UN Security Council (UNSC) in Model UN

The UN Security Council holds the main responsibility for international peace and security, and every UN member has to carry out its decisions; five of its 15 members are permanent and hold a veto. In Model UN it is a small, fast room where the veto applies: a single no from a permanent member sinks a draft even if the other fourteen vote yes.

Updated Oct 26, 2026

  • 5 permanent members, with veto: on 92 to 98% of seat lists
  • 10 more seats in a typical simulation of 15

Upcoming UNSC conferences

290 conferences

  • Model United Nations Of Malmö

    Oct 26–29, 2026 · Malmö, Sweden

  • 2 committees: Security Council (SC), Historical Security Council (HSC)

    Struer Model United Nations

    Oct 28–30, 2026 · Struer, Denmark

  • CHARCASMUN

    Oct 29–31, 2026 · Sucre, Bolivia ·

  • 2 committees: United Nations Security Councils (UNSC), United Nations Historical Security Council (UNHSC)

  • 2 committees: UNSC, Historical Security Council

    Oxford International Model United Nations

    Oct 30 – Nov 1, 2026 · Oxford, United Kingdom

  • THWS Model United Nations

    Oct 30, 2026 · Schweinfurt, Germany

  • Y

    Oct 30–31, 2026 · Pune, India

  • DomeMUN

    Oct 31 – Nov 1, 2026 · Heemstede, Netherlands

  • Moraitis School MUN

    Oct 31 – Nov 1, 2026 · Athens, Greece

  • MUN@DPSD

    Oct 31 – Nov 1, 2026 · Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  • Plot Pending MUN

    Oct 31 – Nov 1, 2026 · Online

    Apply now

  • THE DIABOLIC VERDICT

    Oct 31 – Nov 1, 2026 · Delhi, India

  • ...

    Nov 5–7, 2026 · Uttara, Bangladesh

  • World Diplomats

    Nov 5–7, 2026 · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

  • AybMUN

    Nov 6–8, 2026 · Yerevan, Armenia

  • Future Security Council

  • Face Festival UK International MUN (FaceMUN)

    Nov 6–8, 2026 · Manchester, United Kingdom

    Apply now

  • Gymnázium Omská MUN

    Nov 6–9, 2026 · Prague, Czech Republic

  • IE University Model United Nations

    Nov 6–9, 2026 · Madrid, Spain ·

  • 3 committees: Security Council, Historical Security Council and 1 more

  • Manchester Model United Nations

    Nov 6–8, 2026 · Manchester, United Kingdom

    Apply now

  • REDMUN

    Nov 6–8, 2026 · Cusco, Peru ·

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  • Sino-Foreign Model United Nations

    Nov 6–8, 2026 · Suzhou, China ·

  • Aetolia MUN

    Nov 7–8, 2026 · Messolonghi, Greece

  • Wrocław Model United Nations

    Nov 7–9, 2026 · Wrocław, Poland

    Apply now

  • TECMUN San Luis Potosí

    Nov 12–13, 2026 · San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico ·

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  • Warsaw Model United Nations

    Nov 12–15, 2026 · Warsaw, Poland

  • HultMUN

    Nov 13–15, 2026 · London, United Kingdom

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Browse all Model UN conferences

How the UNSC works in Model UN

What it is

The Council's decisions bind every UN member, while General Assembly resolutions only recommend, and that shows in what you can write. Where a General Assembly draft can only recommend sanctions, a Council draft can impose them, from cutting trade to breaking off diplomatic relations, and the Council can take military action by air, sea or land. The Council's website lists this year's members and every resolution back to 1946, year by year.

How it runs in Model UN

In your committee the veto bites on substantive votes, which in practice means the final vote on each draft resolution. Motions, such as one to open a caucus, are procedural and stay out of the veto's reach.

States outside the Council can be invited to speak, without a vote, when a dispute involves them or touches their interests, and some conferences, American Model United Nations among them, call delegates in from other committees to play that part.

Who it suits

Take the UNSC once you have a General Assembly committee behind you; new delegates almost always start in the General Assembly. A permanent seat gives you the most leverage, because your no ends a draft. An elected seat matters more than it looks: even with all five permanent members in favour, a draft needs four of the ten elected members, so if seven elected delegates hold back their votes, it fails.

How to prepare

  1. 1

    Read the Council's past resolutions on your topic. They are numbered S/RES/ and listed by year on its website, and the research and documents lessons in the Model UN Masterclass point you to real Council resolutions and to the UN's own guide for drafting them.

  2. 2

    Know your country's record on the Council. The vetoes dashboard lists every veto since 1946, with links to the official records. For your government's speeches and votes, go to the UN Digital Library; researching your country shows you how to search it by country, topic and document type.

  3. 3

    Check which votes your conference counts as substantive. That is how far the veto reaches. The MUN glossary defines veto power, substantive votes and procedural votes in a line or two each. Many conferences count amendment votes as substantive in their rules of procedure, so a permanent member can kill an amendment as well.

  4. 4

    Build your position paper on the Council's past action. The position paper guide takes you through all five parts, from the header to your proposed solutions. On the UNSC, past action means the Council's resolutions on your topic and, if you hold a permanent seat, every veto your country cast on it.

Tip

A veto has a sequel. Since General Assembly resolution 76/262 of April 2022, every veto triggers an Assembly debate within ten working days, and the permanent member that cast it goes to the top of the speakers' list. That gives you a line for debate: a veto now means answering for it before every member state.

UNSC topics in Model UN

Of 2,851 UNSC topics on mymun, 24% are about armed conflicts, 7% about terrorism and extremism and 6% about maritime and border disputes. Rising this season: cyber and AI (9% of topics this season, up from 6%) and humanitarian crises (7% of topics this season, up from 4%).

