Crisis

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Introduction

Crisis is a more advanced type of committee in Model UN. In Crisis committees, delegates typically act as a single person instead of a country. Crisis has a much faster pace than General Assembly and requires delegates to think quickly. For these reasons, it is recommended that delegates only begin participating in Crisis once they are experienced in General Assembly.

The Front Room

The front room is the part of the committee in which a delegate makes speeches, writes solutions, and makes points or motions. All of General Assembly is in the front room. However, in Crisis, the front room is only part of the committee (see "The Back Room" below). Crisis committees will have random Crisis updates, which act as press releases and give delegates new information about their committee that could influence their plan and the course of the committee. As a result, delegates have to come up with new plans on the spot and be skilled with impromptu speaking. Crisis committees can be anything from historical presidential cabinets to committees about Star Wars or college football.

Directives

Directives act as shorter resolutions that address individual problems. They are much shorter and more specialized than a resolution paper (they contain no preambulatory clauses), so delegates may work on more than one directive at a time. Additionally, presentation and voting procedure does not have to occur at the end of a committee.

The Back Room

The back room is the part of the committee that is individual to each delegate and hidden to others. This aspect of Crisis committees uses hidden motives and serves as a secret agenda. Crisis delegates write a black position paper (a shorter position paper that addresses a delegate's plans for the back room) as well as the typical white position paper (the same as General Assembly's position paper) in preparation for the conference.

Crisis Notes and the Crisis Arc

To achieve their secret agenda, delegates must write crisis notes to the dais. Crisis notes are short, yet detailed, notes that describe the action a delegate wants to take in a hidden manner. Crisis notes should be as detailed as possible and they can be rejected by the dais. Using crisis notes, a delegate can frame other delegates, start investigations, or even assassinate other delegates (in which the victim would be given a new position).

The path a delegate takes using crisis notes is described as the crisis arc.

Specialized Committees

Specialized committees are committees with a combination of General Assembly and Crisis. Delegates participating in specialized committees should understand both types of committees. For example, a specialized committee may be a General Assembly committee with directives.

Respect and Behavior

It is important to be respectful to other delegates, the dais, and the conference as a whole. A lot of effort is put into the creation and running of every Model UN conference, so delegates should put their best effort into their work and contribute to the committee as much as they can.

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