MUN Secretariat Roles Explained: Who Does What at a Conference and How to Assign Each Position

An MUN conference runs on roughly 30 to 70 secretariat staff, depending on delegate count and procedure. The MUN secretariat roles and responsibilities define every functional position from secretary-general down to committee chair. Understanding who does what is the difference between a conference that runs on time and one where committees stall, awards feel arbitrary, and delegates leave frustrated. This covers the stable functions beneath the variable titles across THIMUN, Harvard, and NMUN procedures, and explains how to assign each role for a given conference cycle.

The MUN secretariat structure splits into three families: THIMUN, Harvard, and NMUN. Each has its own hierarchy, selection method, and role definitions. The THIMUN model uses elected student officers and a secretary-general who chairs the General Assembly. The Harvard model uses an appointed secretariat where the secretary-general sets agendas and appoints dais members. The NMUN model uses a professional staff appointed by the National Collegiate Conference Association.

THIMUN The Hague, the largest school-level conference globally, runs with student officers whose number changes each year. HMUN, the Boston conference, operates with dais staff whose size varies annually. NMUN New York, the oldest university-level conference, uses volunteer staff at a scale that also shifts each cycle. Check the current conference website for the exact figure.

The key structural difference: THIMUN committees are chaired by two student officers elected by MUN directors at the preceding conference. Harvard and NMUN chairs are appointed by the secretariat. This affects how much continuity a conference has from year to year. An elected chair may have less training but more committee buy-in. An appointed chair brings consistent procedural knowledge but may lack rapport with delegates.

Secretary-general duties MUN differ substantially by procedure. In THIMUN procedure, the secretary-general chairs the General Assembly, oversees debate flow, and rules on points of order. The position is elected by student officers and reports to the MUN director community. In Harvard procedure, the secretary-general appoints dais members, sets committee agendas, may issue crisis updates, and acts as the final arbiter on procedural disputes. The Harvard secretary-general is appointed by the Harvard International Relations Council board.

In NMUN procedure, the secretary-general is the chief executive of the conference, appointed by NCCA staff, and delivers opening and closing addresses. The NMUN secretary-general does not chair committees; that work falls to committee chairs and rapporteurs. A common failure: first-time secretaries-general try to micro-manage every committee. The job is to manage the secretariat, not to run individual debates. Delegate the procedural work to chairs and focus on logistics, venue liaison, and crisis escalation.

The director-general MUN role is specific to the THIMUN system. The director-general heads the THIMUN Foundation office in The Hague, a registered charity in the Netherlands (RSIN 804339934, founded 1981). This person handles conference administration, external relations, venue hire, and the relationship with participating schools. The director-general is a paid staff position, not a student role.

If you are organising a THIMUN-affiliated conference, the director-general is your point of contact for the foundation's rules of procedure (latest revision 2017), delegate pack requirements, and awards policy. THIMUN gives no individual awards; only participation certificates. The director-general enforces that policy across all committees. A conference that deviates from it risks losing its THIMUN affiliation.

What Each USG Portfolio Covers

Under-secretary-general MUN positions form the operational layer between the secretary-general and the committee chairs. In THIMUN, there are USGs for General Assembly, Special Conference, ECOSOC, and Human Rights Council. In Harvard-style, USGs cover General Assembly, Economic and Social Council, Specialized Agencies, and Crisis. In NMUN, USGs handle General Assembly, ECOSOC, Specialized Agencies, and Conference Services.

Each USG supervises a cluster of committees within their portfolio. They ensure study guides are written, delegate packs are distributed, and chairs are trained. A USG for Crisis at a Harvard-style conference must design crisis arcs and coordinate with crisis directors. A USG for Conference Services at NMUN handles registration, venue logistics, and faculty advisor liaison.

How To Avoid The Most Common USG Staffing Mistake

The most common staffing mistake: appointing a USG who has only chaired one committee. A USG needs experience managing multiple chairs and committees simultaneously. Assign a USG only after they have served as a committee chair at a different conference. The transition from chair to USG is the standard progression, but skipping the chair step produces a USG who does not understand what chairs actually need.

The committee chair is the most visible secretariat role. Delegates interact with the chair more than any other staff member. Chair responsibilities vary by procedural family, but the stable functions are: moderate debate, rule on points and motions, maintain the speakers list, and enforce time limits.

THIMUN Chairs

In THIMUN, each committee has two student officers: a Chair and a Deputy Chair. Both are elected by MUN director vote at the preceding conference. The chair runs the lobbying phase and the formal debate. The deputy handles the delegate-to-chair ratio, aiming for one chair per 15 to 20 delegates.

Harvard Chairs

In Harvard procedure, one chair per committee is standard, sometimes assisted by a vice chair. The chair is appointed by the secretariat and must master both moderated caucus and unmoderated caucus formats. Harvard chairs also manage crisis updates in committees with crisis elements. The crisis director handles the crisis arc separately; the chair runs the procedural flow.

