Guide to surviving your first Security Council

Abstract

Considered by far to be one of the most challenging committees that MUN conferences offer, the Security Council deals mostly with military and security related issues around the globe, thus representing a delegate’s chance to truly affirm themselves. Given its unique structure, allowing for only fifteen delegates, who are generally incredibly well-versed in MUN procedure, and its resolutions being legally binding if passed, delegates oftentimes feel the high stakes of the discussions they are holding, hence allowing for truly powerful debates and persuasive solutions to be proposed by all participants of such a committee. However, with great power comes great responsibility, so it is perfectly normal if one is nervous before and during their first Security Council. Hence, this article aims to provide a general insight into this committee from a MUN perspective and offer some useful tips for those who have just begun their journey in this committee.

What makes the Security Council special

At first sight, the Security Council may appear to be just as any other committee offered at MUN conferences, however, there are quite a few most important details that set it apart from the crowd.

Firstly, the Security Council has five permanent members, the P5 nations, which are as follows: the People’s Republic of China, the French Republic, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. These five countries were all allies and victors during World War II and are also the only recognized nuclear-weapon states under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The P5 nations have a most important role in the Security Council, aside from the fact that they benefit from great military power and international influence: they have the veto power, meaning that they can prevent the adoption of any proposed draft resolution, regardless of its level of international support. This is a most important tool that all delegates alike must keep in mind while deciding how to shape their draft resolution.

Moreover, the Security Council is also not a part of the General Assembly, meaning that, any resolution it produces and that passes through it will not have to stand vote in the GA, as the SC is also the only committee that can produce legally binding resolutions. One might think that given the fact that the Security Council is not a part of the General Assembly that the delegates in this committee do not attend it, however, that is not the case. The delegates participating in the SC are considered to be ambassadors, thus having a higher degree of power than the general delegate, and often choose to involve themselves in the GA debates, especially when they represent one of the members of the P5 nations. In addition, it is customary for the ambassadors of the permanent members of the Security Council to hold a speech during the first General Assembly of the MUN conference, in which they detail upon their country’s stance in relation to all the issues that will be addressed in the committees present.

Tips on how to survive (and succeed) in a Security Council

1. Respect your country policy, but don’t be afraid to make compromises

As in all other committees in MUN conferences, it is incredibly important to follow your country policy on the debated topic, but it is even more so in the Security Council when the stakes of the issues at hand are generally much higher. However, diplomacy is also a vital tool that all delegates in the SC should follow - you should try your hardest to persuade those with a more lenient policy to agree with your stance or, if that is not possible, don’t be afraid to make slight compromises when the benefits will prove to be significantly higher than what you sacrificed. What is most important is for your main wants to be satisfied, not necessarily to gain full monopole over the entire situation.

2. Be aware and use wisely the veto power

Whether you are the delegate of a P5 country or not, it is important to always remember that the faith of the draft resolution you produce relies not only upon gaining a majority of in favour votes in the committee but also upon none of the P5 nations arguing against it. This is, unfortunately, a situation that will most often be encountered, however, there are certain strategies you can apply in order for your resolution to pass. Be open to the suggestions that country makes to your draft resolution and think about which ones may be adopted without changing its basis and principles and which ones you would absolutely not accept. By showing the willingness to compromise, the other delegate may be more inclined to either vote in favour of the document or at the very least abstain. Moreover, you should also make it clear that all of the hard work of the committee would go to waste if no resolution is to be passed and generally, speaking from experience, the block with the least P5 members will compromise, if the resolution does not compromise their fundamental principles, and abstain in order for the well-going of the committee, an action that is much appreciated by both the other delegates and the chairpersons.

3. Come up with detailed, efficient and reasonable solutions

This advice also applies to other committees as well, however, in the Security Council, especially when you are dealing with military issues or other more complicated situations, the approach you take in your speeches and draft resolution in order to solve it needs to be comprehensive enough, otherwise, it can be easily argued that it will have little to no impact. Hence, do your research well and think of how your country would approach the issue in real life in order to truly have an impact with the solutions that you provide. Moreover, even though it may prove to be a more laborious task, try to make your draft resolution as detailed as possible, including sub-clauses that detail upon the method of implementation of the proposed solutions, not leaving them as mere statements. And, as always, make sure you also include where you will get the funding for all of your proposed projects :)

4. Learn and have fun

Most of all, the Security Council represents an amazing learning experience, as you get the chance to interact with some of the most knowledgeable delegates that are still attending MUN conferences and learn valuable skills and insights from them. In addition, you will also get to truly practice your debating and public speaking skills, since the small number of delegates in the Security Council allows for one to hold more speeches than they possibly could in another committee.

At the end of the day, though, the most important piece of advice is that you have fun in the Security Council, as it is something truly unique that you deserve to enjoy to its full extent. Everybody was once a beginner in this committee, so don’t beat yourself up if you don’t make the best decisions during the debate and you don’t figure out everything from the start, as what truly matters is that you enjoy yourself and the company of others.

Editor’s note

As someone who has attended the Security Council many times as part of my MUN experience, both as a P5 representative and Chairperson, in addition with the fact that it is most probably my favourite committee out of all, I believe I can say that all of the information and tips offered in this article will certainly benefit you when attending your first such committee and will for sure pave the way, together with your already existing skills, towards a mesmerizing experience.