UNC-Wilmington Model United Nations Association

Welcome

MUN FAQ

*Content of this page is provided on the UNA-USA website.

Q: What is Model United Nations?
A: Model United Nations, an authentic simulation of the U.N. General Assembly and other multilateral bodies, catapults students into the world of diplomacy and negotiation.

Q: What is a Model United Nations delegate?
A: A Model U.N. delegate is a student who assumes the role of an ambassador to the United Nations at a Model U.N. event. A Model U.N. delegate does not have to have experience in international relations. Anyon can participae in Model U.N., so long as they have the ambition to learn something new, and to work with people to try and make a difference in the world. Model U.N. students tend to go on to become great leaders in politics, law, business, education and even medicine.

Q: Why should I participate in Model United Nations?
A: You should participate in Model U.N. because it promotes student and teacher interest in international relations and related subjects, increases the capacity for students to engage in problem solving, teaches aspects of conflict resolution, research skills, and communication skills, and creates the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends.

Model UN offers opportunities for anyone who wants to learn about the processes of international diplomacy. Each country represented at a conference needs a diverse delegation to be successful. To succeed the delegation will need to have followers as well as leaders, researchers to determine a national policy, writers to convey the country's position and speakers to present and support that position to the body.

Model UN is not a program just for International Affairs or Political Science students. The broad nature of the skills learned cut across nearly all majors and it is valuable for any major if the student has an interest in the functions of international negotiation and policy-making.

MUN conferences

Q: What is Model U.N. Conference?
A: Some Model U.N. exercises take place in the classroom and others are school wide. On top of that others are regional, national, or even international. These are called conferences, and the events are much larger, with participants from all over the United States and the world. More than 1,000,000 people have participated in MUN conferences around the world since the conferences became popular over 50 years ago. Today there are more than 400 conferences that take place in 35 countries. Depending on the location, the average conference can have as few as 30 students or as many as 2,000.

Q: What do delegates do at MUN conferences?
A: At MUN conferences, delegates represent the country of their choice in an authentic simulation of the UN General Assembly and other multilateral bodies. In successfully representing a country the delegates' conduct extensive research prior to the conference on country information, the topics at hand, and general UN information and procedures. Moreover, the delegates are required to create position papers prior to the conference. Position papers are essential to successful preparation as it helps to organize ideas and provides a concise review of your country's foreign policy. At the conference, delegates represent their country in the various committees that it presides within the United Nations. Conference procedures are divided amongst two types of discussions: formal and informal debate. At the conclusion of the conference prizes are awarded to worthy participants.