TABLE OF CONTENTS
LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE BOARD ................................................................................................. 3
HOW TO GO ABOUT RESEARCH FOR MODEL UN? ................................................................................ 4
INTRODUCTION TO THE COUNCIL: UNSC ............................................................................................. 6
INTRODUCTION TO THE AGENDA ........................................................................................................... 8
HISTORY OF REFORMS .......................................................................................................................... 9
TYPES OF REFORMS ............................................................................................................................ 10
POINTS TO PONDER UPON .................................................................................................................... 11
SUB-TOPICS FOR MODERATED DISCUSSION ........................................................................................ 12
LINKS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ......................................................................................................... 13
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LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE BOARD
Greetings Delegates!
It is an honor to welcome you to the first edition of VIS Intra MUN 2025. It is an immense joy to be
a part of this amazing conference, and we encourage you to participate in this milestone event.
Model UN Conferences help you realize that no one is too small to make a change and no voice can
ever go unheard, as long as it intends to construct a solution. In this edition, we will discuss the
reforms in the Security Council along with its various dimensions. However, the study guide is not
exhaustive and only provides enough background information to establish a platform to begin your
research. We highly recommend that you do a good amount of research beyond what is covered in
the study guide.
Delegates are expected to maintain a high level of diplomatic courtesy and accurate awareness of
their foreign policy, leading to productive discourse in a solemn demeanor. We aim to put you in a
comprehensive environment, allowing you to excel in your critical thinking, negotiation skills,
lobbying capabilities, and tactical vision.
As you prepare, consider not only your country's stance but also potential areas of cooperation and
compromise. The most effective delegates balance firm advocacy with diplomatic flexibility. We are
here to support your journey throughout this conference. Don't hesitate to reach out with questions or
concerns. Let's work together to make this council session productive and memorable.
Wishing you the best in your preparations. We look forward to witnessing your diplomacy in action.
Sincerely,
Executive Board
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HOW TO GO ABOUT RESEARCH FOR MODEL UN?
There are three steps, broadly, that an ideal delegate will need to follow. These are illustrated below:
AGENDA
COMMITTEE
a) Understand all the problems humans
and animals face in the given context. COUNTRY/PORTFOLIO
a) Understand its history and
b) Make a list of subtopics derived
from the agenda. organs.
a) Country/Portfolio
c) Prioritize their order of importance b) Understand its power and profiling
in the committee. mandates.
d) Clear all misconceptions about the b) Analyze the country's
phrasing of the agenda. c) Determine the extent to
needs, trade relations, and
which the problem can be the problems the country
solved and to which organ(s)
faces.
of the UN suggestions can
be accurately targeted.
Research Techniques
Materials prepared by the EB are not meant to be a substitute for your research. Instead, they should
provide a starting point, inspiring you to ask yourself questions about the issues. The best-prepared
delegates take the provided materials as the beginning of their research and delve deeper into the topic
areas. Beyond these materials are a host of information services, beginning with United Nations
sources. UN resources often have compiled statistics, charts, and graphs, which you may find helpful
in understanding the issues. Most UN document centers carry transcripts of UN meetings; perhaps
the best way to understand your country’s position is to see it iterated by its ambassador. Specific
resources to investigate include:
● UN Document Index: This index for all UN documents comes in three different versions:
UNDI (1950-1973), UNDEX (1970-1978), and UNDOC (1979-present). Depending on which
of the three you are using, you will find a subject index, a country index, and an alphanumeric
list of all documents published (this is useful because each committee has its unique
alphanumeric prefix, and thus you can find all the documents put out by a committee during
a particular year regardless of the specific topic).
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● UN Resolutions: This series is valuable and easy to use. The index is cumulative from 1946,
meaning you need only check the most current index to find all the resolutions on your topic
that the UN has ever passed. The resolution voting records (in the front of the book) will
indicate where your country and others stand on the issues.
