For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt.Skip to main content
Your background guide says DISEC should work with UNODA, the ICJ and the CTBTO, and the delegate next to you wants to motion for an unmod. This searchable list decodes 135 acronyms you meet in Model UN (MUN): UN organs and committees, agencies, treaties, procedure shorthand and US conference names. Many entries add a line on what the body does or how the term is used in committee. Free, no signup, and it runs in your browser.
Searches acronyms, full names, other names and notes. Case and punctuation don't matter.
Showing 135 of 135 acronyms.
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
General Assembly resolution (UN document symbol)
Prefix on the official symbol of a General Assembly resolution. Cite it when you quote past action in a position paper.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Arms Trade Treaty
African Union
Best Delegate
Usually the top individual award in a committee. Award names and order vary by conference.
Background guide
The study guide the dais writes on each committee topic. Start your research here.
Berkeley Model United Nations
A student-run organization at UC Berkeley that hosts a high school conference on campus.
Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (plus expansion)
Biological Weapons Convention
Caribbean Community
Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons
The forum where states have discussed lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS).
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
Commission on Narcotic Drugs
A functional commission of ECOSOC on drug control policy.
Conference of the Parties
The meeting of the states that are party to a treaty. In the news, “COP” followed by a number usually means the UNFCCC climate summit.
Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
The General Assembly committee dealing with international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space. UNOOSA is its secretariat.
Convention on the Rights of the Child
Commission on the Status of Women
A functional commission of ECOSOC focused on gender equality.
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization
Chemical Weapons Convention
Implemented by the OPCW.
Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration
The process of disarming former combatants and helping them return to civilian life, often part of a peace operation's mandate.
Disarmament and International Security Committee (UNGA First)
The General Assembly's First Committee, covering disarmament and international security. One of the most common Model UN committees.
Also: First Committee, GA1
Department of Peace Operations
The Secretariat department that runs UN peacekeeping.
Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
Draft resolution
A resolution that has been formally introduced but not yet voted on.
Elected ten members of the UN Security Council
The ten non-permanent members, elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. They have no veto.
Also: Elected members, Non-permanent members
Economic and Financial Committee (UNGA Second)
The General Assembly's Second Committee, covering economic and financial questions.
Also: Second Committee, GA2
Economic and Social Council
One of the six principal organs of the UN. Coordinates the UN's economic, social and environmental work and oversees commissions such as the CSW.
Economic Community of West African States
Exclusive economic zone
The sea area, up to 200 nautical miles from the coast under UNCLOS, where a coastal state has rights over resources.
European Union
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Group of Seven
Group of Twenty
Group of 77
A coalition of developing countries at the UN. The name has stuck even though membership has grown well past 77.
Gulf Cooperation Council
Official name: the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.
General Speakers' List
The running list of delegates waiting to give formal speeches. At most conferences, debate returns to it whenever no motion is on the floor.
Also: Speakers List
Honorable Mention
An individual committee award. Names vary by conference.
Harvard Model United Nations
A high school conference run by the Harvard International Relations Council and staffed by Harvard undergraduates.
Harvard National Model United Nations
Historical Security Council
A Security Council simulation set on a past date. Delegates may only use what was known at that time.
International Atomic Energy Agency
Promotes peaceful uses of nuclear energy and verifies nuclear safeguards. A related organization of the UN system rather than a specialized agency.
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
With the International Development Association (IDA), one of the two institutions people mean by “the World Bank”.
Also: World Bank
International Civil Aviation Organization
International Criminal Court
An independent court created by the Rome Statute that tries individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression. It is not a UN organ.
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
International Court of Justice
The UN's principal judicial organ, in The Hague. Hears disputes between states and gives advisory opinions. Compare the ICC, which tries individuals.
Also: World Court
International Committee of the Red Cross
Internally displaced person
Someone forced from home who has not crossed an international border, so is not a refugee in law.
International Fund for Agricultural Development
Intergovernmental organization
An organization whose members are states, such as the UN, the AU or NATO.
