How to give an MUN opening speech

Your first speech at a Model UN conference may last only a minute, but it is the moment the room learns where your country stands. Done well, it tells other delegates who you are, what you want and why they might work with you. This guide explains what that first speech is for, how long you will get, a simple structure you can reuse, and what happens when you finish speaking.

Opening speech, general debate or speakers' list?

The name depends on the conference. The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) has formal "opening speeches." At THIMUN The Hague's 2026 conference, only selected delegations give one, and they are told in advance. At most other conferences, such as National Model United Nations (NMUN) and Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN), your first general statement is made from the speakers' list. At NMUN, the first speeches on the list are about the order of the agenda, and a new speakers list opens for the first topic once the agenda is set. HMUN describes the speakers' list as the place for "general comment on the issue at hand, statements of countries’ positions." The real United Nations' nearest equivalent is the General Debate, where, the UN's Model UN guide says, "each delegation is only allowed to speak once" and each statement gets a set amount of time.

Whatever it is called, the first speech has the same job.

What your first speech is for

The UN guide describes the General Debate as a chance for each delegation to set out its general thinking on the topics, highlight its particular national concerns, and give advance notice of any initiative it plans to pursue, explaining why others might support it. That last part is easy to forget. A good first speech does not only state a position. It invites partners.

THIMUN's guidance adds focus. Its guide for delegates says an opening speech should address the issue "your delegation feels most strongly about" and concentrate "on getting one single message across." Trying to cover everything in a minute usually means the room remembers nothing.

How long you will get

There is no single standard, so check your conference's rules:

• THIMUN: opening speeches are "usually restricted to one minute," and at THIMUN The Hague the Chair moves on if you go over.
• HMUN: speaking time is "automatically set to one minute" when a speakers' list opens, though the committee can vote to change it.
• NMUN: the Secretariat sets the time limit for all speeches.
• UMass Lowell's UMLMUN: speaking time cannot be set below 45 seconds.

Plan for one minute unless you know otherwise, and practise with a timer.

A simple structure you can reuse

THIMUN's guidelines describe an opening speech as "an opening flourish, a main body that drives home one point only and a closing flourish." Here is a template built on that idea. Replace every bracket with your own words and research.

1. Greeting: "Honourable Chair, distinguished delegates." Use the titles your conference documents give for the Chair.
2. Hook: one sentence on why the issue matters, ideally a fact from your research that you can source.
3. Position: "The delegation of [country] believes that [your position in one sentence]."
4. Evidence: one or two things your country has actually done or said on the issue.
5. Proposal: what you want the committee to do, and an invitation to work together: "[Country] invites all delegations that share this goal to join us in drafting [your idea]."
6. Close: restate your position in a few words, then "Thank you, Chair."

The UN guide offers a "time-tested way of developing an argument" that fits inside this frame. Among its steps: start from familiar and widely accepted ideas, introduce new ideas one at a time, "frame proposals as contributions to a common goal," and "be as specific and limited as possible." If your position paper is ready, use it. THIMUN says a policy statement can "serve as the basis for your opening speech."

Speak as your country, not as yourself

NMUN reminds delegates that they act as representatives of the country they are assigned, and that "personal opinions are entirely inapplicable." In practice, that usually means speaking of your delegation in the third person. THIMUN The Hague's manual says speakers address each other in the third person "at all times," never "you" or "I." The UN guide notes that in the most formal UN bodies, other delegates are referred to as "the Distinguished Representative of" their country.

Address the room through the Chair. THIMUN's guidance says all speeches and questions are addressed "either to the Chair or through the Chair," and the UN guide says the usual first words are a thank-you to the Chair for the floor.

How to deliver it

The most common mistake is speed. The UN guide warns that inexperienced speakers "have a tendency to speak too fast," and that speeches should be "much slower and with longer pauses than in normal conversation." It is better to cut part of your speech than to rush it. THIMUN offers a rule of thumb: you are speaking slowly enough when you think, "I am speaking too slowly now."

• Make eye contact. The UN guide suggests looking at the audience, or at least at the Chair.
• Be sincere. The UN guide says sincerity is the sentiment that "will most effectively transmit a message," while visible anger or irritation risks putting the audience off.
• Use a speaking copy. THIMUN's booklet on opening speeches suggests typing your speech in a large font with double spacing and marking where you will pause.
• Open strongly, but do not joke. The same booklet says a dramatic opening will grab attention, "but do not attempt to be funny."
• Remember the listener. Other delegates usually do not have your text, so they must follow your ideas simply by listening. Keep sentences short.
• Never insult another member. THIMUN's booklet says that "under no circumstances" should you use the privilege of addressing the world community to insult other members of the United Nations.

Prepare, but keep listening

The UN guide says delegates should, wherever possible, write down the exact words they plan to use, or at least the headings and key phrases. HMUN's guide takes a lighter view: you "need not write it out word for word," and an outline with a few key phrases can sound more natural. HMUN adds that you should listen to the speeches before yours, because they may change what you should say, and it advises balancing "what you want to say and what the committee is currently discussing."

Getting on the speakers' list

You usually join the list by raising your placard when the Chair asks, though NMUN takes requests through its online Hub. Under NMUN's rules you cannot be on the list twice at once, but you can ask to be added again after you speak. In large committees it can take a while to reach you. HMUN says speakers can wait "an hour or more," and offers its delegates a motto: "raise your placard with one hand, write notes with the other."

When you finish: yields and questions

What happens next depends on the conference.

• HMUN and Harvard WorldMUN: after a speech from the speakers' list, you can yield your remaining time to questions, to another delegate or to the Chair. Only one yield is allowed per speech, and yields are not used in moderated caucuses. WorldMUN says you must still declare a yield even if your time has run out.
• THIMUN: opening speeches are usually limited to one minute, and at THIMUN The Hague there is no right of reply during them. In later debate on a resolution, the Chair may ask whether you are open to points of information, which are short questions from other delegates. You then yield the floor to the Chair or, once, to another delegation.
• NMUN: there is no yielding of time at all.
• The real UN: "speakers do not yield time to another speaker," and statements cannot be interrupted with questions.

Mistakes to avoid

• Speaking too fast to fit everything in. Cut content instead.
• Covering every issue. Choose one message.
• Using "I" or "my opinion." Speak as your delegation.
• Going over time. Many Chairs will stop you mid-sentence.
• At NMUN, naming a specific working paper in a formal speech. Its rules say working papers should not be referred to directly until they become draft resolutions, though you can describe your priorities.

What to do next

Write your speech after your research and position paper, not before. Our guides on MUN position paper format, MUN rules of procedure and preparing a strong argument for a school debate will help, and the MUN glossary explains any terms you meet on the day.

Speeches are only one part of what conferences judge: how to win Best Delegate at MUN compares the published criteria.

To practise speaking for a country in a summit setting, Model G20 is One Young India's simulation of the G20 summit for students, held as a three-day residential summit at FLAME University.