● Other UN Sources: Additional relevant UN sources might depend on the topic.
Something to remember: You can also log on to YouTube and look at links simulating MUNs. Feel
free to browse the internet and utilize YouTube, [Link], and [Link] as
much as possible.
Speaking Techniques
A good speech balances strong content with effective delivery. Persuasion requires appealing to both
emotion and logic. Grabbing and maintaining attention through confident speech and body language
is key. What you say and how you say it are equally important for impact.
Sources Accepted
Please consider the following points regarding the type of documents you might want to produce for
the committee to substantiate your stand.
Category Sources Examples/ Links
UN Reports UNHRC, UNGA
UN Affiliated Bodies IAEA, World Bank, IMF, ICRC
Valid and Binding Treaty Bodies Antarctic Treaty, ICC
Government Reports US State Dept, Russia MOD, India MEA, China
(Own Country Only) MOFA
Permanent UN Reps UN Member States Directory
Multilateral Orgs NATO, ASEAN, OPEC
Valid but Not Binding Reputed News Reuters
Not Valid (Use for Recognized News/
Amnesty International, The Guardian, etc.
Reference Only) NGO Reports
Not Accepted (For
Unverified Sources Wikipedia, WikiLeaks, Blogs, Background Guide
Understanding Only)
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INTRODUCTION TO THE COUNCIL: UNSC
The Security Council is primarily responsible for maintaining international peace and security. It has
15 Members, and each Member has one vote. Under the Charter, all Member States must comply
with Council decisions. The Security Council takes the lead in determining whether there is a threat
to peace or an act of aggression. It calls upon the parties to settle a dispute peacefully and recommends
adjustment methods or settlement terms. In some cases, the Security Council can impose sanctions
or even authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security.
MANDATE
It gives the Security Council primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security,
which it may do whenever peace is threatened.
According to the Charter, the United Nations has four purposes:
• to maintain international peace and security;
• to develop friendly relations among nations;
• to cooperate in solving international problems and in promoting respect for human rights;
• and to be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations.
All members of the United Nations agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council.
While other organs of the United Nations make recommendations to member states, only the Security
Council has the power to make decisions that member states are obligated to implement under the
Charter.
When a complaint concerning a threat to peace is brought before it, the Council’s first action is to
recommend that the parties try to reach an agreement peacefully. The Council may:
1. Set forth principles for such an agreement.
2. Undertake investigation and mediation, in some cases.
3. dispatch a mission;
4. appoint special envoys; or
5. Request the Secretary General to use his good offices to settle the dispute peacefully.
Certain Important Articles include:
• Article 24
• To ensure prompt and effective action by the United Nations, its members confer on
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the Security Council's primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and
security. They agree that the Security Council acts on their behalf in carrying out its
duties under this responsibility. In discharging these duties, the Security Council shall
act by the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations. The powers granted to the
Security Council to discharge these duties are in Chapters VI, VII, VIII, and XII. The
Security Council shall submit annual and, when necessary, special reports to the
General Assembly for consideration.
• Article 25
• The Members of the United Nations agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the
Security Council as outlined in the present Charter.
• Article 26
• To promote the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security
with the least diversion for armaments of the world's human and economic resources,
the Security Council shall be responsible for formulating, with the assistance of the
Military Staff Committee referred to in Article 47, plans to be submitted to the
Members of the United Nations for the establishment of a system for the regulation of
armaments.
FUNCTIONS AND POWERS OF THE COUNCIL
Under the United Nations Charter, the functions and powers of the Security Council are:
• to maintain international peace and security by the principles and purposes of the United
Nations;
• to investigate any dispute or situation that might lead to international friction
• to recommend methods of adjusting such disputes or the terms of settlement;
• to formulate plans for the establishment of a system to regulate armaments;
• to determine the existence of a threat to the peace or an act of aggression and to recommend
what action should be taken;
• to call on Members to apply economic sanctions and other measures not involving the use of
force to prevent or stop aggression;
• to take military action against an aggressor;
• to recommend the admission of new Members;
• to exercise the trusteeship functions of the United Nations in "strategic areas";
• Recommend to the General Assembly the appointment of the Secretary-General and, together
with the Assembly, to elect the Judges of the International Court of Justice.
