
"A container ship has been seized in the Gulf of Aden. Its cargo list includes chemicals that could be used for weapons. The crew includes nationals of India, Malaysia and China."
CEU · HRC
"A major social media app has leaked the personal data of 20 million teenagers, including their locations."
ECOSOC
"A large mobile money network has been down for three days. Millions of people cannot pay for food."
WHO
"A new study claims microplastics were found in 90% of baby formula samples. Scientists say it has not been peer-reviewed."
Conference-day checklist for students
- Placard info, printed research, speeches, clauses, pens, sticky notes.
- Charged laptop and charger (if allowed).
- Formal dress as per the handbook.
- Water, snacks if allowed, any medication.
- Director's contact details and meeting point.
Homework
- Rest. Re-read your opening speeches once the night before.
- During MSMUN: note one thing that went well and one thing to do differently.
Session 7: MSMUN debrief and MY-MUNOFS launch
Open the session 7 slides. Press P for presenter view (notes beside the slide), S to start a slide's timer, F for full screen.
By the end, every student can
- Name one strength and one target from MSMUN.
- Name their MY-MUNOFS committee, country and what that committee can do.
- Start research on their new country.
Before the session
Run sheet
| Time | Activity | Director notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–15 | Debrief circle. Each MSMUN delegate: one thing that went well, one thing to change. Celebrate awards and brave moments. | Record common lessons on the board (e.g. "speak earlier", "bring more clauses"). |
| 15–20 | Allocations. MY-MUNOFS slips and placards. | New students sit next to a veteran buddy. |
| 20–30 | Teach: know your committee. Use the committee primer table: what each body can and cannot do. | Highlight the differences: IOC is not a UN body; UNODC is technical; UNESCO covers education, science and culture. |
| 30–50 | Research. If topics are out: stance worksheet sections 1–5. If not: country profile and worksheet sections 3 and 8, plus three recent news items about the country. | Veterans coach new students on the worksheet. |
| 50–60 | Drill: 30-second third-person introduction of the new country. | New students: this is their first speech. Keep it warm. |
Differentiation
Before session 8: read MUN 101 and Rules of procedure, take the quiz. Buddy runs a 15-minute catch-up on points and yields.
Set a personal target from the debrief (for example "be main submitter"). Find the country's voting record on one related UN resolution.
Homework
- Complete the stance worksheet for Topic 1 (or country sections if topics are not out).
- New students: quiz to 8/10.
Session 8: Research sprint and speeches
Open the session 8 slides. Press P for presenter view (notes beside the slide), S to start a slide's timer, F for full screen.
By the end, every student can
- Defend their country's position on both topics with sourced evidence.
- Deliver an opening speech for Topic 1.
Before the session
Run sheet
| Time | Activity | Director notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5 | Warm-up: one-sentence stance on Topic 1. | |
| 5–20 | Source challenge. In pairs, partners ask "Where is that from?" for three facts. Weak sources are replaced on the spot (UN Press, UN Digital Library, official sites). | Veterans demonstrate how to search UN Press for a country statement. |
| 20–35 | Write the Topic 1 opening speech. | MSMUN veterans write without the template. |
| 35–55 | Deliver with two POIs each. | New students speak first while energy is high. |
| 55–60 | Feedback and homework. |
Each student researches their country's position on one issue central to their committee: HRC (refugees or freedom of expression), ECOSOC (sustainable development), UNESCO (heritage protection or AI in education), IOC (athlete welfare or host selection), UNODC (synthetic drugs), DISEC (nuclear disarmament), SPECPOL (decolonisation or climate-threatened territories). Speeches follow on that issue.
Homework
- Topic 2 stance worksheet and speech.
- Position papers if required. Set an internal deadline.
Session 9: Clauses, blocs and advanced tactics
Open the session 9 slides. Press P for presenter view (notes beside the slide), S to start a slide's timer, F for full screen.
By the end, every student can
- Bring 4–6 strong clauses per topic.
- Name their bloc, allies and likely opponents.
- Present and defend a resolution as main submitter (veterans).
Run sheet
| Time | Activity | Director notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5 | Warm-up: clause surgery on one weak clause. | Reuse a session 4 example. |
| 5–15 | Bloc mapping. Each student draws three circles: allies, persuadable, opponents, with country names for their committee. | Use the profile's "Allies" and "Watch out" lines. |
| 15–35 | Write 4–6 operative clauses for Topic 1, checked with the five-question test. | Check mandate: IOC, UNODC and UNESCO clauses need different verbs and actions from DISEC or HRC. |
| 35–55 | Main-submitter practice. Two veterans each present a short resolution (from their clauses) and defend it against POIs and one amendment. | Everyone else must ask at least one POI. |
| 55–60 | Exit ticket: "Who will I find first in lobbying, and what will I offer them?" |
Differentiation
Target: three clauses per topic, adapted from samples when the briefings are added.
