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Author(s): Ian May
Last Updated: 2/22/24
Introduction to MUN Committees
Introduction to MUN Committees
Generally, there are four types of committees at LoboMUN: General Assemblies, Specialized Committees, Crisis Committees, and Joint Crisis Committees. General Assemblies are easier for newer delegates and crises are a great opportunity for more senior delegates to explore their Model UN debate, with specialized committees being somewhere in the middle. That difficulty breakdown is by no means a rule, though. If a committee interests you don't feel discouraged, and don't think you won't find lively debate in each committee.
This article will explain how different types of committees operate and offer helpful delegate tips as you navigate your committee.
General Assemblies
General Assemblies
The Basics
The Basics
General Assembly (GA) committees are where most of us start in Model UN, and they are by far the most common type of simulation. Unlike Crisis Committees or Specialized Committees, the committee usually takes place in the present rather than during a specific event, and the world will not change over time. Instead, GA committees deliberate topics to form detailed, thorough resolutions over the course of the conference. The GA format is closer to the work done by international institutions like the United Nations. While not as time-sensitive as a nuclear standoff, topics confronted by GAs are some of the most important of our time.
Blocs
Blocs
General Assemblies often have more delegates than other committees. In larger committees, blocs (or groups of delegations which are working together) are larger and more relevant to debate. Delegates will often speak with their bloc in unmoderated debate, and these interactions are equally important as speeches to the whole committee.
Resolutions
Resolutions
In GAs, work is done by passing resolutions. Resolutions in Model UN are similar to UN Resolutions and are essentially the detailed action that a committee plans to take on a topic. For more detail on resolutions, see our How to: Resolutions page. When contributing to resolutions, leverage information that you uniquely have expertise in. This can be topics you found in your research as it pertains to your country/character, or something you as a delegate have researched in depth. For example, if the committee is discussing clean energy alternatives, if you have spent a lot of time learning about hydro power, re-framing the conversation to focus on hydro power can put your delegation at the center of the debate.
Tips for General Assemblies
Tips for General Assemblies
Form & Join Blocs
Form & Join Blocs
Find countries or characters with similar interests or goals.
Being the first delegate to send a note or talk with others can help your needs be prioritized by the bloc.
If a bloc gets too big, consider creating a smaller one which can more accurately prioritize your interests.
Concise and Effective Resolutions
Concise and Effective Resolutions
Committees will be more receptive to a resolution they can easily understand, but will also ask for more details if it is too vague.
Find your Niche
Find your Niche
In your research think about what is unique about your country/character.
Ex: If your country utilizes 90% renewable energy in a committee discussing climate change, this is relevant.
Use your personal knowledge; bring background knowledge in to the debate when it is relevant to the topic.
Ex: If you (as a person) know a lot about Artificial Intelligence and the topic is International Cybersecurity, write your knowledge into a resolution.
Crisis Committees
Crisis Committees
The Basics
The Basics
While traditional General Assembly committees in Model UN operate on a set topic basis, crisis does not. Instead, the actions that delegates take directly affect each update and influence the chronology of the committee — crises are about quick thinking and adapting to the changing world. Like other committees, chairs will guide the debate in room, but in crises, the crisis staff will play the outside world in the backroom. As the committee progresses, the crisis staff will provide updates in the form of news reports, political announcements, or other method. These updates reflect the actions that the committee takes and secret actions that characters take in their crisis notes.
Directives
Directives
This is the first of three ways your committee and characters can communicate with the fictional outside world. If passed, they will be sent to our backroom crisis staff, and will factor into future updates. These are basically just shorter resolutions. As they are typically more immediate and actionable, no preamble clauses are necessary. They’re usually short, and many can be circulating or voted on at any one time. This is the way that your committee will formally communicate with the fictional outside world. Directives will require a minimum of three sponsors and five signatories, in line with the Rules of Procedure. Directives can be introduced to the committee by a majority vote, after which time it is considered to be on the floor. A delegate can then move to enter voting procedure on the directives, which will include all directives on the floor. A delegate’s performance in a crisis committee is generally judged based on their crisis arc — the progression of communication they had with the backroom over the course of the committee, with an emphasis on the development of their narrative.
Crisis Notes
Crisis Notes
Additionally, delegates will be provided a crisis notebook, where they can write messages to their national governments, intelligence services, or other contacts determined by their specific portfolios. In some committees, you may write to your Secretary of Defense, in others your secretary, or in others your head sorcerer. The crisis staff will respond to these notes in character, but the committee as a whole will never read your notes, providing a more discrete method of action. These crisis notes can direct a country’s resources toward investigation or unilateral action without the knowledge or consent of the committee.
Joint Person Directives (JPDs)
Joint Person Directives (JPDs)
JPDs are special crisis notes in a gray area between normal crisis notes and directives. JPDs will have Sponsors like a directive does, but they are submitted to the crisis staff to further arcs behind the scenes. JPDs involve 2 or more delegates who would like to take joint action without being public to the whole committee. So while they may read more like directives, they are just treated like a crisis note that involves multiple characters by the staff.
Portfolio Powers
Portfolio Powers
Countries and characters are not all the same. The People's Republic of China has access to nuclear weapons where Australia does not. Unlike in General Assemblies, as a delegate, you have the power to change your material conditions as time goes on. Portfolio powers are your character/country's abilities and connections. This may take the form of economic/military power, an old friend who is influential, or even magical powers in a fantasy committee. Some background guides will list portfolio powers, while other times it is up to delegates to infer their powers. In either case, a skilled delegate can reasonably infer or create a portfolio character.
Tips for Crisis Committees
Tips for Crisis Committees
Submit Every Cycle & Try New Things
Submit Every Cycle & Try New Things
Developing a good crisis arc takes consistent work. The best arcs involve a big reveal from many notes of setup.
