What is a MUN?
Short version or long version
A Model United Nations simulates how the different UN organisms work.
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The MUN participants, the so-called delegates, are assigned a country that must be different from the one they come from. They also have to choose a UN organism. Delegates must represent the political position that such country takes in the organisms assigned, such as the UN Security Council, the Human Rights Committee and others.
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Two topics are discussed in each committee. The delegates must be previously familiarized with them in order to be properly prepared for the conference and to be able to faithfully defend their country’s position. The normal functioning of each committee is in the hands of the Chairs. They are in charge of choosing the topics that will be discussed and will also lead the debate.
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Aside from the delegates and the Chairs, members of the press will be present in the committees. MUN press is part of a separate committee. In MUNUSAL, such committee will be known as “The Globe”. It will be in charge of writing news articles about the debate’s developments and conducting interviews with the delegates.
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All the committees’ work is supervised by the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General. They are in charge of solving any kind of problem related to the rules of procedure and correcting the resolutions. The resolutions are documents produced by the delegates that reflect the agreements reached throughout the debate.
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If you want to know the long version come and live a MUN by yourself.
Throughout the conference, you will be able to develop a series of skills, such as oral and written communication, diplomacy, critical thinking and teamwork.
This is also an interactive way to approach social, economic and cultural problems in the international arena. During this week, delegates will look for solutions to these problems via diplomacy in the UN’s context.
Last, but not least, a Model United Nations is perfect to meet very, very interesting people from all around the world and to have fun with the activities scheduled after the debates.
Why should you participate in a MUN?
How should a delegate prepare for a Model United Nations?
The first thing to take into consideration is that your task will be to defend the position of the country you represent, not your own. It is also necessary to do some research prior to the conference about the country assigned and the topics chosen for the debates. The committees’ Presidents will make this easier with a study guide that will be sent a couple weeks before the conference. This guide contains essential data of each topic and a list of the most important points for the debate.
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Once the information is gathered, each delegate prepares a position paper where he/she will explain briefly the position of the country assigned in both topics. With this document, all the countries in the committee can get an overall picture of the different opinions to be defended during the debate.
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Finally, as our goal is to recreate the UN as faithfully as possible, formal clothing will be required for the debates’ sessions.