How to start an MUN club at school: roles, weekly sessions and the first year
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The short answer
An MUN club starts with a teacher adviser, the school’s permission, a statement of purpose and a weekly slot. Students share officer roles and repeat a four-session cycle: research, speaking, drafting and a mini committee. The first term can end in an in-school simulation; the first year, in an outside or hosted event. One Young India runs Model G20, a simulation of the G20 Leaders’ Summit that schools can host, so weigh what follows with that in mind.
Facts checked on 12 November 2026 against the sources below.
How this was made: drafted with AI help from the sources listed, and checked by the One Young India editorial desk on 12 November 2026.
What does an MUN club do that a single conference does not?
In a Model United Nations (MUN), each participant is assigned a UN Member State and speaks for that country’s views rather than their own, as the UN’s getting-started page explains. A conference is one event, which a club attends or hosts. A club is the weekly practice in between: research, speeches, drafting and the rules of procedure.
The UN runs neither. Its Model UN FAQ says: “The United Nations does not register or certify Model UN clubs. Model UN clubs and conferences operate independently from the United Nations.” A club needs no registration with the UN; it needs the school’s permission.
What the UN does do, its Model UN home page says, is share knowledge of its work at conferences, guide organisers toward accurate simulations, and encourage Model UN clubs “to take concrete action to support UN values and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. Hosting a full conference is a separate, larger project, which our guide to hosting a conference at school plans week by week.
What does the school need before the first meeting?
The UN’s getting-started page has a part for organisers. For a school, it says they “may need a teacher to serve as an advisor, especially at the high school or secondary school level”, and should check the school’s own guidelines on establishing clubs and organisations. It suggests a statement of purpose, which may help the club explain to administrators, teachers and students why it should start.
Its logistics questions are where and when the team will meet, what resources it will need and what communications system it will use. It adds: “It is important to have a regular meeting schedule, especially if most people in your simulation are new to MUN.”
What the club takes from the school, as this guide suggests it:
- A teacher adviser, and a room where desks can be set out as a committee.
- A regular slot. One period a week is this guide’s suggestion, not a rule.
- A shared folder for country files and records, plus some printing.
- Money lines only later, if the club travels or hosts: event fees and transport.
- A channel for messages that the school’s own policy allows.
The UN’s FAQ also suggests asking the United Nations Information Centre in the area for local opportunities and resources. These centres are field offices of the UN’s Department of Global Communications, and the UN’s directory lists India.
Who does what in the club?
The UN’s page speaks of a teacher adviser and asks for “a competent and reliable team”, looking for students with “experience or interest in communications, geopolitics, and negotiations”. The roles below are this guide’s way of dividing that team’s work. A school can merge, rename or drop any of them.
A suggested structure, not a rule: one row per role, with the class this guide suggests for it.
| Role | What it does each week | Suggested class |
|---|---|---|
| Teacher adviser | Keeps the club within the school’s rules; approves notices and trips. | A teacher the school names |
| Student lead (Secretary-General or president, as the school prefers) | Opens and closes each session and keeps the plan on time. | Class 11 |
| Research lead | Chooses each cycle’s agenda with the adviser, assigns countries, keeps the country files. | Class 9 or 11 |
| Training lead | Runs the speaking and caucus sessions, times speeches, gives feedback. | Class 11 |
| Chairs, a rotating pair | Run the mini committee under the rules of procedure; a new pair takes over each cycle (see how to chair an MUN committee). | Class 9 to 11 |
| Logistics and communications | Sets out the room, prints placards, keeps attendance, sends notices. | Class 9 or 10 |
| Mentors | Each new member is paired with someone from the year above for a first paper and speech. | The year above |
How officers are chosen is the school’s decision: an election, a choice by the adviser, or a rotation each term. This guide suggests that officers in Class 10 and Class 12 hand over before the board months, so the club runs without them in the weeks before the examinations.
What happens in a weekly session?
The UN’s page suggests meetings “dedicated to workshopping specific skills related to MUN”: mini simulations, independent research time and public speaking. This guide arranges them into a cycle of four sessions that starts again with each new agenda.
- Research. The research lead, with the adviser, sets the agenda and assigns countries. The UN’s research resources page points to UN Documentation research guides on the General Assembly, the Security Council, ECOSOC and the Trusteeship Council; its core documents page starts with the Charter of the United Nations (1945). Our explainers cover MUN terms, DISEC, ECOSOC and the Security Council.
