What is MUN?

Model United Nations conferences simulate United Nations, International Organizations, and govern­mental bodies such as the World Health Organiza­tion, the African Union, and government cabinets - in which participants are assigned to represent countries, organizations, or leaders in order to de­bate pressing international issues. Over a series of committee sessions, “delegates” or attendees to the conference, have to work together constructively in order to introduce working papers and eventually draft resolutions. The sessions end when the com­mittee votes on all the introduced draft resolutions, generally choosing to adopt a single document that addresses the problem being discussed. The ses­sions are moderated by a Chair (at WorldMUN this role is fulfilled by a Harvard student who is an expert in the topics at hand), along with Assistant Chairs (at WorldMUN these roles are fulfilled by local host team students), and are (with the exception of some Specialized Agency committees!) run under rules of parliamentary procedure which are expanded upon below.

Participating in Model United Nations is an excel­lent way to develop one’s negotiation skills, learn to communicate and form solutions with peers from around the world, as well as to broaden one’s perspective on a variety of international topics. Del­egates gain invaluable leadership experience as they work with international teams on important issues, forming solutions to important global problems. In today’s era of rapid globalization, the leadership, or­ganizational, creative, and personal skills delegates develop at conference will be useful for any career! Few university students, let alone business and gov­ernment leaders, have the opportunity to take part in a conference of this magnitude with this global scale!