Preparation:

Preparation for any Model United Nations conference starts as soon as a delegate receives his/her country and committee. The delegate also receives the three topics that will be discussed in the committee during the conference. Some committees that might be included in a MUN are The General Assemblies (Environment, Disarmament, and Human Rights), ECOSOC (The Economic and Social Council) and Security Council; each committee with it’s own set of delegates, chairs, presidents and topics.  

After the delegate is informed about the topic, heshe starts to research about their country as a whole to gain basic knowledge about it, and then the delegate gathers information on the country’s stance on each of the three topics. The delegate might want to start working on a resolution that could be altered by other delegations during lobbying and merging.

 

Events:

MUN starts with an opening ceremony, with speeches by the Secretary General and committee presidents. There might also be a speech by a keynote speaker. After the ceremony, delegates are asked to move to their committees for lobbying and merging.

This is a process in which delegations gather to discuss their country’s views on the topics proposed. If a delegate wishes to submit a resolution they must first show their resolution to other delegates to gain sponsors and possibly make alterations to the resolution. This takes up most of the first day of the conference. On the remaining days of a conference, the resolutions submitted are debated. During the debate a delegate might want to add, strike out or replace clauses in a resolution, a delegate might want to speak for or against a resolution as a whole, or speak for or against an alteration. 

At the end of a debate, votes are taken for the resolution and a resolution might pass or fail.  On the fun side all conferences include a social event might take place and finally, a closing ceremony wraps the conference up, with awards for best lobbyists and best delegates for each committee.

 

Personal notes and highlights:

El Alsson attended both the CAC and Hayat MUN conferences this year and I personally enjoyed both conferences.  I learned new skills and made new friends.

MUN taught me to speak in public, without being nervous. it also taught me to think critically and to reach solutions to problems, both conventionally and unconventionally.

The topics raised ask us to break cycles currently facing the world.

I would personally encourage all Alsson high school students to attend the many MUN conferences our school is part of, as an opportunity to both learn and have fun.

 

Written By: Aly Gomaa – Grade 9