DISEC STUDY GUIDE

MYERS COLLEGE
MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2024

Disarmament and
International Security
Committee(DISEC)
Study Guide
DISEC STUDY GUIDE

About MCMUN:
Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an extra-curricular
activity in which students typically role-play delegates to the United Nations and
simulate UN committees. This activity takes place at MUN conferences. At the
end of most conferences, outstanding delegates in each committee are
recognized and given awards. Thousands of middle school, high school, and
college students across the country and around the world participate in Model
United Nations. Through MUN, you will be able to gain skills including, but not
limited to: researching, public speaking, debating, writing, critical thinking,
teamwork, and leadership.

About The Committee:

Disarmament and International Security Committee, is also known as the First
Committee, and is a part of the United Nations General Assembly. This
committee deals with issues that are related to disarmament, global security as
well as threats to peace, that affect the international community and seeks to find
solutions to the challenges related to these topics. Despite the fact that its
mandate is restricted to making recommendations, the Committee has proven to
be one of the most influential bodies in the United Nations, since its resolutions
deal with some of the most complicated issues in the international community.
DISEC works in close cooperation with the United Nations Disarmament
Commission and the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament.

Agendas:

o Agenda No.1;
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was an ethnic and territorial conflict
between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-
Karabakh, inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians until 2023, and seven
surrounding districts, inhabited mostly by Azerbaijanis until their
expulsion during the 1990s. The Nagorno-Karabakh region has been
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entirely claimed by and partially controlled by the breakaway Republic

of Artsakh, but was recognized internationally as part of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan gradually re-established control over Nagorno-Karabakh
region and the seven surrounding districts.

The conflict between both countries escalated into a full-scale war in

the early 1990s following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The war
was won by Artsakh and Armenia, and led to occupation of regions
around Soviet-era Nagorno-Karabakh. There were expulsions of
ethnic Armenians from Azerbaijan and ethnic Azerbaijanis from
Armenia and the Armenian-controlled areas. In 1993, the United
Nations Security Council adopted four resolutions that supported
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and demanded the immediate
withdrawal of Armenian forces from all Azerbaijani territories. The
ceasefire ending the war, signed in 1994 in Bishkek, was followed by
two decades of relative stability, which significantly deteriorated in
the 2010s. A four-day escalation in April 2016 resulted in hundreds of
casualties but only minor changes to the front line.

In late 2020, the large-scale Second Nagorno-Karabakh War resulted

in thousands of casualties and a significant Azerbaijani victory. An
armistice was established by a tripartite ceasefire agreement on
November 10, resulting in Azerbaijan regaining all of the occupied
territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh as well as capturing one-
third of Nagorno-Karabakh itself. Ceasefire violations in Nagorno-
Karabakh and on the Armenian–Azerbaijani border continued
following the 2020 war. Azerbaijan began blockading Artsakh in
December 2022, and launched a large-scale military offensive in
September 2023, resulting in the surrender of the Artsakh authorities.
Artsakh officially dissolved on 1 January 2024, ending the conflict.

o Agenda No.2:
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Israeli-Hamas conflict started long ago when Israel was created in

1947.In the decades that followed its creation Israel fought several wars
and ended up occupying the West Bank and Gaza contrary to the 1947
UN designation.
Hamas was created in 1987 during The First Intifada, an uprising
against Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
While Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005, it still occupies East Jersualem
and most of West bank named, so because of its position to the West

of the River Jordan.

Gaza, meanwhile, is now administered by Hamas – but under severe

restriction of movement from Israel. Hamas has not held elections since
2006 and is designated a terrorist organization by the US, UK and EU
for its armed resistance against Israel.
Most recently, on 7 October 2023, the paramilitary wings of Hamas,
launched a series of coordinated armed incursions into the Gaza
envelope of neighboring Israeli territory. The attacks, on a Saturday
initiated the Israel–Hamas war, almost exactly 50 years after Operation
Badr and the greater Yom Kippu War of 6 October 1973. Hamas and
and other Palestinian armed Groups named the attacks ‘Operation Al-
Aqsa Flood’. Hamas said its attack was in response to continued Israeli
Occupation of the Palestinian territories, the blockade of the
Gaza Strip expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, rising Israeli
settler violence, and recent escalations.