- Speaking. Each member gives a timed opening speech while the chairs keep a speakers’ list. The UN’s advice: “establish and abide by maximum time lengths for your remarks.” The UN’s sample documents page explains the right of reply: a delegate may respond when an earlier speaker has named their country, telling the Chair in writing. See how to give an MUN opening speech.
- Caucus and drafting. Each member writes a position paper for the assigned country; then members meet in small groups and turn shared points into clauses of a draft resolution. See the position paper format and how to write an MUN resolution.
- Mini committee. The chairs run a short committee session under the rules of procedure: the UN’s “Mini simulations that focus on one part of the conference process”. The sample documents page gives the General Assembly’s Rules of Procedure (A/520/Rev.20) and the Security Council’s Provisional Rules of Procedure, adopted in 1946, with records that show a Chair’s language. See MUN rules of procedure, explained.
In many Model UN simulations, the UN notes, delegates vote on motions under “Parliamentary Procedure” rules; at the UN itself, agreements are made by consensus in most instances. Its Model UN Guide page says the same of most decisions the real General Assembly adopts. A club can decide one mini committee by vote and the next by consensus.
What does the first term look like?
The plan below suits a club that meets once a week. Sessions are numbered, not dated, so a school can lay them over its own calendar and skip exam weeks and holidays.
A plan of 12 sessions that this guide suggests, not a rule: two opening sessions, two full cycles, then an in-school simulation and a review.
| Session | What happens | What each member has by the end |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Launch: the statement of purpose shared, officers chosen in the school’s own way, members signed up. | The session plan |
| 2 | How a committee runs: roll call, the speakers’ list and a vote; then the rules on the UN’s sample documents page. | A first read of the rules |
| 3 | Cycle one, research: one agenda, one committee, countries assigned. | A country file, begun |
| 4 | Cycle one, speaking. | A first speech |
| 5 | Cycle one, caucus and drafting. | A draft position paper |
| 6 | Cycle one, mini committee, decided by vote. | A first committee session |
| 7 | Cycle two, research: a new committee and new countries. | A second country file |
| 8 | Cycle two, speaking, with a right of reply. | A second speech |
| 9 | Cycle two, caucus and drafting. | A revised position paper |
| 10 | Cycle two, mini committee, decided by consensus, with the second pair of chairs. | A second committee session |
| 11 | In-school simulation over a double period or an afternoon, on a fresh agenda, officers in the chair. | A full committee session |
| 12 | Review: what each member wrote, said and chaired, and the plan for next term. | An updated record |
Session 11 stretches the mini simulations the UN’s page suggests into one full committee session. It stays inside the school: no visiting schools and no invitations. A club that starts in the January term can follow the same plan, leaving members in Class 10 and Class 12 free for the boards.
How should the club plan its first year?
A suggested outline by school term:
- Term one. The cycles and the in-school simulation above.
- Term two. One step outward, on the school’s own criteria: an outside event, a simulation between sections or houses, or hosting a small event. For hosting, the UN’s page points to “Chapter 4 of the United Nations Guide to Model UN”.
- Term three. Officers hand over, juniors take the chair, and the new officers plan the second year.
On outside events, the UN’s page notes that a club can register for a local in-person event or an online one, and says “it is important to do your research to make sure the conference is legitimate and that it is a feasible option for all your members.” This guide names no conference and recommends none.
The school’s criteria might include the cost to families, the dates, travel and supervision. Members in Class 10 and Class 12 put the board examinations first. For CBSE schools, the board’s date sheet has the 2027 Class X and XII examinations scheduled from 16 February 2027.
What should the school check before students travel to an outside event?
None of this is legal advice; the school’s own counsel decides. The questions are for counsel and the staff member the school names for safeguarding.
- Who travels with the students? The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), in its Manual on Safety and Security of Children in Schools (2021), says: “All children must be escorted during travel for school outings.” Where any girl student is in the group, it says a female teacher must also go, and the escorting employee must travel in the same coach, compartment or vehicle. Does school policy match?
- Has each parent agreed? The manual says permission “must be obtained from each child’s parent / family member” for activities “such as field trips, late-night activities, and overnight trips”. Does the school’s form cover this event, its dates and its travel?
- What weight does the manual carry? It brings together 22 manuals and guidelines from various agencies, “provided for ready reference and as potential tools and strategies for use”.
- For CBSE schools: Circular No. 01/2022, “Safety of Children in Schools” (5 January 2022), lists five safety measures, among them students’ safety on the school premises during school hours and in school transport. It directs heads of schools “to adhere with the provisions and procedures contained in the above mentioned guidelines”, which include the NCPCR manual. How it bears on a trip is for counsel.