Prepare a compromise clause that could win over an opponent bloc.
Homework
- Clauses for Topic 2.
- Check all "Check the latest" items.
- Print or save research offline.
Session 10: Dress rehearsal for MY-MUNOFS
Open the session 10 slides. Press P for presenter view (notes beside the slide), S to start a slide's timer, F for full screen.
Before the session
Run sheet
| Time | Activity | Director notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 | Roll call with placards. | |
| 3–20 | Opening speech round on Topic 1. | Strict timing. |
| 20–30 | Breaking news response in pairs. | |
| 30–45 | Fast debate on a resolution built in session 9: speech for, POIs, amendment, vote. | Veterans co-chair. |
| 45–55 | Logistics briefing. | Use the conference-day checklist from session 6. |
| 55–60 | Goals. One goal each; veterans compare with their MSMUN goals. |
After the conference
Run a short debrief using the session 7 format, and note lessons for next year's team.
Glossary
MUN words and topic words used across this site.
- Abstain
- To vote neither for nor against.
- Amendment
- A proposed change to an operative clause of a resolution: add, strike or modify.
- Asylum seeker
- A person who has applied for international protection and is waiting for a decision.
- Bloc
- A group of countries with similar interests that work together (EU, ASEAN, African Union, G77).
- Caucus (moderated / unmoderated)
- In UNA-USA style, a focused debate with the chair calling speakers, or free time to negotiate.
- Chair
- The student who runs the committee session.
- Chokepoint
- A narrow sea passage used by a large share of global shipping.
- Clause
- One paragraph of a resolution. Preambulatory clauses give reasons; operative clauses give actions.
- Co-submitter
- A delegate who helped write a resolution and supports it.
- Customary international law
- Rules that bind all states because of widespread practice and acceptance, even without a treaty (for example non-refoulement).
- Delegate
- A person representing a country in a committee.
- Division of the house
- A re-vote with no abstentions allowed.
- Draft resolution
- A resolution before it has been voted on.
- EEZ
- Exclusive economic zone: up to 200 nautical miles from the coast, where a state controls resources.
- Explanation of vote
- A statement in which a country explains why it voted as it did.
- Flag state
- The country where a ship is registered, responsible for its oversight.
- Floor
- The right to speak. "Having the floor" means it is your turn.
- G77
- The largest group of developing countries at the UN (over 130 members).
- Gatekeeper
- Under the EU Digital Markets Act, a very large platform with special obligations.
- Lobbying
- Informal negotiation to form groups and write resolutions.
- Main submitter
- The delegate who presents and defends a resolution.
- Mandate
- The powers and responsibilities of a committee or organisation.
- Member State
- A country that belongs to the UN (193 members).
- Merging
- Combining two or more draft resolutions into one.
- Motion
- A proposal to do something procedural, such as move into voting.
- NAM
- Non-Aligned Movement: states not formally aligned with a major power bloc.
- Non-refoulement
- The rule that no one may be returned to a place where they face serious harm.
- Non-state actor
- A group that is not a government: armed groups, companies, NGOs.
- NPT
- Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (1968).
- Operative clause
- A numbered action in a resolution, starting with an underlined verb.
- P5
- The five permanent members of the Security Council: China, France, Russia, UK, USA.
- Placard
- The card with your country's name, raised to be recognised or to vote.
- Point of information (POI)
- A question to a speaker who has yielded to points.
- Point of order
- A point raised when procedure has not been followed correctly.
- Point of personal privilege
- A point raised about personal discomfort, such as not hearing a speaker.
- Position paper
- A short document setting out a country's view and proposed solutions on a topic.
- Preambulatory clause
- An introductory clause giving context, starting with an italic word and ending in a comma.
- Quorum
- The minimum number of members present for the committee to work.
- Ratify
- To formally agree to be bound by a treaty after signing it.
- Red Notice
- An INTERPOL request to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition.
- Resolution
- The formal document a committee adopts, stating its decisions or recommendations.
- Right of reply
- In some conferences, a chance to respond after your country is insulted. Often not allowed in middle-school MUN.
