DISEC (GA First Committee) in Model UN

Every UN member state, one vote each and no veto, on disarmament and international security.

  • 71 open now
  • 158 upcoming conferences
  • about 24 delegations
Find a DISEC conferenceHow it works

Similar: UN · Historical committees · UN · SPECPOL

  • 5 countries: on 90 to 96% of seat lists
  • 19 more seats in a typical simulation of 24

DISEC applications closing soon

37 conferences close applications in the next 30 days. These close first.

More DISEC conferences

152 more upcoming

Browse all Model UN conferences

Where and when DISEC conferences run

The United States, the Netherlands and Poland host the most. January is the busiest month.

In 41 countries and online

Upcoming by month

32 in January 202717 open for applications now

75 of the 158 are for school students only and 8 for university students only; 52 are free. See all high school MUN conferences or university MUN conferences.

Most DISEC conferences are in the United States, the Netherlands and Poland.

How DISEC works in Model UN

DISEC, the Disarmament and International Security Committee, is the General Assembly's First Committee: every UN member state has a seat and one vote on disarmament and threats to peace. In Model UN it runs on General Assembly rules with no veto, so your bloc's votes decide whether a draft on nuclear, cyber or autonomous weapons passes.

Who it suits

DISEC suits you if you would rather build a coalition than defend a single line. Small states count as much as nuclear powers here: with one vote each and no veto, a draft lives or dies on the votes its bloc can gather. Most topics turn on treaties, so come ready to read up on arms control.

What it is

DISEC is the General Assembly's First Committee, one of its six Main Committees, and it takes every disarmament and international security question within the scope of the UN Charter. Each session runs in three stages: a general debate, thematic discussions, then action on the drafts.

How it runs in Model UN

The thematic debate is split into seven clusters: nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, conventional weapons, regional disarmament and security, outer space, other disarmament measures and international security, and the disarmament machinery. Work out which cluster your topic belongs to; the earlier texts in that cluster are your reading list.

Your conference's General Assembly rules apply, and blocs turn working papers into draft resolutions once enough delegates sign them. Know where your powers end: the Assembly recommends on disarmament, while plans to regulate armaments are the Security Council's job. Your draft urges, calls upon and recommends; it does not order.

Nuclear topics rest on two treaties: the Non-Proliferation Treaty, joined by 191 states, the five nuclear-weapon states among them, and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, in force since 2021. When debate turns personal, you can ask for a right of reply to answer serious insults against your country, if the chair grants it.

How to prepare

  1. 1

    Look up your country's votes on earlier texts. Past votes are the most reliable evidence of a government's real position, and the country research guide shows you how to find them in the General Assembly's vote records database.

  2. 2

    Check what your country has signed and ratified. The UNODA Treaties Database lists the signatories and parties of agreements such as the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Arms Trade Treaty. On an autonomous weapons topic, see if your government replied to resolution 78/241; the replies are annexed to report A/79/88.

  3. 3

    Show the trend, not a list. In your position paper, analyse how past resolutions developed instead of listing them; on DISEC, that means showing where your government's votes on the topic have shifted.

  4. 4

    Learn how a working paper becomes a draft. The beginner's guide to your first MUN walks you through the speakers' list, moderated and unmoderated caucuses and co-signatories. Before the first caucus, look up blocs, sponsors and signatories in the MUN glossary: signing a draft means you want it debated, not that you agree with it.

Tip

Quote governments word for word. The First Committee is the only Main Committee of the General Assembly with verbatim records, so the exact words each delegation used in its debates are on file for your position paper.

DISEC topics in Model UN

Of 1,252 DISEC topics on mymun, 27% are about arms control and disarmament, 23% about cyber and AI and 11% about terrorism and extremism. Rising this season: cyber and AI (32% of topics this season, up from 22%).