- What has the State or UT notified? On 23 August 2024, a Press Information Bureau release said the Ministry of Education had directed all States and UTs to implement the “Guidelines on School Safety and Security”, circulated on 1 October 2021 and “advisory in nature”. States and UTs may modify and notify them.
What should parents be told before the club starts?
A short note before the first meeting answers most of what a parent will ask. The school fills every blank in the template below; this guide states no cost.
What should the club keep a record of?
A plain sheet in the shared folder serves the school’s annual report and the members: attendance; the agenda and committee of each cycle; each member’s countries, papers and speeches; who chaired; and any outside event, with its dates.
With it, a student can later describe the activity accurately, for example in an activities list for a US application. The record notes what each member did. It ranks no one.
Where One Young India fits
We run programmes in this area, so weigh this section with that in mind.
One Young India offers schools three things here. A school can host its own Model G20 summit for its students, Grades 8 to 12, in person or online (Enquire to host). Clear the Brackets is a free Model G20 training game. The Learnacy Schools network is free to join. Model G20 is an independent educational programme, not affiliated with the G20.
The hosted summit is the school’s own economic-diplomacy summit, built around the G20’s agenda and decided by consensus. We bring the committees, a country matrix, rules of procedure, background guides and delegate training, and train the school’s student secretariat to chair. The school’s own students run it. Hosting starts with a conversation, not a booking.
Built on real G20 declarations, the training game teaches the language that turns a demand into text all 21 members can sign. No account is needed to open it, and a Classroom mode is built in.
The network describes itself as “A network, not an association”, of schools who believe an education should end in the appetite to keep learning. Free: no membership fee, no dues, ever; no franchise. A member school gets the charter and seal, first invitations to talks, and its students’ work eligible for the review board and publication. Publication depends on review and is not guaranteed. Become a partner school.
Our answers to what a new club needs:
- Rules of procedure, background guides and chair training: supplied for a hosted summit.
- A weekly club curriculum: the page does not state this; ask before committing.
- A fee for hosting: the page does not state a fee; ask before committing.
Common questions
What is an MUN club in school?
A student club that meets every week to practise Model United Nations, each member speaking for an assigned country in a mock UN committee. A conference is a single event the club may attend or host.
Can a student start an MUN club at school?
Yes, with a teacher. The UN’s page says organisers at a school may need a teacher to serve as an adviser, and should check the school’s guidelines on clubs. A student can draft the statement of purpose above and take it to a teacher.
What are the roles in an MUN club?
This guide suggests a teacher adviser, a student lead, research and training leads, rotating chairs, a logistics officer and mentors. None is required. For the chair, see how to chair an MUN committee.
What activities can an MUN club run?
A repeating cycle: research on an agenda and a country; timed opening speeches; caucusing and drafting; and a mini committee under the rules of procedure. Then an in-school simulation.
Does a school MUN club need to register with the UN?
No. The UN’s Model UN FAQ says: “The United Nations does not register or certify Model UN clubs.”
Should a new club host its own conference?
Not in its first term, in this guide’s plan: the club first runs its cycles and an in-school simulation, and hosting is a term-two option at the earliest.
Sources
Every web page below was read on 12 November 2026, and each PDF on 9 November 2026.
- United Nations, Model United Nations, Getting Started with Model United Nations.
- United Nations, Model United Nations, Frequently Asked Questions.
- United Nations, Model United Nations.
- United Nations, Model United Nations, Model UN Guide.
- United Nations, Model United Nations, Sample Documents.
- United Nations, Model United Nations, Research Resources.
- United Nations, Model United Nations, Core Documents.
- United Nations, Department of Global Communications, United Nations Information Centres: Directory.
- National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), Manual on Safety and Security of Children in Schools, 2021 (PDF).
- Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Circular No. 01/2022, Safety of Children in Schools, 5 January 2022 (PDF).
- Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Education directs all States/UT to implement “Guidelines on School Safety and Security” to ensure safety and security of children in schools, 23 August 2024.
- Central Board of Secondary Education, Date Sheet for Class X and Class XII Board Examinations, 2027 (PDF, dated 6 November 2026).
- One Young India, the school edition’s page, the training game’s page and the school network’s page.
Related
For schools
Bring a Model G20 summit to your school.
Model G20 lets a school host its own economic-diplomacy summit, built around the G20’s agenda and decided by consensus: One Young India supplies the committees, rules and training, and the students run the summit. It is an independent educational programme, not affiliated with the G20.
The Learnacy Schools network is free to join: no dues, no franchise.
Schools that have hosted a Model G20 are listed edition by edition. See schools that host