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INTRODUCTION TO THE AGENDA
As former UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon stated, “Security Council reform is the most
important aspect of the United Nations' institutional reform. I sincerely hope that Member States will
progress on this issue because, considering the tremendous, dramatic changes in the international
political scene during the last 60 years, the Security Council must be expanded to be acceptable to
the Member States.”
The Security Council has remained antiquated in its mechanism and is a relic of the bygone era. It is
without a doubt the most powerful organ of the United Nations. The Charter has given it primary
responsibility for maintaining global peace and security, and its decisions are binding for all Member
States. Given the evolving context in which the U.N. operates, decisions made at the turn of the
Second World War are not adequate anymore. Countries such as France, the United Kingdom, and
Russia find solace in still being permanent members of the Security Council even though their time
as great powers has passed, while “new centers of power in the developed and developing world have
emerged”.
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HISTORY OF REFORMS
The UNSC saw its first reform in the expansion of the non-permanent members from 6 to 10 in 1965.
The UN began the formal process in 1993 with a resolution to set up an Open-End Working Group
to discuss “Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security
Council and related matters". The years following saw a continuous push for reform, but only in the
form of resolutions and not concrete steps. In 2004, as a follow-up to the commitment for reform by
the Millennium Development Goals, the then Secretary General Kofi Annan proposed a reform plan.
He proposed two models- Model A and Model B.
Model A provides six new permanent seats, no veto being created, and three new non-permanent,
two-year term seats.
Model B provides for no new permanent seats but creates a new category of eight four-year
renewable-term seats and one new two-year nonpermanent (and non-renewable) seat.
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TYPES OF REFORMS
1. Permanent Member Proposals
• Brazil, Japan, Germany, and India are among the few countries that aspire to become
permanent members of the UNSC. The group of candidates comprises the G4 nations,
and these applicants jointly reinforce each other’s bids to become permanent members.
• These are opposed by the veto power of the P5 Nations, especially the United States
of America and the People's Republic of China. The United for Consensus group also
opposes, as they have economic and regional rivalry.
• As of 2013, the present "P5" members of the United Nations Security Council and the
G4 account for eight of the world's 10 largest defense budgets, per SIPRI. They
additionally account for nine of the ten largest economies by nominal and purchasing
Power Parity values.
2. Reforms in Veto:
• Due to the global changes that have taken place politically and economically since the
formation of the UN in 1945, widespread debate has been prevalent over whether the
five permanent members of the UN Security Council remain the best member states
to hold veto power. Another prolonged argument against the UNSC veto power is its
validity for making balanced political decisions, as any draft text needs to be validated
by every permanent member before any draft resolution can be adopted.
• Certain supporters of the veto power believe that it is just as necessary in the current
international landscape that without the veto power, the Security Council would be
open to making democratic "majority rules" decisions on matters that have
connotations at a global level decision that may well go directly against the interests
of a permanent member.
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POINTS TO PONDER UPON
1. The extent to which P5 nations can exercise the veto power.
2. Possibility of change in structure
3. Democratization of SC as well as regional representation.
4. Accountability on behalf of newly added members.
5. Practicality of Reforms.
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SUB-TOPICS FOR MODERATED DISCUSSION
I. Structural and Political Obstacles to UNSC Reform
II. Models and Pathways for Equitable UNSC Reform
* The delegates might opt for more than two subtopics depending on the committee's internal
discussions.
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LINKS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
1. UN Charter
2. About the Security Council
3. UNSC Resolutions
4. Annual Reports
5. Presidential Statements
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