Model United Nations

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Further information: Regional organizers and events of Model United Nations

Model United Nations (also known as a "Model UN" or a "MUN") is a simulation education activity focusing on civics, communications, globalization and multilateral diplomacy. In MUN, students take on roles as foreign diplomats and participate in a simulated session of an intergovernmental organization (IGO). Participants research a country, take on a role as a diplomat, investigate international issues, debate, deliberate, consult, and then develop solutions to world problems. During a simulation they must employ a variety of communications and critical thinking skills to defend and advance the policies of their country. Most MUNs are simulations of a body in the United Nations system, like the Economic and Social Council, the Economic and Finance Committee of the General Assembly or the Executive Committee of UNICEF. Many conferences simulate other IGOs including the summit meeting of the African Union, the military committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or the Arab League. Even though not all simulate the United Nations, this type of simulation education conference and simulations is generically called “Model UN” or “MUN” and the participants are often called “MUNers". One founding idea of the Model United Nations is that "Conflict resolution and diplomacy is to be experienced and not just observed"^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Conferences

During a simulation they must employ a variety of communications and critical thinking skills to defend and advance the policies of their country.

Most MUNs are simulations of a body in the United Nations system, such as:

• Economic and Social Council
• Economic and Finance Committee of the General Assembly
• Executive Committee of UNICEF
• Security Council
• International Court of Justice

Many conferences simulate other IGOs including:

• European Union
• African Union
• The North Atlantic Council of NATO
• Arab League

Many conferences also simulate crisis simulations in which hypothetical real world factors are included in the simulation, including national cabinets or representatives from groups. Also, historical simulations and war games can be found in some MUN conferences.

[edit] Participants

Model United Nations groups are usually organized as either a club, conference, or class. A class can be a full semester class called "Model United Nations" or just one class period devoted to a short simulation. A conference is a school-wide, local, regional or international gathering of Model United Nations students who come together over a period between one and five days.

In the early days of Model United Nations, participants were mostly students at select colleges in the United States of America. Today, Model United Nations has greatly matured and expanded. It is now practiced all over the world in classes, clubs, and conferences on every continent besides Antarctica. Model United Nation participants are elementary, secondary, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students. Recently even university alumni and professionals have taken part. Participants come from public and private schools and universities, and they live in city, suburban and rural areas.

Over 90 000 students take part in Model United Nations Conferences in the USA. [1] The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) publishes the most comprehensive calendar of Model United Nations conferences: the 2003-2004 edition lists 400+ conferences in 48 countries. [2]

Some simulations are small, including only members of a single class. For example, 20 students can do a one-hour simulation of the (15-member) United Nations Security Council in their classroom. On a very large scale are the MUN's of the World Model United Nations (run by Harvard, but taking place in a different location each year), the National Model United Nations in New York and THIMUN, which takes place in the Hague, the resolutions of which find their way to the desk of the Secretary General of the United Nations. The majority of conferences are between 70 and 300 students and the students come from one region, although the largest conferences can have thousands of participants. Each simulation and conference varies greatly in number of participants and their involvement.

[edit] History

Model and civic simulation education are older than the United Nations. Records indicate that as early as the 1920s students in the United States of America were participating in collegiate simulations of the League of Nations, the predecessor to the United Nations. The modern day National Model United Nations in New York City started as a model League of Nations in the early twenties as did the Harvard Model UN in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As the League of Nations was dismantled and the United Nations was born in 1945, Model League of Nations was transformed into Model United Nations. ^{[verification needed]} Interestingly, some conferences still perform simulations of League of Nations crisis situations.

[edit] Languages

Simulations are conducted in many languages, including the six official languages of the UN. Because MUN was created in and the majority still take place in the USA, most simulations are in English. Some conferences, however, are conducted in two or three languages. For example, in Mexico and the Southern United States, many conferences are run in both Spanish and English, while in Canada, both French and English are used.

[edit] Support

The United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI) supports Model United Nations in four key ways:

• the Model United Nations Discussion Area on the United Nations Cyber School Bus
• the Public Inquiries Section in New York
• the United Nations Information Centers (UNIC)
• allowing several large Model United Nations conferences to use its rooms for committee space.

The CyberSchoolBus is the on-line education program created by the United Nations. It features a Model United Nations Discussion Area and a list of Model United Nations Experts who answer inquiries as well as excellent research tools for country research.

The Public Inquiries Section at UNHQ assists by helping Model United Nations groups to find speakers and it arranges briefings in its New York offices. UNICs in Argentina, Mexico, Panama, and the UK have been extremely involved in Model United Nations activities helping with research, Model United Nations support, and sometimes with facilities. United Nations offices in The Hague, Netherlands; Nairobi, Kenya; Vienna, Austria and Geneva, Switzerland also support Model United Nations and serve as hosts for at least one conference each year.

The Organization of American States has been involved from the very beginning in the creation and growth of the Model OAS in the Americas. It has sponsored annual conferences and helps participants to understand OAS functions, international issues and foreign policy. Other regional organizations have provided information and basic support to international civic simulations. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation annually supports the Model NATO conference in Washington, DC with speakers, consultations and advisors. Other IGOs provide research assistance to simulations, conferences and students. Additionally, many UN Missions and Embassies support Model United Nations activities. Many mission and embassy websites have recently added sections created specifically for Model United Nations. Embassies and Consulates will often invite groups to discuss country positions or send a speaker out to speak to Model United Nations clubs, classes, or conferences. The overall support of simulation education activities by the international community is increasing rapidly every year.

[edit] Criticism

Some academics have criticized the Model UN for imparting incorrect lessons on international diplomacy. In the Model United Nations, students generally learn that the way to achieve an objective is to compromise and to split the difference in their negotiating positions. However, real world diplomacy is often dramatically different because an objective often cannot be reached that way. In real world diplomacy, some leaders have no interest in compromise, some leaders will not follow agreements they have made, and some leaders have anti-human rights agendas that go dramatically against the interests of their own people and the world community. By only simulating the negotiation process, the Model U.N. takes diplomacy out of its broader context. Most importantly, some critics say the Model UN misses the important link between strength (broadly defined) and diplomacy. Economic and military power (or lack thereof) strongly influences the passage and following of an agreement. For example, in the Bosnian War, Serbia and other combatants effectively ignored all United Nations resolutions and action because there were no consequences for ignoring them. This became especially apparent in the Srebrenica massacre where Serbian troops committed genocide against Bosnian Muslims in the largest case of mass murder in Europe since World War II. Srebrenica had been declared a U.N. "safe area" and was even protected by 400 armed Dutch peacekeepers, but the U.N. forces did nothing to prevent the massacre. Some MUN conferences have been criticized for being overly competitive, and placing too much of an emphasis on the delegate award process, which some say detracts from the real purpose of the conference. Often the delegate award winners will be those who compromise the most, and not the ones that play the role of their country.

[edit] External links

External links about specific conferences can be found at the end of the Regional organizers and events of Model United Nations article. HISTORY RULES