International humanitarian law
The law of armed conflict, including the Geneva Conventions.
International Labour Organization
International Monetary Fund
A specialized agency of the UN system.
International Maritime Organization
International Model United Nations Association
The nonprofit that runs NHSMUN.
International Organization for Migration
The UN system's migration agency, a related organization of the UN.
Also: UN Migration
International Telecommunication Union
Joint crisis committee
Two or more crisis committees, often opposing sides of one conflict, whose actions affect each other.
League of Arab States
Also: Arab League
Lethal autonomous weapons systems
Least developed countries
Millennium Development Goals
The eight goals for 2000 to 2015 that the SDGs replaced.
Moderated caucus
Short speeches on a narrow sub-topic, called on by the chair. A motion sets the topic, total time and speaking time.
Model United Nations
Used interchangeably with “Model UN”.
Also: Model UN
North American Invitational Model United Nations
A student-run high school conference in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Georgetown International Relations Association.
Non-Aligned Movement
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Nationally determined contribution
Each Paris Agreement party's national climate plan.
Non-governmental organization
National High School Model United Nations
A high school conference held each year in New York City, run by IMUNA.
National Model United Nations
A university-level conference.
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
Organization of American States
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
The part of the UN Secretariat that brings humanitarian actors together to respond to emergencies.
Outstanding Delegate
An individual committee award, usually ranked below Best Delegate. Names vary by conference.
Official development assistance
Government aid that promotes the economic development and welfare of developing countries.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
The Secretariat office for human rights, based in Geneva. It supports the Human Rights Council but is a separate body.
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
Operative paragraph
A numbered clause that says what the body decides, requests or recommends. “OP3” means the third operative clause.
Also: Operative clause
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Implements the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Permanent five members of the UN Security Council
China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. A no vote from any of them blocks a substantive Security Council decision.
Also: Permanent Five, Permanent members
Peacebuilding Commission
President of the General Assembly
Point of information
At many conferences, a question to a speaker who has yielded to questions. Some rules use the term for a question to the chair instead.
Preambular paragraph
A clause at the top of a resolution that gives context and justification. Drafters refer to them as PP1, PP2 and so on. Some delegates also use “PP” for position paper, so check the context.
Also: Preambulatory clause
Responsibility to Protect
The principle, endorsed at the 2005 World Summit, that states must protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
Also: RtoP
Rules of procedure
The conference's rulebook for motions, points, speeches and voting. Rules differ between conferences, so read yours.
Southern African Development Community
Small arms and light weapons
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
Sustainable Development Goals
The 17 goals of the 2030 Agenda, adopted by the General Assembly in 2015. Many resolutions tie their clauses to a specific SDG.
Secretary-General
Head of the UN Secretariat. At a Model UN conference, the student who leads the conference staff usually holds this title too.
Also: UNSG
Small island developing States
Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee (UNGA Third)
The General Assembly's Third Committee, covering social, humanitarian and cultural questions, including human rights.
Also: Third Committee, GA3
Special Political and Decolonization Committee (UNGA Fourth)
The General Assembly's Fourth Committee, covering special political questions and decolonization, including peacekeeping.
Also: Fourth Committee, GA4
Security Council resolution (UN document symbol)
Prefix on the official symbol of a Security Council resolution.
Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Adopted by the General Assembly in 1948. A declaration, not a treaty, but the foundation later human rights treaties build on.
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
Also: Law of the Sea
UN Conference on Trade and Development
Despite the name, a permanent UN body that works on trade and development, not a one-off conference.
UN Development Programme
UN Environment Programme
UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
The 1992 climate treaty. The Paris Agreement was adopted under it.
UN Population Fund
UN General Assembly
Every UN member state has a seat and one vote. Most Model UN committees are simulations of the General Assembly or its committees.
Also: GA, General Assembly
UN Human Settlements Programme
UN High Commissioner for Refugees
The UN Refugee Agency. Easy to mix up with UNHRC, the Human Rights Council.
