While preparing for the conference, Advisors need to bear in mind the following:
31st May 2024: Registration for Delegations opens on a first come, first served basis. Registration for Chairs also opens, but applications are taken under consideration so it is not necessarily first come, first served. Registration will close once all places have been filled or on Thursday, November 30th, whichever is earlier.
Once registration is complete, begin planning your trip and helping your students to prepare for the conference.
MUN conference preparation
- Understand the UN Charter www.un.org
- Good research is vital to be successful at the conference.
- The land and its history:
What is its name and flag? Where does it lay? How big is it? What are the needs of the different provinces? How many inhabitants does it have? How was the nation formed? What wars have they been in? How have the borders changed throughout time? Have there been any significant historical events? - Politics and economy:
What is the political situation? What is the leading political party? What recent laws or reforms have been adopted? How strong is the economy? How does it influence political relations? What trading groups does the country belong to? How developed is the country? How good is the health and education system? What is the infrastructure like? What developments is the government working on? - Political relations:
Look at what neighbors your country has and what are your relationships with them. Look at what conflicts you have and what your governments agree on. Also find out whether your country is a part of any different union apart from the UN, such as the EU, NATO, NAFTA among others. - Demography and culture:
How is society divided? Is there a great difference between the rich and the poor? What ethnic groups are there? What is the situation with the ethnic minorities? What traditions are there? Are there any problems with the traditions? What religions are there? What do these religions prohibit? What is the crime rate? - Others:
Does the country possess nuclear weapons? How strong is the military? Are there any disputed territories?
- Research the topics of the committee you will be sitting on and how it relates to the country you represent.
From 23rd December 2024 on, Research Reports written by the Chairs of the committees will be made available on this website to guide delegates in their research.
- Write a Position Paper which outlines your country’s position on the three topics. The paper should be about six hundred words long and needs to be sent to their Chairs by 7th January 2024 at the latest. If the Chairs are happy with the Position Papers, they will be made available to all the delegates of that committee by 21st January 2024.
An example Position Paper can be seen here.
- Write at least one resolution on one of the topics to be debated and voted on in the committee. It is perfectly acceptable to write more than one.
A guide on how to write a Resolution by Best Delegate is available here.
- The delegation will design and print stationery to be used for note passing in committees and the general assemblies.
The stationery should be of size A5 and maybe black and white or in color. The stationery must clearly show the name of the delegation and the names of the delegates within that delegation. There must also be sufficient space for writing the message, but apart from this the delegation is free to design the stationery in any way.
Typical examples of design include using the flag, a map or a well-known symbol of the member country.
- As a delegate, you must know and use the proper language and rules of procedure whilst debating. The most important rules include:
- Delegates always have to refer to themselves as well as others in the third person
- In order to speak, delegates have to have the floor or an appropriate point or motion
- Delegates must stand to speak or to ask Points of Information (questions) and remain standing until they have been answered
- After finishing speaking, delegates must yield the floor back to the Chair or to another delegate
Please read this document which explains the Rules of Procedure
- Understand the process of suggesting amendments to a resolution during debates.
- Write the suggestion on an Amendment Sheet, which can be obtained from the Chairs.
- When it is brought up for debate, the delegate must read out their proposed amendment and then give a short speech explaining the reason for the amendment.
- Other delegates will be able to speak in favor or against the amendment before Voting on the amendment takes place.
(Amendments to the Second Degree are used to change an original amendment. The process is the same as when proposing a regular amendment. If an Amendment to the Second Degree is approved, the entire amendment is also approved. When voting on an amendment or an amendment to the second degree, all delegates must vote and cannot abstain as it is a procedural vote.)
9. During voting, all note passing must cease and the secretaries will take their voting positions. The Chairs will ask delegates to raise their placards to vote either for, against or to abstain on a resolution, and the secretaries will count the votes and pass this information on to the Chairs.
Best Position Paper: one award per committee will be given based on delegates meeting the submission deadline, the quality of their writing (style, grammar, etc), analysis of the topics, consistency with the country’s constraints of bloc/geopolitical/UN, following standards rules of citation and producing their own work.
Outstanding Diplomat: two awards maximum per committee will be given based on a positive attitude and engagement with people, policies and issues, an elegant handling of relationships and partnerships, and collaboration with the other delegates in the committee to produce the most positive change and advancement.
Best Delegate: two awards maximum per committee will be given based on delegates remaining in character, participation in debates and following a proper use of the rules. If a delegate fails to submit their Position Paper on time, they cannot be considered for this award.
Best Delegation: three awards for the conference will be given based on delegations remaining in character, participation in debates and following a proper use of the rules.
Arctic Council: has its own awards.
Ambassadors from three delegations will make their speeches in the Opening Ceremony. This year the Ambassadors will be from Ukraine, Sudan, and Palestine.
The ambassador is the head of a delegation and they have to give a short, introductory speech that demonstrates their member´s beliefs on the issues up for discussion at the conference and should show respect for one’s own country as well as all other countries.
Prior to attending the conference, having researched the country they are representing and the topics to be discussed in the committees, the delegation as a whole should decide which of the topics are the most important to them and establish the delegation’s position. Then the Ambassador can prepare their speech which must last between one minute and 90 seconds.
Each committee has 2 Chairs, the students that are the heads of the committee.
The Chairs are responsible for keeping the debate flowing, while ensuring that all rules are being complied with by the delegates. Chairs do not represent any member of the UN.
In order to chair a committee successfully, a student should have previous MUN experience as a delegate and should be aware of the Rules of Procedure.
Having been elected as a Chair and been assigned a committee, the Chair now needs to acquire general knowledge of the topics to be debated in that committee. It is important to know which countries represented in the committee play a major role in each topic and who are allies and enemies. Therefore, Chairs will be expected to produce Research Reports for the topics, which will be published for the delegates. The first draft is due by 2nd December 2023 and the final draft by 16th December 2023. The Research Reports will be made available to delegates by 23rd December 2023. Further details about this will be sent to the selected Chairs.
Once delegates have read the Chairs’ Research Report, they are expected to prepare and submit a Position Paper by 9th January 2023. Chairs then need to check these before they are released to all delegates in the committee by 22rd January 2024.
It is imperative that all Chairs read this document on how to chair their committee.
During the conference, Chairs need to make the delegates of the committee, particularly first-time MUN delegates, feel welcome and confident of participating. The Chairs need to keep track of which delegates have spoken and which have not, and encourage those who have not to participate in some form.
Once committees have ended, Chairs are expected to inform the Secretariat which delegates will be presented with awards. More information on this can be found in the Delegates’ Preparation section.
Some Chairs will be given the opportunity to chair during the General Assembly if they wish. All Chairs will need to give a short speech and present their committee’s awards during the Closing Ceremony.
Chairs are imperative to the smooth running of the committees and to ensuring the full participation and enjoyment of the delegates attending the conference.
