What are the GA committees?

GA stands for General Assembly. Think of it as the parliament of the UN, where almost every nation gets a seat, can speak up, and vote. Since the GA is huge (190+ delegates) and too big to handle every topic itself, it’s split into six main committees:

• DISEC (Disarmament & International Security)

• ECOFIN (Economic & Financial)

• SOCHUM (Social, Humanitarian & Cultural)

• SPECPOL (Special Political & Decolonization)

• Administrative & Budgetary

• Legal

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Procedure

Roll call always starts at every conference session in MUN. This helps the chairs keep track of which delegates are present  and participating throughout the conference. When your country is called, you should respond with either “Present” or “Present and Voting .”

So what’s the difference between "Present" and "Present and Voting"?

👉 Present: You’re here and accounted for. You can participate freely, and when it comes to voting, you’re allowed to abstain (not vote).

👉 Present and Voting: You’re fully committed and willing to participate. During voting procedures, you cannot abstain and must vote either for or against resolutions or amendments.

Questions:
What happens if you don't respond?
If you don’t respond, you’ll be marked absent (not great for your chances of earning an award).

What happens if you don't show up for the day?
If you didn't show up and were absent on one of the days of the conference (or all), kiss your goodbye to all the awards you could potentially get at the end (Unless you did so exceptionally well and that the chair is feeling nice of course).

What happens if you are late for a conference session?
Being late will also jeopardize your chances of earning an award but not as severe.

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Opening Speech

After roll call comes with Opening Speeches . On wanting to know how to make an Opening Speeches, click here to be directed to the designated page . Now, here are tips on how to deliver your speech effectively (whether it's good or bad, memorized or not, long or short):

• Stand tall and be confident: Confidence matters . Stand straight. Slouching makes your country look tired, bored, or unprepared. Remember, you’re literally representing an entire government.

• Pace yourself: Your speech should fit the 60–90 second limit. Don't rush or drag. Speaking too fast confuses delegates, while speaking too slowly kills momentum. Momentum is key to strong delivery.

• Breathe: This isn’t a contest to see who can hold their breath the longest. Take short pauses to breathe. You’re human, not a robot. Reading your entire speech without stopping can really hurt your performance.

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These are three of many tips that can help ensure a successful and impactful speech. A strong opening speech, with good content and delivery, can greatly boost your chances of forming alliances with many delegates.

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During the opening speech period, it is advised to take notes of each delegate's speech to know whose stance aligns yours and whose doesn't. This is crucial for lobbying time, which will be mentioned in the next section.

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Lobbying

After the opening speech, chairs  will allow lobbying time, typically lasting 1 - 3 hours depending on how long the conference lasts. Lobbying is the time when you and other delegates  come together to form blocs and work on creating a resolution.

Delegates at your bloc should have their stances align with yours (hence, the reason why note taking is recommended). There shouldn't be one bloc with every delegate agreeing with each other's stance because well.... what is the point of debating if there is no opposition? 

The goal of your bloc is to create a resolution that you and your allies agree on, submit it to the approval panel, and wait for it to be approved so your committee can debate it.

Debate time
Debate time is when delegates speak, argue, and try to convince others about how to solve the topic. It usually takes up most of the conference and gives you the opportunity to show off your research and diplomacy skills, your ability to influence the House and shape the resolution, and yes, earn points to win an award.

The debate usually starts with the main submitter of the resolution speech. The main submitter gets called up to the chair’s podium and makes the opening speech introducing the resolution. Once finished, the real fun begins. There are two types of debating style: moderated caucus vs unmoderated caucus.

Debate
During the debate, formality and professionalism is expected and strict. Walking around or directly talking with other delegates is a no-no, and the chairs control who gets to speak.

How do you communicate with delegates?

You use notecards and pass notes to the admin  to deliver your message to your intended ally. Depending on the chair, you can pass notes directly to your ally if they sit right next to you or near you.

During the moderated caucus, you can submit an amendment proposal to the chair. An amendment is basically a way for delegates to change a draft resolution after it has been introduced but before it's voted on. You can add, modify, or strike clauses to satisfy your nation's stance.

There's a catch, though. Once the chair calls on you, you must deliver an introductory speech for your amendment. In this speech, you need to clearly explain why your amendment benefits the House or strengthens the resolution.

After that, the chair will open the floor for debate on your amendment. At this point, other delegates may speak against your proposal, so it's wise to have allies ready to support you and defend your ideas during debate. If the majority (2/3) votes in favor of your amendment, your proposal will take effect. If the majority votes against it, it fails.

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POI
When another delegate is speaking, it is highly advisable to take notes. If you take notes, you can think of a POI. POI is Point of Information, where you ask the speaker a question. If you are the one speaking, be prepared to improvise an answer when other delegates ask you a POI.
Believe it or not, chairs value this a lot, and it may earn you points toward an award. Giving a high-quality POI or answering POIs directly can put you on the chair’s good side.

Moderated
A moderated caucus is a temporary pause of the General Speakers List in favor of a focused, moderated discussion on a specific sub-issue. During this time, the Chair recognizes delegates based on relevance, allowing faster discussion and direct rebuttals or support.

Unmoderated
An unmoderated caucus is a period where delegates are free to walk around the room, talk to anyone they choose, form alliances, and work on draft resolutions. The chair sets a time limit, and during this time delegates negotiate, persuade, and collaborate to develop specific ideas and solutions.

Debate ends
Depending on the conference or the chairs, the main submitter may also have to make a closing speech to wrap up debate and make a final convincing case to the House to vote for the resolution. After that, voting on the resolution as a whole starts.

Voting

Whether it’s for an amendment or the whole resolution, voting is a big deal in MUN. When the chair announces the voting procedure, note passing is not allowed and the room is basically sealed off (nobody enters or leaves).

You can vote for, against, or abstain on an amendment or resolution.
Abstaining usually either means you have no strong opinion, you don’t care, or maybe you were too busy daydreaming about when break time would come.

Note: If you answered “Present and Voting” during roll call, you cannot abstain, you must vote either for or against.

Vote for what you truly think is best for your country. Don’t be scared to vote against a resolution or amendment proposed by a powerful delegate. Voting against doesn’t make your nation weak, it shows you’re independent and not easily influenced.

Now, what if your allies or friends are pressuring you to vote for something you disagree with?
This is tricky. MUN values diplomacy, so going against expectations could cause tension or hurt alliances. But on the flip side, your nation’s sovereignty comes first. Of course, you shouldn’t vote for something that benefits your allies but would wreck your nation’s economy hard. In that case, vote confidently.

The best strategy? Mentally list the pros and cons. Is it worth defying others to protect your country, or is giving in to the pressure a better choice?

How to Vote?
Raise your placard high when the chair asks delegates who wish to vote for or against the amendment or resolution. Pretty straightforward.
(Note: They won’t actually say the whole “amendment/resolution” thing every time, the slash is just for the chair to choose what’s appropriate.)

Result
If the majority (2/3 of the total delegation) votes for  an amendment or resolution, it passes, and yes, clapping is mandatory (even if you’re secretly against it). If the opposite happens, it does not pass.

If most delegates abstain, there will be a motion to divide the house, in which the chair will repeat the voting procedure. This time though, no abstaining allowed.

Now, if there’s a tie  (an equal number of delegates voted for  and against), two things can happen:

• Either the chair is being really nice and chill that he/she would repeat the voting procedure to try get the majority, or....

• it's an automatic rejection and that the resolution/amendment does not pass.

​Usually, the second one happens. So if you’re against it, a tie is your best friend. If you’re the sponsor, well… get ready to sweat, pray, and hope luck is on your side.