ThemeShare of topics
  1. Arms control and disarmament 27%

    Example: Adressing the Use of Nuclear Weapons in Regional Conflicts, Karlsruhe Model United Nations

  2. Cyber and AI Rising23%

    Example: Preventing the Proliferation and Misuse of Autonomous Weapons Systems in Modern Warfare, Sovereign Multilateral Conference of the Parties

  3. Terrorism and extremism 11%

    Example: Addressing the evolution of armed groups in Africa, Oxford International Model United Nations

  4. Armed conflicts 10%

    Example: Preventing military escalation and an arms race in the South China Sea, AybMUN

  5. Crime and drugs 8%

    Example: Prevention of illicit manufacture & trafficking of untraceable small arms, THE COIMBATORE MUN

Places named in DISEC topics

  1. Middle East 4%
  2. Iran 2%
  3. Arctic 2%
  4. Russia 2%

Recent DISEC topics

  1. Preventing the Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: Strengthening Non-Proliferation and Controlling Transfers of Nuclear Weapons and Technology

    United Youth Diplomacy model united nations
    Arms control and disarmament

  2. Preventing the Proliferation and Misuse of Autonomous Weapons Systems in Modern Warfare

    Sovereign Multilateral Conference of the Parties
    Cyber and AI

  3. Ensuring Regional Stability and the Rule of Law in the South China Sea

    Deutsche Schule Sofia Model United Nations
    Maritime and border disputes

  4. Adressing the Use of Nuclear Weapons in Regional Conflicts

    Karlsruhe Model United Nations
    Arms control and disarmament

DISEC countries in Model UN

China, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Russia appear on 90 to 96% of DISEC seat lists on mymun.

  • 5 countries: on 90 to 96% of seat lists
  • 19 more seats in a typical simulation of 24

Most often seated

CountryShare of seat lists
  1. 1China96%
  2. 2United States95%
  3. 3France95%
  4. 4United Kingdom91%
  5. 5Russia90%
  6. 6India86%
  7. 7Germany84%
  8. 8Japan80%
  9. 9Iran77%
  10. 10Brazil74%
  11. 11Israel71%
  12. 12Pakistan70%

Most requested

CountryShare of applicants
  1. 1United States10%
  2. 2France8%
  3. 3Russia7%
  4. 4China7%
  5. 5United Kingdom6%
  6. 6Germany6%
  7. 7India5%
  8. 8Canada4%
  9. 9Israel4%
  10. 10Japan4%
  11. 11Iran3%
  12. 12Australia3%

How DISEC compares

Its rooms seat about 24, against 28 in UN.

CommitteeUpcomingOpen nowRoom sizeSchool onlyMost debated
DISEC (GA First Committee)158712447%Arms control and disarmament
UN General Assembly (UNGA)91352848%Economy and development
Historical Committees138571754%Armed conflicts
UN Security Council (UNSC)3551831539%Armed conflicts
SPECPOL (GA Fourth Committee)61212661%Decolonization and self-determination

DISEC in Model UN: questions and answers

How many delegates are in a DISEC committee?

In the real First Committee all 193 UN member states have a seat. DISEC simulations on mymun seated about 24 delegations.

How is DISEC different from the Security Council?

DISEC is open to all 193 member states and only recommends, while the 15-member Security Council takes decisions binding on every state, subject to the veto. DISEC adopts a draft by a simple majority , and the full General Assembly then needs a two-thirds majority for recommendations on peace and security.

Is DISEC a good committee for beginners?

Yes, with some reading on arms control: its topics lean on treaties such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

What topics does DISEC debate in Model UN?

Top themes in 1,252 DISEC topics on mymun: arms control and disarmament (27%), cyber and AI (23%) and terrorism and extremism (11%). Places named most often: the Middle East, Iran, the Arctic and Russia.

Can school students join a DISEC?

Yes. 150 of the 158 upcoming conferences with a DISEC take high school delegates, and 75 are for school students only.

Prepare for your DISEC committee

Updated Nov 14, 2026