NMUN Chairs

In NMUN, one chair per committee is assisted by a rapporteur. The rapporteur records proceedings, assists with procedural matters, and may take over chairing duties. NMUN committees can reach 60 to 80 delegates in General Assembly, so the rapporteur is essential for maintaining order.

The crisis director is unique to Harvard-style conferences. This person designs and runs the crisis arc, issues updates, and adjudicates crisis actions. The crisis director is separate from the committee chair and reports to the USG for Crisis or directly to the secretary-general. Appointment is by the secretary-general or the director of crisis.

Crisis committees at conferences like HMUN, Yale MUN, and MUNUC use pre-written crisis arcs. Delegates who research the chair's likely narrative direction perform systematically better than those who treat the committee as purely reactive. A crisis director who issues too many updates without substantive content produces noise rather than engagement. The standard is one to two substantive updates per committee session, with the crisis director responding to directives in between.

THIMUN does not run crisis committees. NMUN offers crisis as specialised committees but uses a different structure where crisis updates are less frequent and more structured. If your conference is Harvard-style, budget for a dedicated crisis director per 3 to 4 crisis committees. Do not ask a committee chair to also run the crisis arc; it produces poor outcomes in both roles.

The President of the General Assembly appears in all three procedural families but with different powers. In THIMUN, the PGA is elected by student officers and presides over GA plenary, ruling on motions and amendments. In Harvard, the PGA is appointed by the secretariat and presides over GA plenary sessions, enforcing Harvard Rules of Procedure. In NMUN, the PGA is appointed by NCCA staff and rules on points of order under NMUN Rules.

The PGA role is largely ceremonial for most of the conference. The substantive work happens in committee. The PGA's real value is in managing the final plenary session where resolutions are voted on. A weak PGA can derail the final hours of a conference. Assign a PGA who has chaired at least two previous committees and can handle procedural disputes under pressure.

The deputy secretary-general manages committee logistics, liaises with venue staff, oversees delegate services, and manages the conference schedule. This role exists across all procedural families but is most formalised at THIMUN and NMUN. At Harvard-style conferences, the deputy may also handle faculty advisor liaison and safeguarding officer duties for school-level conferences.

The rapporteur, specific to NMUN, records committee proceedings and assists the chair. The rapporteur may take over chairing duties if the chair is absent or overwhelmed. This role is a training ground for future chairs. Assign a rapporteur who has been a delegate in at least two committees and understands NMUN Rules of Procedure.

Staffing a secretariat requires matching role to experience level and procedural style. Follow these guidelines:

• Secretary-General: Appoint someone who has chaired at least three committees and served as a USG for one conference cycle. The secretary-general sets the tone for the entire conference. A first-time secretary-general without USG experience will struggle with the operational demands.
• Under-Secretaries-General: Each USG should have chaired at least two committees in their portfolio area. A USG for General Assembly who has only chaired a specialised agency will not understand the scale and procedural needs of a 60-delegate GA committee.
• Committee Chairs: Appoint chairs who have been delegates in the same procedural style. A chair trained in Harvard procedure will struggle with THIMUN's lobbying-based resolution building, and vice versa. Chair training hours are a strong predictor of procedural consistency; require at least 10 hours of training before the conference.
• Crisis Directors: Appoint someone who has written crisis arcs before. A first-time crisis director should be paired with an experienced USG for Crisis. The most common failure: a crisis director who writes updates that do not connect to delegate directives, producing a committee where directives are ignored.
• Rapporteurs: Assign delegates who have completed at least two committees and want to move into chairing. The rapporteur role is a training position, not a punishment. Provide structured feedback after each committee session.

Three failures recur across conferences regardless of procedural family. First, appointing a secretary-general based on popularity rather than competence. The secretary-general must manage 30 to 70 staff, handle venue hire disputes, and enforce awards policy. A popular delegate who cannot manage logistics produces a chaotic conference.

Second, understaffing the crisis director role at Harvard-style conferences. One crisis director per 3 to 4 crisis committees is the minimum. Fewer than that produces delayed updates and ignored directives, which destroys delegate engagement.

Third, failing to train chairs on the specific rules of procedure. A chair who confuses THIMUN and Harvard procedure will rule incorrectly on points of order, creating procedural freezes. Require each chair to pass a procedural test before the conference. The test should include ruling on a motion to divide the house, handling a point of order, and managing a moderated caucus.

Secretariat roles suit experienced delegates who have chaired at least one committee and understand their procedural family's rules. They also suit faculty advisors who need to understand how secretariat staffing affects delegate experience, and conference organisers planning a new conference from scratch.

Skip secretariat roles if you have never been a delegate in the procedural style your conference uses. A first-time chair in Harvard procedure who has only been a THIMUN delegate will make procedural errors that frustrate the committee. Also skip if you cannot commit to the training hours: chair training below 10 hours produces inconsistent rulings and poor delegate feedback.

The most common failure: a secretary-general who accepts the role for the title rather than the work. The secretary-general's job is managing logistics, not giving speeches. If you want the title without the operational work, serve as a committee chair instead.