UNEP
UN Environment Programme
Our largest, General Assembly–style floor, debating climate change. The pace is steady and the rules are forgiving, so it’s a great place to find your footing.
Great for newcomersNo experience needed — HTSMUN is a one-day conference built for beginners. This is your plain-English guide to what Model UN is, how a committee actually works, the words you’ll hear in the room, and how to walk in ready.
Model United Nations is a structured simulation of how the real United Nations works. You’re assigned a country or character to represent, placed in a committee with other delegates, and given a real-world issue to tackle — from global health to international security. Your job is to argue your country’s position, not your own.
Across a session, delegates give speeches, debate the issue, and break into smaller groups to negotiate. Out of those negotiations, you build alliances and draft a resolution — a written document proposing how the committee should solve the problem — which the room then debates and votes on.
It sounds like a lot, and it is genuinely fun. Along the way you sharpen the skills that matter everywhere: speaking with confidence, researching quickly, writing persuasively, listening, and finding common ground with people who disagree with you. That’s the whole point — and you learn it by doing, not by memorizing.
A committee session follows a predictable rhythm. Once you’ve seen it once, it stops feeling mysterious. Here’s the order things usually happen in.
The chair reads the list of countries and each delegate answers “present” to confirm they’re in the room. This sets who is voting today.
If a committee has more than one topic, delegates motion and vote on which one to debate first.
A running list of delegates who each get a set amount of time to address the whole committee on the topic. It’s the backbone of formal debate.
A focused, faster back-and-forth on one specific sub-topic, where the chair calls on delegates one at a time for short speeches.
Delegates leave their seats and talk freely to negotiate, form blocs, and start writing together. This is where much of the real work happens.
Groups of delegates put their ideas on paper — an early, informal draft of proposed solutions that will grow into a resolution.
A working paper that meets the committee’s formatting standards becomes a formal draft resolution — the document the committee will debate and ultimately vote on.
Delegates propose changes to a draft resolution — adding, striking, or rewording clauses — which the committee then debates and votes on.
At the end of debate, the committee votes on the amendments and then on the draft resolutions. Anything that passes becomes the committee’s official outcome.
In the Meridian Crisis committee, debate moves more quickly and less formally. Instead of long resolutions, delegates respond to a developing scenario by writing directives (short orders for action) and sending crisis notes to act behind the scenes. See the Rules of Procedure for the full detail.
HTSMUN VI runs five committees. Most are General Assembly–style and beginner-friendly; a couple move faster for delegates wanting more of a challenge. Here’s what to expect from each.
UNEP
Our largest, General Assembly–style floor, debating climate change. The pace is steady and the rules are forgiving, so it’s a great place to find your footing.
Great for newcomersWHO
A General Assembly–style committee focused on the global mental-health crisis. Approachable topics and a collaborative tone make it welcoming for a first conference.
Beginner-friendlyUNHCR
A committee tackling the global migration and refugee crisis. Big-picture debate with room to build confidence at the podium.
Beginner-friendlyUNSC
A smaller, faster committee on the crisis in Myanmar, where every delegate is central to the debate. Rewards delegates who’ve done a little Model UN before.
Some experience helpsCrisis
A fast-paced crisis committee reacting to a developing scenario through directives and crisis notes. High energy and unpredictable — for the adventurous.
For the adventurousIt breaks down into three simple phases: a little prep beforehand, the day itself, and a chance to reflect afterward. None of it requires prior experience.
The day flows through the sessions above — roll call, speeches, caucuses, and resolution-writing — ending in a vote.
Model UN has its own vocabulary. You don’t need to memorize these — skim them now, and bookmark this page to check back during committee.
You now know enough to walk into committee with confidence. When you’re ready, register, brush up on the rules, and prepare your position paper. Questions? Reach us at info@htsmun.com.