WHAT IS MODEL UN?
Introduction
Model United Nations (Model UN or MUN) is an extracurricular organization in which students represent countries, organizations, or individuals as they collaborate with other delegates to solve issues presented in the committee.
There are multiple committee styles that make up a Model UN conference:
General Assemblies (GAs) consist of large numbers of delegates that address issues as if they were actual United Nations delegates. This is the closest to the real-life United Nations as delegates can get. Individuals represent various nations across the globe, and problem-solving is geared towards drafting one long resolution paper that is voted on towards the end of the conference.
Crisis committees tend to be much smaller in size compared to GAs, and each delegate represents an individual affected by the committee's topic. The committee's topic can take many forms, such as those grounded in modern day, ancient history, or even those grounded in fantasy and fictional media. Unlike GA delegates creating one large resolution paper, crisis delegates draft multiple short directives in response to frequent crisis updates. This is what makes a crisis committee fast paced. Along with responding to the crisis updates, delegates have the opportunity to influence each update through crisis arcs, which are recorded using two distinctive notepads per delegate.
Specialized committees are those that do not fall under the GA or crisis style. Although specialized committees can vary in topics just as crisis committees would, specialized committees often have a special mechanic that deviates from a crisis committee's two-pad system. This mechanic is often outlined in the committee's background guide.
Ad-Hoc committees are those where the topic remains a mystery until delegates are in the committee room. Each delegate's position is a mystery as well, often being represented as a position number (i.e., Position 1). Such committees test delegates' ability to think quickly and creatively, alongside the ability to quickly improvise if prompted. Upon entering the committee room, delegates are given their position along with an allotted period of time to brief their background guide.
Although there are many committee styles that make up Model UN conferences, SwampMUN will only provide GAs for this installment.
I Got My Position. Now What?
Upon receiving your position, the first course of action is to research your position! Each country is unique in their way of solving various problems, and knowing your country's stance on your committee's topic(s) could help you gain an upper hand in committee.
Here are some ways to research your country and the committee topic(s):
The United Nations website, along with the UN's various sub-organizations.
News websites/stations that are based in your country
"[Country]'s stance on [topic]"
