Committee Overview
About Our Committees
GA1: Disarmament and International Security
Advanced Committee
The First General Assembly Committee seeks to find actionable solutions to disarmament, global challenges and threats to peace that affect the international community. By abiding by the principles of the UN Charter, it values international cooperation in the maintenance of international peace and security. The primary aim of GA1 is to regulate armaments by strengthening stability through lower levels of international armaments. Overall, the mandate of GA1 is to discuss and resolve issues surrounding nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, outer space in terms of disarmament, conventional weapons, regional disarmament, international security and disarmament machinery. GA1 is targeted at advanced delegates, who are fully aware of their countries’ policies as well as current military developments on a global scale.
GA2: Economic and Financial Committee
Intermediate- Advanced
The Second General Assembly Committee aims to preserve financial stability and to promote sustainable economic development to both LEDCs and MEDCs by focusing on economic and financial issues. It deals with macroeconomic policies, promoting development through operational activities and their finance, globalization, interdependence, eradication of poverty, sustainable development through the development of technology, food security, nutrition and human settlements. It accommodates intermediate and advanced delegates who have a well-rounded understanding of their countries’ economic policies and current situation, as well as the financial repercussions of the solutions they suggest.
GA3: Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee
Beginners Committee
The Third General Assembly Committee specializes in social, cultural and humanitarian affairs that are centered around the advancement of women, the protection of children, indigenous populations, the treatment of refugees, the elimination of racial discrimination and the right to self-determination. The GA3 agenda encompasses a wide variety of stakeholders, ranging from the youth to the elderly. It is addressed to beginner delegates, who should have an in-depth understanding of the stakeholders involved in each issue, as well as their own countries’ stance.
GA4: Special, Political and Decolonization Committee
Advanced Committee
The Fourth General Assembly Committee deals with a board range of issues, such as UN peacekeeping, the effects of atomic radiation and international cooperation in the uses of outer space. GA4 is addressed to advanced delegates who must deal with intricate issues that often involve specific member states, meaning that delegates must have the communication skills to be able to find meaningful solutions due to the stringent policies they may have.
GA6: Legal Committee
Advanced Committee
The Sixth General Assembly Committee is responsible for the consideration of legal questions in the General Assembly. Its agenda covers issues related to international law and other legal matters concerning the United Nations such as the promotion of justice and international law, drug control, crime prevention and combating international terrorism. It is targeted towards advanced delegates who have a good grasp of the legal system in their respective countries, as well as the interests of international law.
Specialised Agencies
Non-GA committees
Security Council
Advanced Committee
The Security Council has the responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. It is the only organ whose decisions are legally binding: under the UN Charter, all Member States are obliged to comply with the decisions of the Security Council. The Security Council tackles threats to peace by calling upon the parties involved to settle the dispute by peaceful means and recommending methods of adjustment. In the Security Council, 5 out of the 15 members hold permanent seats in the Council and have the right to prevent any proposal from being implemented by using veto power. These five permanent members are China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. As opposed to other committees, debate takes place clause by clause, meaning that delegates have the chance to submit individual clauses which will be debated on. It is targeted at advanced delegates, who must have an extensive knowledge and understanding of their countries’ aims and policies, as well as limitations and boundaries that are in the self-interest of their countries.
ECOSOC
Intermediate Committee
ECOSOC serves as a central organ for discussing pressing issues from an economic and social lens. As opposed to the other committees, in which funding is considered to be unlimited, there can often be more discussion surrounding financial issues and funding in ECOSOC. The most important principle of ECOSOC is that it deals with the intersection of economic and social issues, which is why intermediate-level delegates participating in ECOSOC need to be fully aware of the consequences of their proposed solutions in both of these fields. As opposed to GA2 and GA3, ECOSOC examines issues with regards to both economic and social consequences, making it ideal for delegates who are interested in this convergence.
Environmental Commission
Beginner Commitee
The EC deals with a variety of topics centered around the protection and maintenance of the environment as well as the promotion of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Resolutions and debates usually consider actionable solutions that all citizens can take to mitigate the issue on the agenda. The EC is targeted at beginner delegates who are passionate about sustainability. Through their participation in the EC, delegates can delve deep into environmental issues by considering taking both a root cause approach as well as mitigating the effects of the environmental issue at hand.
World Health Organisation
Intermediate Committee
The WHO is the UN agency that promotes health, keeps the world safe and serves the vulnerable in order for all people to be able to have the highest level of health. Thus, the WHO leads global efforts to expand universal health coverage. Additionally, the WHO coordinates national and international response to health emergencies and crises. Currently, the WHO concentrates on combatting communicable diseases (e.g. HIV/AIDS, Ebola, malaria and tuberculosis), promoting healthy diets and food security and preventing substance abuse. It is addressed to intermediate-level delegates who appreciate the medical and healthcare sectors. Delegates should have a thorough understanding of their countries’ policies, while recognizing that these are often un-restrictive. Delegates should note that despite the specialized focus of the WHO, the debates tend to not be overly technical, meaning that a rudimentary understanding of healthcare related terminology is needed.
Special Conference
Beginner- Intermediate Committee
On an annual basis, SCMUN has a different conference theme, which is discussed in SPECON. This year, SPECON’s agenda will be concentrated around the theme of “Empowerment”. The lack of a specific mandate to SPECON is ideal for intermediate delegates who have not yet discovered a specific debate field they want to concentrate on. Furthermore, this also means that SPECON delegates will experience a wide range of debates, thereby adding a degree of challenge. This committee is best suited for delegates who are interested in the overall conference theme.
Marvel Summit
Beginner Committee
The Marvel Summit is a special committee that sets apart SCMUN from other conferences. It is an innovative committee where participants discuss fictional, yet socially relevant issues inspired by Marvel’s universe. Delegates represent key characters, organizations, or fictional nations within the Marvel Universe, rather than traditional UN member states. This adds a more playful tone to the committee, while also maintaining a stress-free environment that is best suited for beginner delegates. Delegates must have a strong passion for the Marvel Universe and a thorough understanding of their topics.
Youth Assembly
Beginner Committee
The YA is a specialized committee created for the purpose of introducing new members to MUN. The Youth Assembly differs from the other committees as delegates represent their own opinions instead of a country and create an Action Paper instead of a resolution. The structure of the Action Paper allows the delegates to get a thorough understanding of the causes and consequences of the issue, and the fact that delegates represent their own opinions means that they aren’t limited to the policy of a specific country. The YA should create a welcoming environment in which beginner delegates will learn about MUN procedures in a relaxed atmosphere.
International Court of Justice
Intermediate- Advanced Committee
The ICJ is one of the six organs of the UN and is located in the Hague. It constitutes the only international court that adjudicates general disputes between nations and gives advisory opinions on international legal issues. As opposed to the other committees, the procedures of the ICJ are disparate. More specifically, if a country feels that another country has violated international law, they can take that country to the ICJ. There, each country is represented by 2 Advocates. It is their responsibility to present evidence and question witnesses to convince the jury (which is composed of 15 Judges and the Presidents) that their country is correct. It is addressed to both intermediate and advanced delegates, who can take on the roles of judges and advocates respectively.