Summary of "Model UN: Everything You Need to Know"
Main ideas, concepts, and lessons
What Model UN (MUN) is
- A worldwide club format typically in middle schools, high schools, and colleges
- Delegates roleplay countries and simulate diplomacy
- It’s useful for students interested in international affairs and for meeting like-minded people
What you must do before a conference
You’re usually assigned:
- A country
- A topic (often varies by committee/room)
Typical committees/room examples
- UN Disarmament and National Security
- UN Office on Drugs and Crime
- Security Council
- UN General Assembly
- Other similar specialized rooms
Research is essential
You should walk into debate well-prepared on your topic.
Recommended research resources (as mentioned)
- Conference-provided background guides (often on the conference website; include every debate topic)
- CIA World Factbook for country bios
- UN.org virtual DAG Hammarskjöld school / library for speeches and resolutions related to your country
- Government-backed country policy websites (search Google for official sites)
- ChatGPT (for discussion/questions; can provide sources if asked)
Position paper writing
- Position papers are typically required for placement/participation.
- Basic content structure:
- Define the problem
- What has been done so far
- How you plan to solve it
- Conferences may be strict: use the template from the conference website.
Do not prewrite resolutions
Warning: writing your resolution before committee is described as illegal. Resolutions must be written in committee, surrounded by other delegates.
Conference flow and procedures (General Assembly/most committees)
Opening ceremony
- Delegates gather; secretariat gives long speeches
- You can use the time to research or plan
Seating and roles
- Find your placard, sit, and wait
- Chair and co-chair moderate debate and often help determine placements/winners
- Sit where you can be seen/heard clearly
Starting debate
- Someone moves to open debate
- Delegates vote to proceed
- The chair calls for motions
Two main motion types
-
Moderated Caucus (“mod”)
- Set speaking time
- Set general topic
- Chair moderates; formal structure
-
Unmoderated Caucus (“unmod”)
- No speaking time limit
- No topic constraint
- Fixed overall time
- Used to stand/walk around and collaborate with other groups (“blocks”) to draft resolutions
Examples of motion wording (as described)
- Mod
"Russia moves for a 5:30 on the topic of national sovereignty."
- Unmod
"Russia moves for a 10-minute unmoderated caucus."
Goal of debate
- Develop a resolution that addresses the issue
Foreign policy alignment
- Resolutions should stay consistent with your country’s foreign policy
How to write a resolution (format and roles)
Core resolution components
- Name of resolution
- Often acronyms/creative titles; “the more fun the better” (as stated)
- Sponsors list
- People actively driving/writing the resolution
- Speaker suggests you should aim to be “first in line” among sponsors for credit
- Signatories
- Clarification:
- Being a signatory does not mean you agree with the paper
- Signatories may oppose the resolution but still sign/attach support
- Clarification:
- Preambulatory (“preambley”) clauses
- “Pretty easy” to write
- Verbs that set the foundation / explain the basis of the resolution
- Operative clauses
- The “important ones”
- Describe what actions will actually happen
Collaboration tips
- Resolutions are a group effort
- If you’re stuck on clauses, consult partners/delegates
Tracking contributions (pro tip)
- Have delegates write on paper or online depending on the conference
- Use a consistent color to mark who is writing what, so credit is visible
After resolutions are drafted
Author’s panel
- Sponsors present the resolution and get questioned (“grilled”) by the room
- Strong performance here marks top delegates
Amendments
- Period to adjust/compromise via amendments with opposing blocks
- Goal: cooperation that can help your paper pass
Voting
- Majority rules in most settings
- Security Council exception
- “These five can just veto whatever they want.”
- If passed or not, you’re essentially done after voting
Tips specifically for General Assembly
- Use third person when referring to your country
- Example:
"The Russian Federation believes..."not “I believe”
- Example:
- If another country attacks/calls you out:
- You can request a right of reply to respond
- Speak whenever possible:
- Try to make motions frequently in a mod
- Chairs notice people who stay active
- Lead your block:
- Be nice, but also assertive
- Don’t rely only on friendly people:
- Foreign policy should override personal connections
- Know in advance who you’re “allowed” to work with
Other room types covered
Crisis Rooms
What they are
- Fast-paced, action-heavy format
- The style may include claims of “cheating, lying, and manipulation” (as part of the presentation)
- You are not a country—you are an individual
- Problems are typically historical or fictional
- Instead of large resolutions, you pass smaller things called directives
- Directives are passed typically hourly
Structure
- Two rooms:
- Front room
- Normal debate with motions (mods/unmods)
- Arguing like standard committee
- Back room
- Special writing/plotting space
- You can write to “whoever you want” (secretary, president, etc.)
- Use backroom notes to advance a crisis arc (a grand plan over committee time)
- Front room
Crisis arc examples mentioned
- Starting a new religion/cult
- Overthrowing the government
- Going to war with everyone
- Seceding from a country
- Taking the entire room down with you
Crisis updates
- Every few hours, the room receives crisis update info from the back room
Tips for crisis rooms
- Do not write notes about other people
- Since backroom notes come only hourly, use them to advance your arc, not “investigate others”
- Talk and motion as much as possible
- In the first crisis note, explicitly explain your end goal to the back room
- “Make a newspaper in committee”
- Use media control and divisive actions to get people talking
Specialized Rooms (“Spec rooms”)
What they are
- A mix of crisis speed and GA formality
- You may be individuals or organizations, not necessarily countries
- There is no back room like in Crisis
- You must collaborate in-room to get things done
How work gets done
- Pass directives (similar to crisis)
- Crisis updates still happen to keep debate fresh
Tips for specialized rooms
- Be prepared for anything
- Specialized rooms may turn into:
- full GA-like resolutions, or
- full crisis-like structures
- Enter with:
- One or two big solutions (if resolutions become the mode)
- Many smaller ideas to build during debate
Speaker/Source list (featured people and references)
Primary speaker
- Primary speaker (video host/narrator): “I” / narrator referred to as speaking directly to viewers (no name given)
Sponsor thanked by host
- RPA Today
Referenced external sources/tools (not speakers)
- CIA World Factbook
- UN.org virtual DAG / “hammer school” library
- ChatGPT
- Conference website background guides
- Country government-backed websites (for policy pages)
Category
Educational
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