Also: UN Refugee Agency
UN Human Rights Council
The intergovernmental body, based in Geneva, whose member states are elected by the General Assembly. Not to be confused with UNHCR, the refugee agency.
Also: HRC, Human Rights Council
UN Children's Fund
UN Industrial Development Organization
Unmoderated caucus
Informal time out of your seat to negotiate, form blocs and write working papers.
UN Office for Disarmament Affairs
The Secretariat office for disarmament. It supports the work of the First Committee (DISEC).
UN Office on Drugs and Crime
UN Office for Outer Space Affairs
UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees
UN Security Council
Fifteen members: the five permanent members (P5) and ten elected for two-year terms (E10).
Also: SC, Security Council
UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
Universal Postal Union
Under-Secretary-General
A senior UN official. At many Model UN conferences, a senior student staff member who oversees a group of committees.
Verbal Commendation
An individual committee award, often read out rather than given a gavel. Names vary by conference.
World Food Programme
World Health Organization
World Intellectual Property Organization
Weapons of mass destruction
World Meteorological Organization
Working paper
An informal draft of ideas a bloc circulates before it becomes a draft resolution.
World Trade Organization
Know them cold? Test yourself on the diplomatic acronyms quiz.
Play the acronyms quizSearch by the letters (DISEC, unhcr, A/RES) or by words from the full name (refugees, speakers list). Case, spaces and punctuation are ignored, and the closest match comes first.
Pick UN organs and committees, UN agencies, Model UN procedure, treaties and policy terms, other organizations, or US Model UN conferences to see only that group.
With the search box empty, every acronym is listed alphabetically. Jump to a letter from the index to scan a whole section of your background guide at once.
Many entries say what the body does or how the term is used in committee. When an acronym matters to your topic, research what that body has actually done before you cite it.
Many large Model UN committees simulate one of these. Conferences use the acronym, the number or both, so “GA1”, “First Committee” and “DISEC” are the same room.
| Committee | Acronym | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| First CommitteeDisarmament and International Security Committee | DISEC | Disarmament and international security |
| Second CommitteeEconomic and Financial Committee | ECOFIN | Economic and financial questions |
| Third CommitteeSocial, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee | SOCHUM | Social, humanitarian and cultural questions, including human rights |
| Fourth CommitteeSpecial Political and Decolonization Committee | SPECPOL | Special political questions and decolonization, including peacekeeping |
| Fifth CommitteeAdministrative and Budgetary Committee | None | The UN's administration and budget |
| Sixth CommitteeLegal Committee | None | Legal questions |
Getting one of these wrong in a speech costs you credibility with the dais. Learn the difference before committee starts.
In a position paper, write the full name the first time, with the acronym in brackets: “the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)”. After that, the acronym alone is fine. When you point to past action, cite the document symbol, such as an A/RES or S/RES number, rather than “a UN resolution”.
In a speech, fewer is better. The committee's own name and household acronyms like UNSC, WHO or NATO are safe. For anything a newer delegate might not know, say the name. You have a minute or so, and a room that is decoding your acronyms is not following your argument.
In a resolution, follow your conference's format guide. Many ask for full names in the clauses themselves, and clauses are often read aloud when a draft is introduced, so spelled-out names are easier for the room to follow.
Before you cite a body, check what it actually does. Naming UNEP in a disarmament speech, or asking the ICJ to prosecute an individual, tells the chair you learned the acronym but not the institution.
The whole conference, from committee assignment to awards, in plain language.
Where the UN bodies and treaties above belong in your paper, and how to cite them.
Every common motion with its vote, precedence and example wording.
What to expect at the conferences whose acronyms you will see on invitations.
Want to drill them? Play the diplomatic acronyms quiz.
Knowing that UNODC is the UN Office on Drugs and Crime gets you through a speech. Knowing what it reported last year on your topic wins the room. Model Diplomat researches the UN bodies, agencies and treaties behind your committee topic and cites its sources. The button opens search with a prompt ready for your committee's details. A free account includes 200 searches on day one, then 50 a day.