Lights, camera, action? Or better said: lights, camera, obnoxious gavel sounds scratching at your brain after a night full of research and composing speeches? At its core this is the beginning of the MUN experience. Admittedly, it does sound kind of terrifying at first, but believe it or not, those loud gavel thuds will soon start to get your adrenaline pumping and amplify your wish of delivering more and more speeches, answering more POIs or starting work on the resolution. But before all that, let’s clarify what are those POIs, resolutions or even MUN speeches.

MUNs, Model UN or to be fully specific, Model United Nations is, as its name suggests, an academic simulation of the United Nations where students play the role of delegates from different parts of the world and attempt to solve real issues relevant to the committee they’re taking part in with the perspective and policy of the country they represent. The purpose of an MUN is to debate ideas with fellow delegates in order to reach practical solutions to the problem at hand which will be presented in a resolution: a document which presents the issues the committee wants to solve and the proposed solutions. Ideas can be gathered in draft resolutions which are usually created by groupings of countries with similar perspectives. These draft resolutions will then be debated and voted upon towards the end of committee sessions. Approved draft resolutions can be modified during the amendments session. Once all the voting is done, the resolution or resolutions at hand will either pass or fail (and your brain will be able to have a little rest after a good day’s work). What’s shown here is truly just a small summary of the MUN experience but hopefully one which has eased some of your doubts and stress regarding MUNs and their overall purpose.

MUN Glossary

Now, let’s take a little break and enrich our vocabulary with a little ✨MUN Glossary✨:

Position Paper

• a document of usually 1-2 pages which summarizes the country’s perspective on the topic at hand alongside some solutions proposed in order to solve the issue.
• it usually contains 4 sections: Topic Background, Past International Actions, Country Stance, Possible Solutions.
• some delegates like to see it as the sole piece of research they’ve done in order to prepare for the conference which is a big mistake unless you plan on staying quiet or being out of the loop for the whole conference.

Points

• Points of Information – after a delegate’s speech they can whether they are open for POI or not which basically means they are open to questions from other delegates or not.
• Point of Personal Privilege – used for any personal problem such as bathroom breaks, the need for a power outlet, stepping outside for some air.
• Point of Inquiry – asking chairs questions about the procedure.

Motion

Motions are a way to officially channel requests and guide the conversation in a favorable direction for you. The most used motions are as follows.

• Motion for a Moderated Caucus – allows a delegate to narrow the scope of a debate to a certain subtopic, relevant to the topic of the committee.
• Motion for an Unmoderated Caucus – it is usually used to clarify positions and ease the work of preparing draft resolutions or amendments, but its main purpose is to allow immediate and informal interactions between delegates.

Yielding

When a delegate finishes their speech but hasn’t used up all their permitted time for a speech, they can yield their time:

• to the Chairpersons, ending the speech;
• to another delegate who can either accept or refuse the yield;
• to POIs;

Amendments

They are used to change specific aspects of a resolution such as adding or deleting sections or clauses.

Rules of Procedure

The true Holy Grail of MUNs and an extended version of this ✨MUN Glossary✨, it probably has everything and more that you need to know in order to handle this conference like a pro. I highly recommend you give it a read (after you finish this article of course).

Tips & tricks

Now that we got all the boring procedural stuff out of the way, let’s get into what truly interests you dear reader, and that is tips & tricks for being the best delegate out there and snatching the awards from those who haven’t bothered to check out this useful piece of written advice.

1. Don’t panic:

This might be a bit of a cliche, but believe me, freaking out is only going to stop you from enjoying your first time at a MUN. Remember that you’ll not be the only one new to this academic environment and that the chairpersons are people your age open to helping you out in case everything becomes too overwhelming. Rules will be thoroughly explained for as many times as you need. Just treat this as a new experience to try out, make new friends, learn about important events in today’s world which are not necessarily popularized and most importantly, have fun!

2. Read the study guide:

Although quite an obvious step, some delegates choose to ignore this crucial aspect of their research journey. Unlike some complicated and tangled research sources you might find on the internet, the study guide has been written by your chairpersons in order for you to easily understand what to prepare in your speeches. It is the most promising start you can have to researching the topic and taking into account the questions in the Study Guide you can develop a productive plan of action.

3. Research, research, research and, again research:

I know, this is probably the most used word in this entire article but with good reason. Every conference I attended without doing extensive research beforehand left me sitting alone in the corner with only an insignificant opening speech to my name and no clue of what was going on. I doubt you want to be in the same position, so start by accessing the links in the “Further reading” section of the Study Guide and follow that up by researching some specific aspects such as: your country’s stance, your country’s allies, national interests of your country, past actions on the topic at hand, some surface-level statistical data. Take this information from trustworthy sites such as past UN resolutions, the foreign ministry site of the country you represent, news websites such as BBC or CNN, the UN website.

4. Try to speak up as often as you can:

Yes, this might sound insane for an insecure first-time delegate who’s confused even about asking for a bathroom break, but it is a game changer. Of course, I’m not telling you to deliver filler speeches with no substance just for the sake of talking. I’m telling you to deliver even the speeches that you do not consider 100% perfect or those speeches which only applaud the initiatives of another delegate. This can earn you possible allies when it comes to forming blocks for draft resolutions or can help the chairpersons notice your mistakes and help you in order to improve.

5. Always ask for feedback:

As a first-timer there is no better way to become a more skillful delegate than to ask for feedback and actually hear ways to improve from the people who have been tracking your progress in the committee. Although it can be scary at first, doing it will clear up any confusion and frustration you might have regarding your performance. Moreover, the chairs have all been first-time delegates themselves so there’s not anyone as qualified as them to get you on the right path.

So, with all of that said, I hope this article has been helpful in teaching you about MUNs and calming some of your nerves. One last piece of advice, try to be yourself and to simply indulge in such a formative learning experience without any shame or fear. I can’t wait to see all of you participate in GalMUN this year.

Kisses <3