Ad hoc Committee of the Secretary-General

APPROXIMATE COMMITTEE SIZE: 25 delegates

In both national and international Model United Nations circuits, the Ad hoc committees are renowned for the skill, knowledge, and quick thinking that they require. At NAIMUN, the Ad hoc Committee of the Secretary-General brings the most competitive and experienced crisis delegates together to compete in a simulation designed to challenge them. By combining the unique nature of non-traditional committees with the fast-paced nature of crises, this committee will test the depth and breadth of delegates' MUN experience by having two additional twists. The first is that the topic for this committee will be withheld until the start of the first committee session. By doing so, we aim for students to approach the topic with an equal sense of unfamiliarity while also having them immerse themselves during the conference in a specific historical or contemporary event. Because of this, the second twist is that students will not receive their position briefs until this same time. As such, students will be pushed to showcase their critical thinking, adaptability, creativity, and resourcefulness at the highest stage in North America — if they accept the challenge.

Note: Given the nature of the Ad hoc Committee, it is recommended that all delegates have previous experience in crisis committees. Similarly, unlike in other crisis suits, delegates will not be required to submit their position paper beforehand, and the use of technology in the room will be at the chair’s discretion.

cHAIR: Jasmine Yazid

CRISIS MANAGER: Peyton Austin

TOPICS

The topic will be released at the start of Committee Session I. All delegates will be given a reading period to review the background guide and prepare for debate at the start of Committee Session I. No notes will be accepted during this reading period.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES 

NAIMUN strives to provide every delegate with a well-rounded, educational, and enjoyable experience. The learning objectives for the Ad hoc Committee of the Secretary-General are as follows. Delegates will gain:

  • The ability to think creatively regarding solutions to crises that arise without prior knowledge or preparation.

  • Experience collaboratively solving timed-crises under pressure.

  • A practical understanding of the history and dynamics surrounding [REDACTED] with regards to domestic political affairs and foreign relations.

About the Chair

Jasmine Yazid is a member of the Class of 2026 in the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. She is majoring in Culture and Politics with minors in Chinese and International Development. She was born in the objective best state (New Jersey), but has spent the majority of her childhood living across Europe before returning to the United States. Some of you might recognize her—she served as a rapporteur in the World Health Organization at NAIMUN LX, the USG of Economic & Social Councils at NAIMUN LXI, and last year had the privilege of serving as the Secretary-General of NAIMUN LXII. When she’s not immersed in the Model UN world, Jasmine likes to spend her days showing people pictures of her golden retriever, drinking vanilla iced lattes while in a rush to class, and “studying” (chatting) with her friends in the school library. Jasmine is honored to serve as your Chair and run this committee with Peyton, the Director-General of NAIMUN LXII. In this committee, we’ll be debating the timely matter of… just kidding! You didn’t think it’d be that easy, did you?

about the crisis manager

Peyton Austin is a member of the Class of 2026 in the Walsh School of Foreign Service, majoring in International Politics and minoring in Chinese. Born and raised in Hong Kong and currently living in Basalt, Colorado, Peyton was introduced to MUN as a sophomore in high school, and since then he’s never looked back. He has competed with Georgetown's collegiate MUN team and staffed NCSC and DistrictMUN, Georgetown’s college and middle school Model UN conferences. This will be his fourth NAIMUN; he served as the Director-General of NAIMUN LXII, a USG of Nontraditional Committees at NAIMUN LXI, and a crisis analyst for the Peking School Board committee at NAIMUN LX. He enjoys reading, yapping, and exploring D.C. in his spare time. Peyton is excited to welcome delegates to the incredible world of [REDACTED] in February!