• The question of the NATO membership of Ukraine

• The questions of ensuring security and stability in the Arctic region 

• The question of NATO’s nuclear posture and deterrence strategy

Welcome, distinguished delegates and most esteemed guests, 

My name is Lan Dinh, a junior from Concordia International School Hanoi. This year’s UNISMUN March conference would mark my 11th conference overall, with my 3rd as chair. It is a pleasure to serve as your Head Chair for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Committee; the topics are quite interesting, so I look forward to hearing all the arguments and perspectives you are willing to bring to the conference. 

This year’s theme, “Is our rules-based international system able to adapt to the contemporary challenges to security and sovereignty,” is closely related to NATO and its purposes. In recent times, the question of whether sovereignty is a concept used to defend a member state’s autonomy or used simply as a shield for nations to undermine international order has been a question that all delegates should consider. NATO, a regional military alliance, stands as a bulwark to ensure security within the Euro-Atlantic sphere. In this sense, sovereignty stands as a double-edged sword: On one hand, sovereignty provides a road map for peace and prosperity across NATO member states. On the other hand, not all member states have the same degree of sovereignty, leading to major world powers being able to exert their geopolitical influence despite clear violations of state autonomy.

Our first topic, “The question of the NATO membership of Ukraine,” tackles this problem of sovereignty directly. Before the start of the Ukrainian war, Russia had been infringing on Ukraine’s sovereignty via small skirmishes; yet, the international community had done little to nothing. The debate over Ukraine’s membership then raises a central question: Can NATO still uphold its commitment to peace and stability within the Euro-Atlantic sphere while protecting the sovereignty of nation-states? Or does it need to simply be reformed and evolve? 

Our next topic, “The question of ensuring security and stability within the Arctic region,” calls into question the effectiveness of our existing frameworks in preventing conflicts. As new maritime routes emerge near the Arctic Circle, the Arctic gradually becomes a focal point for competition over shipping lanes, natural resources, and military positioning. With the rapid effects of climate change, existing agreements like the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) are being challenged. 

Finally, our last topic, “The question of NATO’s nuclear posture and deterrence strategy,” confronts one of the most sensitive and consequential aspects of international security. With tension arising between NATO members and Russia, the current agreements regarding the use of nuclear weapons (most of which were established during the Cold War) are increasingly being viewed as outdated. The rise of new technology like interceptors has also increased the nuance of this issue. Thus, delegates must consider how NATO can adjust its nuclear posture to maintain credible deterrence, protect member states’ sovereignty, and ensure long-term stability within an evolving global security landscape.

With all that said, I hope these topics will encourage you all to think of creative solutions. 

See you in March!

Lan Dinh

Greetings, honorable directors, fellow chairs, distinguished delegates, and most esteemed guests,

My name is Jieun Kim and I’m currently a senior at QSI International School of Haiphong. I’m incredibly honored to serve as the Deputy Chair for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Committee at the UNISMUN March 2026 Conference. Having attended three previous MUN conferences as a delegate, this upcoming conference will mark my fourth overall and my first time stepping into a chair position. I’m excited to support all of you throughout the debate and help ensure our committee runs productively. 

The theme of the March 2026 Conference is “Is our rules-based international system able to adapt to contemporary challenges to security and sovereignty?” This theme aligns closely with NATO’s objectives in addressing security threats, strengthening coordination among its 32 member states, and maintaining stability within the Euro-Atlantic region. 

Our committee will address three significant topics:

The first topic, “The question of the NATO membership of Ukraine,” focuses on whether Ukraine should advance toward membership through NATO’s Membership Action Plan, a programme that outlines the political and defense reforms required for accession. The ongoing conflict and the implication of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which commits all members to collective defense, make the question of its membership a widely debated issue. 

The second topic, “Ensuring security and stability in the Arctic region,” addresses how NATO should respond to the Arctic’s increasing importance as the melting ice opens new routes and access to natural resources. These changes raise questions about how NATO can support stability while respecting existing regional frameworks and avoiding any escalation. 