Key Elements To See:

o How to write a Position Paper?
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Many Model UN conferences require delegates to submit “Position Papers” on

their topics before a conference starts to demonstrate their research and
knowledge. Position Papers are normally 1-2 pages per topic, and should have 3-
4 paragraphs. They should be written from the perspective of the government of
your country, include a header, and answering the following questions. Your final
Position Paper should look similar to the sample given below.
Heading
Committee: [Your Committee Title]

Topic: [Your Topic]

Country: [Your Country]

School: [Your School]

Topic Background
What is the definition of the topic?

Where does the topic take place?

Who is involved?

How many people does it affect?

Where, and in what ways?

Why is this topic important?

Past International Action
Have there been any interesting statements by UN officials on this topic? Try to
find a quote.

What are the most important UN resolutions and treaties on this topic?

Do any major Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) work on this topic?

Country Policy
How has this topic impacted your country?
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What has your country tried to do about this topic?

What types of policies would your country want the UN to adopt (or not adopt)
on this topic?
Possible Solutions
What specific plans would your country like the UN to undertake to address this
issue?

What specific plans would your country like Members States to undertake in their
own countries?

Why would your ideas work? Give specific plans.

o How to get prepared?

You should follow three main steps while researching on a topic.

1. Researching Topic Background.

2. Researching Past International Action and Country Policy.

3. Researching Solutions.

o How to write a resolution paper?

The resolution is the main result of the work of your committee, and is meant to
do exactly what the name implies: “resolve” the problem that your committee is
focused on. Resolutions are the documents the UN uses to make decisions, and
are written by groups of Member States collaborating on their ideas. Resolutions
have two main functions: to determine what the United Nations will do about the
issue, and to recommend or request that individual Member States undertake
actions to help solve the issue.
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MUN Vocabulary:
Roll Call | Attendance taken at the start of committee session; respond with
either "Present" or "Present and Voting" (By saying the latter, you can vote on
resolution papers in future sessions; please always say the latter in all cases)

Speakers List | When the committee begins, the Chair will create a list of
delegates who wish to give speeches. These speeches are typically about the how
each country feels about the topic (more than 1 topic), and range from 1-2
minutes long. The first time you speak on the speakers list is referred to as your
opening speech. You should prepare this speech before the conference. After
your first speech, you can sent a note to the $hair to request to be put on the
Speakers List again.

Yields | upon completing a speech, delegates must yield their time

- Yielding to the chair | remaining time will be given to the chair

- Yielding to a delegate | remaining time will be given to another delegate

- Yielding to questions | remaining time will be used to answer questions

from selected delegates (one from each)

Moderated Caucuses | In Moderated Caucuses, you continue to deliver speeches

but in a different format. Moderated Caucuses are used to narrow debate to
specific parts of the topic- for example, if you’re discussing “Climate Change” as
your main topic, you may have a moderated caucus to discuss “Agricultural
Impacts of Climate Change”. During a moderated caucus, the next speaker is
chosen by the Chair when delegates raise their placards to be called upon. To
start a speech in a moderated caucus, you can dive into your argument using
Hook, Point, Action, but you can also start by responding to another delegate, by
saying “In response to the comments of the delegate of Germany”, for example.
Moderated caucuses are more conversational, so feel free to use the more
flexible format to more directly debate with other delegates, or to try to convince
the committee of your specific solutions.
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Unmoderated Caucuses | During an Unmoderated Caucus, delegates are free to

move around the room and will form into groups to write resolutions. Rather
than a focus on debate, unmoderated caucuses are about negotiating resolutions
and working together with your group. Groups will form because of common
interests or common solutions to the topic, and will try to write the strongest
resolution in the committee and lobby other delegates to join and support their
group. Also, if any delegates are sitting alone during unmoderated caucus, invite
them to work with your group! They may have great ideas, and it’s a great way to
win more support for your resolution.

Public Directives | actions carried out in public; need sponsors; Chair must
approve before formally presenting the action to the committee; if passed the
voting process, the directive is carried out and applied to the scenario

Private Directives | actions carried out in private; does not need sponsors; dais
must approve before being considered put in action, however, does not require
formal presenting and/or voting.

Right of Reply | delegates may request a right of reply if they feel their personal
or national integrity was attacked by another delegate during a speech; 90
seconds if approved by the Chair.

Point of Personal Privilege | raised for personal comfort

Point of Inquiry | raised if delegates are uncertain about any aspect of the
committee (in relation to the topic, ROP, general conference information)