NAGOYA UNIVERSITY MODEL UNITED NATIONS

APRIL 27-28, 2024

SUPPORTED BY:

WHAT IS MODEL UNITED NATIONS?

Model United Nations (MUN) is an academic simulation of the United Nations where students play a role as a delegate of different countries and attempt to solve real world issues with the attitude, policies, and perspectives of their assigned country.

Delegates can participate in many MUN conferences all over the world, offline or online. These conferences are organized by universities, high schools, nonprofit organizations, and other educational groups. Once a student has registered for an MUN conference, they will be allocated to a committee (random or the student’s own choice) and receive a country to represent.

HOW TO PREPARE?

Policy Paper

At Nagoya University Model United Nations (NUMUN), we require all delegates to submit a position paper.

A position paper is a one to two page document summarizing your country’s understanding and perspective on the topic your committee will be discussing. A position paper should contain the following:

Heading: Committee, Topic, Country, Delegate name

Topic background: What is the topic? Who and Where does it affect? and Why is it important to address the topic.

Past international actions: What are the major past actions proposed by the General Assembly or the Security Council? What worked and what did not? Do Non-Governmental Organizations work on this topic?

Country policy: How does this topic affect your country? What has your country done to resolve this topic? What policies would your country want the UN to adopt (or not to adopt) on this topic?

Possible solutions: What UN programs are redundant? What UN programs should be amended? What plans should Member States undertake in their own countries?

Public Speaking

At NUMUN you will have many occasions to speak on behalf of your country. Public speaking at NUMUN can be divided into three sections: (1) Speakers list, (2) Moderated caucus, and (3) Unmoderated caucus.

Speakers list and the opening speech: When the committee begins, your chair will prepare a list of delegates who wish to give speeches, called the speakers list. This is an opportunity to convey your country’s position, policies, and issues you would like the committee to focus on. The speech typically lasts between one to one and a half minutes. The first time you speak from the speakers list is called the opening speech. You are expected to prepare an opening speech before the conference. After your opening speech, you can request the chair to be put on the speakers list again.

Moderated caucus: Whilst the speakers list deals with the topic in general, moderated caucus debates on a specific aspect of the topic. There is no speakers list in the moderated caucus, so delegates raise their placards and wait to be called by the chair to speak. Each delegate has a set time limit to speak, typically between 30 seconds to one minute.

Unmoderated caucus: In the unmoderated caucus, delegates are free to move around the room and form groups, called blocs, to write resolutions. The objective of the unmoderated caucus is to negotiate with other delegates to write the strongest resolution possible.

How to Write a Resolution

A resolution is a written document that summarizes your committee's solutions to the topic. Any delegate in a committee can contribute to writing a resolution. The author of a resolution is called a sponsor. Resolutions are often written during unmoderated caucus, where delegates can freely converse without speaking time limits to discuss possible solutions to the topic. Your goal in MUN is to work with your committee members to write and pass a resolution. A resolution contains (1) Header, (2) Preambulatory, and (3) Operatives.

For more detail, check out our previous handbook (WARNING: contents may change for this year’s NUMUN):

What are Rules of Procedure (RoP)?

Rules of procedure (RoP) is a set of rules conducted on the committee sessions to ensure smooth functioning of the MUN conference. RoP governs what delegates can and cannot do during a conference. The chairs and co-chairs utilize the RoP to ensure order, fairness, and effective debates.

NUMUN uses the RoP called UNA-USA Procedure

There is no universal RoP so different conferences adopt different RoPs. At NUMUN, we use the UNA-USA Procedure.

Link to our RoP document for more details:

BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING IN MUN

Why spend a weekend donning suits and discussing current affairs, when you could be relaxing at home watching TV or playing video games? Here are the top three ways participating in MUN will benefit you throughout college and your future career.

Understand the workings of the UN and become familiar with politics and history: MUN helps you understand the principles of the UN and how it functions. It offers opportunities to explore and propose solutions to real-world problems, including political issues that directly impact your life. Many of today’s leaders, including those that work in the UN, are former MUN participants.

<bDevelop communication and leadership skills: MUN gives you an opportunity to exercise public speaking skills through both prepared and impromptu speeches. As you tackle complex issues dealt at MUN, you will develop negotiation, writing, and research skills—skills you need no matter what you do in your career.

Use your MUN experience to advance your academic and career prospects: Use your knowledge from MUN to deepen your understanding of current affairs, and open up career paths in diplomacy, law, business and beyond. Use your MUN experience as concrete evidence of leadership in college applications and job interviews. Network with fellow delegates to expand your professional connections, opening doors to diverse opportunities.