The final topic, “NATO’s nuclear posture and deterrence strategy,” explores how the Alliance should manage its nuclear capabilities in a shifting global environment. NATO’s current posture relies on both nuclear forces and conventional defenses. I find this topic particularly interesting, as I believe this topic will offer delegates a challenging yet engaging debate. 

I encourage all delegates to come prepared with solid background knowledge on their country’s stances, so that it will make our debates far more engaging. I look forward to seeing you all in March!

Sincerely,

Jieun Kim

Honorable chairs, distinguished delegates, and most esteemed guests

My name is Jay Lee, a freshman at the United Nations International School of Hanoi. I have been a part of UNISMUN for 3 years, participating in 4 conferences as a delegate and 1 as a chair. This is my 2nd conference as a chair, and I am highly honored to serve as the procedural chair of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the March UNISMUN conference. I’m excited to support all my delegates throughout the conference and make sure that we can have some interesting and fruitful debates. 

This upcoming conference theme, “Is our rule based international system able to adapt to contemporary challenges to security and sovereignty?” is truly relevant to current situations around the world. This theme is asking whether the current laws can be updated, reinforced, and made more inclusive fast enough to handle the new realities and threats around the world. This theme is also specifically relevant to NATO because the alliance within NATO is shaped by the functioning rule based international systems, and this is one of the key factors shaping whether the system can adapt to new threats.

The 3 topics of the NATO highly connect back to the theme. The topics “The question of the NATO membership of Ukraine”, “The questions of ensuring security and stability in the Arctic region”, and “The question of NATO’s nuclear posture and deterrence strategy” are deeply connected to the question of our ability to adapt to contemporary challenges with updated laws within NATO regarding issues related to Ukraine’s sovereignty and self-defence, geopolitics of the Arctic and nuclear posture.

The first topic, “The question of the NATO membership of Ukraine” concerns Ukraine’s long-term goal of becoming a NATO member state. However, this raises issues since Ukraine is in a war against Russia, and according to Article 5 of NATO’s North Atlantic Treaty, if one member state is under attack, all members must assist the attacked ally with the use of armed forces. With Ukraine joining NATO with an existing war, NATO would face pressure to join this war with its defence commitments. This question mainly focuses on the aspect of whether existing rules can be adjusted to defend sovereignty against current aggression. Delegates are strongly encouraged to check the UN General Assembly resolutions on Ukraine (UN GA resolution) and additional documents providing information on the ongoing conflict and NATO’s stance on this issue.

The second topic, “The questions of ensuring security and stability in the Arctic region” questions whether the laws are effective and if they can be adjusted fast and fairly to be able to protect both sovereignty and security. With global warming and melting ice, new sea routes were created, raising questions about the sovereignty of these lands and the risk of military incidents, mainly between Russia and NATO states.  Most states want to manage these disputes with already existing international laws of the sea, and therefore, this creates a direct tension between national sovereignty and shared rules. Delegates should look through this paper, written under the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS paper) and parts of this UN Environment Programme article(UNEP article).

The final topic, “The question of NATO’s nuclear posture and deterrence strategy” discusses how the alliance should manage its nuclear posture, testing how its system can adapt its security tools to contemporary threats without triggering a bigger nuclear arms race. This question emphasizes NATO’s stance on how the fundamental purpose of its nuclear capability is to preserve peace; however, it also acknowledges how the adjustment of the system is necessary for NATO to convey its initial idea of its deterrence strategy without any misunderstandings. Delegates are encouraged to go through this article about NATO’s nuclear deterrence policy and forces(NATO), NATO’s 2022 strategic concept(NATO), and the Treaty on the Non‑Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons(UN).

I hope that throughout this conference, not only will I be able to grow as a chair, but also provide support and guidance for all delegates. I hope that I can work successfully with my peer chairs, shaping enjoyable and fruitful debates for the delegates. I hope to see you soon at the March Conference.

Best regards,

Jay Lee