ThemeShare of topics
  1. Armed conflicts 24%

    Example: Addressing the Escalation of Armed Conflicts in the Middle East, Global Cooperation Model United Nations

  2. Terrorism and extremism 7%

    Example: The Proliferation of Non-State Armed Groups in the Sahel Region, Vanguard Model United Nations I

  3. Maritime and border disputes 6%

    Example: Rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait, Seoul Youth Model United Nations

  4. Cyber and AI Rising6%

    Example: Addressing the Global Proliferation of Cyber Warfare, Slovakia International Model United Nations

  5. Peacekeeping and peacebuilding 5%

    Example: Discussing the UN Peacekeeping Force Mandates, Copernicus Model United Nations

  6. Arms control and disarmament 5%

    Example: Scenario: Cuban Missile Crisis - 1962, GSMUN Cyprus

  7. Humanitarian crises Rising4%

    Example: The Ethiopian Civil Conflict: Ensuring Peace, Humanitarian Access, and Regional Stability, Kant Model United Nations

  8. Crime and drugs 2%

    Example: The Situation in Haiti: Addressing Gang Violence and State Collapse, URUMUN

From 2,851 UNSC topics on mymun. A topic can touch several themes.

Places named in UNSC topics

  1. Israel 4%
  2. Middle East 4%
  3. Iran 3%
  4. Palestine 3%
  5. Ukraine 3%
  6. Yemen 3%
  7. South China Sea 3%
  8. Syria 3%
  9. Russia 2%
  10. United States 2%

Share of 2,851 UNSC topics on mymun that name the place.

Recent UNSC topics

  1. Addressing freedom of navigation and global energy security by factoring in the maritime blockade of the Strait of Hormuz

    Model United Nations Of Malmö
    Maritime and border disputes

  2. Maintaining International Peace and Security in the Sahel amid the Expansion of Terrorist and Armed Groups.The withdrawal of Foreign Security Forces and increasing risk of Regional Spillover

    Meridian Youth Connect Model United Nations
    Terrorism and extremism

  3. The governance of artificial intelligence in military applications as a threat to international peace and security

    The Terrestrial Model United Nations
    Cyber and AI

  4. Addressing the Escalation of Armed Conflicts in the Middle East

    Global Cooperation Model United Nations
    Armed conflicts

  5. The pathway to peace in the war in Ukraine

    Seoul Youth Model United Nations
    Armed conflicts

  6. Preventing Strategic Instability in an Era of Autonomous Weapons and Artificial General Intelligence: Balancing National Security, Global Governance, and Ethical Constraints

    Governance of Artificial General Intelligence, Autonomous Weapons Systems, and Algorithmic Sovereign
    Cyber and AI

  7. Scenario: Cuban Missile Crisis - 1962

    GSMUN Cyprus
    Arms control and disarmament

  8. The Situation in Azerbaijan

    Young Entrepreneurs Society Model United Nations

UNSC countries in Model UN

The United States, France, China, the United Kingdom and Russia appear on 92 to 98% of UNSC seat lists on mymun. Each year the General Assembly elects five of the ten non-permanent members, and a retiring member cannot be re-elected at once.

  • 5 permanent members, with veto: on 92 to 98% of seat lists
  • 10 more seats in a typical simulation of 15

Most often seated

CountryShare of seat lists
  1. 1United StatesP598%
  2. 2FranceP598%
  3. 3ChinaP597%
  4. 4United KingdomP597%
  5. 5RussiaP592%
  6. 6Japan61%
  7. 7Switzerland44%
  8. 8South Korea43%
  9. 9Algeria40%
  10. 10Ecuador39%
  11. 11Mozambique39%
  12. 12Malta39%

Share of 2,999 UNSC seat lists on mymun.

Most requested

CountryShare of applicants
  1. 1United StatesP516%
  2. 2FranceP515%
  3. 3United KingdomP513%
  4. 4RussiaP512%
  5. 5ChinaP512%
  6. 6Japan3%
  7. 7Germany3%
  8. 8India3%
  9. 9Egypt2%
  10. 10Switzerland2%
  11. 11Israel2%
  12. 12Iran2%

Share of 41,869 UNSC applicants on mymun who asked for the country.

Often still open

CountryStill open
  1. 1United Arab Emirates12 of 14
  2. 2Somalia11 of 13
  3. 3South Africa9 of 11
  4. 4Bahrain13 of 16
  5. 5Jordan8 of 10
  6. 6Latvia8 of 10
  7. 7Saudi Arabia11 of 14
  8. 8Mozambique14 of 18
  9. 9Denmark10 of 13
  10. 10Guyana13 of 17
  11. 11Yemen9 of 12
  12. 12Algeria17 of 24

Still open in upcoming UNSC simulations that take applications now and have started placing delegates (58 simulations).

UNSC in Model UN: quick answers

How many delegates are in a UNSC committee?

The real Council has 15 members. UNSC simulations on mymun seated about 15 delegations.

Does the veto apply in Model UN?

Yes. As in the real Council, a draft resolution needs 9 of 15 votes and fails if a permanent member votes against it, while an abstention is not a veto and procedural votes cannot be vetoed.

Is the UNSC a good committee for beginners?

It is demanding: the room is small, each delegate speaks often, and one permanent member voting no defeats a draft resolution. DISEC covers similar security ground without a veto.

What topics does the UNSC debate in Model UN?

Top themes in 2,851 UNSC topics on mymun: armed conflicts (24%), terrorism and extremism (7%) and maritime and border disputes (6%). Places named most often: Israel, the Middle East, Iran, Palestine and Ukraine.