DISEC (GA First Committee) 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.

Updated Oct 26, 2026

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

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How DISEC works in Model UN

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.

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.

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 1,210 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 (33% of topics this season, up from 22%).

ThemeShare of topics
  1. Arms control and disarmament 27%

    Example: Strengthening international arms control - Highlighting prevention of war by proxy, Model United Nations Of Malmö

  2. Cyber and AI Rising23%

    Example: Preventing the Proliferation and Weaponization of Autonomous Weapons System, AMUNG-VI

  3. Terrorism and extremism 11%

    Example: Addressing the threat of transnational terrorist organisations, ACADEMUN Basel

  4. Armed conflicts 10%

    Example: Addressing the Proliferation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Armed Conflicts, Zephra International Model United Nations- August

  5. Crime and drugs 8%

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

  6. Outer space 5%

    Example: Strengthening International Mechanisms for Preventing the Weaponization of Outer Space, Model Diplomat Mun

  7. Peacekeeping and peacebuilding 2%

    Example: De-escalating the political crisis in Venezuela, Farel Academy Model United Nations

  8. Maritime and border disputes 2%

    Example: Deliberating Measures to Maintain Peace and Security in the Taiwan Strait, The Variable Conference

From 1,210 DISEC topics on mymun. A topic can touch several themes.

Places named in DISEC topics

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

Share of 1,210 DISEC topics on mymun that name the place.

Recent DISEC topics

  1. Addressing the risks posed by illegal use of weapons systems and emerging military technologies in escalating interstate conflicts

    Model United Nations Of Malmö

  2. Preventing the Proliferation and Weaponization of Autonomous Weapons System

    AMUNG-VI
    Cyber and AI

  3. How should countries regulate the use and export of armed drones to prevent civilian causalities and unauthorized attacks?

    Virtual International MUN
    Cyber and AI

  4. The Establishment of International Standards for the Use of Autonomous Weapon Systems in Armed Conflicts

    SATMUN
    Cyber and AIArmed conflicts

  5. Addressing Cyber Warfare and International Security

    Global Cooperation Model United Nations
    Cyber and AI

  6. Regulation of Autonomous Weapons Systems (AWS) and Lethal Autonomous Weapons

    GavelPoint MUN
    Cyber and AI

  7. Addressing the threat posed by the rise of Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems and unregulated weapons

    GSMUN Cyprus
    Cyber and AI

  8. Establishing a framework for the disarmament of non-state armed forces with an emphasis on improving the national security of Lebanon

    Young Entrepreneurs Society 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. 7Germany85%
  8. 8Japan80%
  9. 9Iran77%
  10. 10Brazil74%
  11. 11Israel71%
  12. 12Pakistan70%

Share of 999 DISEC seat lists on mymun.

Most requested

CountryShare of applicants
  1. 1United States10%
  2. 2France8%
  3. 3Russia7%
  4. 4China6%
  5. 5United Kingdom6%
  6. 6Germany6%
  7. 7India5%
  8. 8Canada4%
  9. 9Israel4%
  10. 10Japan3%
  11. 11Iran3%
  12. 12Australia3%

Share of 19,403 DISEC applicants on mymun who asked for the country.

Often still open

CountryStill open
  1. 1Morocco11 of 12
  2. 2Finland9 of 10
  3. 3United Arab Emirates9 of 10
  4. 4Chile9 of 11
  5. 5Ghana9 of 11
  6. 6Indonesia9 of 11
  7. 7Kenya9 of 12
  8. 8Netherlands9 of 12
  9. 9Qatar9 of 12
  10. 10Colombia8 of 11
  11. 11Poland10 of 14
  12. 12Egypt9 of 13

Still open in upcoming DISEC simulations that take applications now and have started placing delegates (23 simulations).

DISEC in Model UN: quick 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's drafts go to the full General Assembly, where questions of peace and security need a two-thirds majority.

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 1,210 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.