- Roll call
- Attendance at the start of each session.
- Sanctions
- Measures such as arms embargoes, asset freezes and travel bans imposed to change behaviour.
- SDGs
- The 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2015 for 2030.
- Secretariat
- The students who organise and run the conference.
- Signatory
- A delegate who signs to allow a resolution to be debated, without necessarily supporting it.
- Sovereignty
- A state's authority over its own territory and affairs.
- UNCLOS
- UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982).
- Veto
- A "no" vote by a P5 member that blocks a Security Council resolution.
- Yield
- To give away remaining speaking time: to the chair, to points of information, or to another delegate.
No matching terms. Try a shorter word.
Toolkit and practice
A personal checklist, a procedure quiz and quick templates. Your checklist ticks are saved in this browser only.
My preparation checklist
Procedure quiz
Quick templates
All templates on this site have a Copy button. The main ones:
Amendment sheet
Note to another delegate
For coaches
How to run sessions, give feedback and pair delegates so that first-timers are supported and experienced delegates are stretched.
Pairing and mentoring
- Pair each beginner with an INT or ADV delegate as a mentor who reviews their speech and clauses once a fortnight.
- Natural pairs: SC India mentors a WHO delegate; CEU Belgium and HRC delegates share digital-rights research; DISEC Malaysia and INTERPOL China share maritime research.
- Same-committee pairs (HRC UAE & Singapore, WHO Argentina & China) should prepare together and debate each other.
- Several MY-MUNOFS seats repeat countries we know (China, India). Reuse MSMUN research where possible.
Feedback rubric
| Skill | Developing | Secure | Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research | Knows the topic in general terms | Uses specific facts, treaties and the country's actual position | Anticipates others' arguments; uses recent developments |
| Policy accuracy | Sometimes drifts into personal opinion | Stays consistent with country policy | Uses policy strategically to build alliances |
| Speaking | Reads from paper; quiet | Clear, structured, some eye contact | Persuasive, confident, adapts to the room |
| Questions (POIs) | Rarely asks; questions are vague | Asks clear, relevant questions | Asks questions that expose real weaknesses; answers under pressure |
| Writing | Clauses vague or misformatted | Correct format; clauses say who and what | Clauses are specific, funded, measurable and within mandate |
| Diplomacy | Works alone | Works well in a group | Leads, includes others, brokers compromise |
Drills that work
Third-person tennis
Two delegates exchange one-sentence statements about their countries. Anyone who says "I" sits down.
Hot seat
A delegate defends one clause for two minutes while the group fires points of information.
Clause surgery
Display a weak clause. Groups have five minutes to make it specific, funded and measurable.
Breaking news
Mid-debate, the coach reads a short news update. Delegates must adjust their positions.
Swap seats
Delegates argue the opposite country's position for five minutes to understand opponents.
60-second speech relay
Each delegate gives an opening speech; the next must begin by responding to it.
Before each conference
- Confirm conference dates, deadlines for position papers and forms (both forms need student names and emails; OFS asks that emails be checked carefully).
- Collect dietary needs (both forms ask for them).
- Check each handbook for procedure differences and brief the team.
- Brief sensitive allocations personally (for example Israel at UNESCO).
Step-by-step plans for all 10 sessions are in the Training plan and under "Director session plans" in the menu.
Updating this site
Send new materials (study guides, handbooks, MY-MUNOFS topics, conference dates) and the site will be updated in place at the same link. Every update is listed in the Resource log.
Resource log
What has been added to this site, and what we are still waiting for.
| Date | Update |
|---|---|
| 3 Nov 2026 | Interactive slide decks added for all 10 sessions, with director notes, timers, presenter view and openly licensed illustrations from Wikimedia Commons. |
| 3 Nov 2026 | Training plan rebuilt as 10 sessions of 60 minutes (6 before MSMUN, 4 before MY-MUNOFS), with a detailed director plan for each session: objectives, preparation checklist, timed run sheet, differentiation, homework, practice resolutions and breaking-news cards. |
| 3 Nov 2026 | Site launched. MSMUN@UWCSEA XI topic list and delegate matrix added; briefings for all 9 MSMUN seats. MY-MUNOFS XVII allocations added with country profiles and committee primers. Training plan, toolkit and coach guide added. |
Waiting for
- MY-MUNOFS XVII topic list
- Conference dates for both conferences
- Study guides from each committee's chairs
- Rules of procedure / delegate handbooks
- Position paper requirements and deadlines