Crisis can be hard to learn though! Even sending "Hey, I'm a little bit lost" is a great way to get feedback and improve your crisis skills.
To pull back the curtain for a second, as a crisis staff member, it is difficult to keep track of the committee updates and the arcs and goals of each character. This is even more difficult if we haven't heard from you. It helps to send us consistent reminders of what you're up to :)
Research Portfolio Powers
Research Portfolio Powers
While researching, discover what your character can do and who they know.
Ex: The German Chancellor cannot declare war without a vote of the German parliament. If you are the German Chancellor and would like to declare war, consider setting this up by schmoozing the leaders of parliament in a crisis note. Then send a note next cycle encouraging parliament to declare war.
While researching, consider what you need your character to be able to do that they currently can't. Spend your crisis notes setting this up.
Stay in Character
Stay in Character
Use correct titles. Ex: Germany has a "Federal Minister of Defense" where the United States of America has a "Secretary of Defense." When writing to your contacts, pretend like you are actually talking to the character you are writing to. Sometimes it is appropriate to use colloquial language (Ex: your contact is your sister). On other occasions, more flowery and formal diction may be appropriate.
Crisis is Like Improv
Crisis is Like Improv
Crisis staff will try to "yes and" you as often as possible. You can invent characters you know (within reason) and invent portfolio powers that you have (within reason). Crisis staff may have to shoot down an idea of yours; don't be dissuaded when this happens. Sometimes backroom does this because you are asking for something unrealistic for your character. Other times it is because they want to steer the committee a different direction. Keep trying things!
Setup is Key
Setup is Key
If you put in enough work setting up something which was originally unrealistic for your character, it may become realistic.
Ex: A random person with no political connections may be able to be elected President by the end of committee if you spent the whole committee making connections and working on a campaign.
Preparation!
Preparation!
Research is incredibly important to being a successful crisis delegate. While researching, set aside knowledge from the topic that you could use in a key moment. Take note of parts of the outside world you would want to interact with. After you're done researching, think about a few goals for committee and outline steps to get there.
Specialized Committees & Tips
Specialized Committees & Tips
The Basics
The Basics
Most Model UN committees are General Assemblies or Crisis. Specialized committees are a catch all term for committees that deviate from the structure or procedure that committees commonly follow. These committees sometimes incorporate elements of crisis as the world changes over time, but they usually do not have crisis notebooks. Specialized committees are centered around unique rules for a body which not fit neatly into normal Model UN Rules of Procedure. For example, a committee set immediately following the American Revolutionary War may have special rules for adopting a constitution. Or a committee where delegates are the Board of Directors for Apple could have rules for purchasing stock, directing the company, and interacting with the public.
Use Tips from GA and Crisis
Use Tips from GA and Crisis
Many of the tips from both GA and Crisis are relevant to Fusion committees. Take advantage of the slower nature of building delegate connections or blocs and the ability to impact change if your committee incorporates crisis.
Embrace the Uniqueness
Embrace the Uniqueness
Familiarize yourself with the unique structure of the committee. Specialized bodies often diverge from 'normal' Model UN (in other words, everyone is out of their depth). More than usual, feel comfortable asking your chairs and crisis staff questions!
Joint Crisis Committees & Tips
Joint Crisis Committees & Tips
The Basics
The Basics
Joint crisis committees are two separate crisis committees with a single topic whose actions can affect each other, basically two interconnected rooms running simultaneously. Delegates are generally not allowed to interact with delegates from the other room directly, however, the actions each committee takes in one room will affect the imagined world the crisis takes place in. Because of this, each faction will have to anticipate, react to, and counteract the actions of the other room while simultaneously contending with their own committee and the rest of the world (still played by the crisis staff).
Every Tip from Crisis
Every Tip from Crisis
From the delegate perspective, joint crisis is just a crisis committee; in a normal crisis committee, the characters or countries in the 'other room' would be portrayed by crisis staff. Focusing on your arc 'in room' is a good way to start and get your feel for the committee.
Be Creative
Be Creative
More than any other committee type, it is difficult for crisis staff to keep track of all of the moving pieces of joint crisis. Creative research-based solutions that are grounded in the topic rise to the forefront of committee updates more often. pay attention to where crisis staff is trying to nudge the committee and be creative in that direction.
Anticipate an Update
Anticipate an Update
Some crisis directors will plant seeds for a future update, and as a delegate you can use this to try and get ahead of the committee. Other directors won't. In a normal crisis, some updates will work against your goals, while others may be in favor. In a joint crisis the other room is generally always working against your goals. In committee, and in research, familiarize yourself with the other room enough to try and anticipate their directives and get ahead of them.
Ex: If you find out that the parliament of the other committee seized emergency powers, they are likely planning something big next update. Try to anticipate what they may be up to and preemptively respond.
Definitions
Definitions
Bloc - A group of countries who are working together. Usually, they will agree on multiple topics, but sometimes blocs are formed for individual topics.
Resolution - The document(s) produced by a committee to address a topic.
Backroom - Refers to both the actions a character/country takes through crisis notes/JPDs and the crisis staff working in the 'backroom'.
Crisis arc - The actions and development of power, resources, connections, or otherwise growth of your character/country over the course of the committee.
Crisis Staff - The members of the conference staff who play the outside world of your committee. Can be interchangeable with backroom.
On the floor - When a resolution, directive, or motion is currently being considered/discussed.
Further Reading
Further Reading
How to Prepare for your First Conference: Best Delegate
Types of MUN Committees: MUNprep
About Crisis Committees: Best Delegate
About Specialized Committees: All American MUN
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