The Head Delegates for Florida International University (left) and the University of Chicago (right) MUN teams pose for a photo together at Harvard National Model United Nations (HNMUN).

There are many definitions of success in Model UN, and awards are not the purpose of Model UN. Nevertheless, they have existed for decades in North America as a way to recognize delegates and teams for their accomplishments at Model UN conferences. Best Delegate created the North America College Rankings to find out which team is the best on the circuit and to recognize teams for their accomplishments across conferences throughout the school year. Read more about our purpose and philosophy here.

Circuits Overview & Disclaimer

There are two informal circuits in the North American college Model UN community. One circuit features teams that primarily attend competition-oriented, university-organized conferences such as HNMUN, UPMUNC, McMUN, and ChoMUN that give out individual awards and limited school awards. Another circuit features teams that primarily attend academically-oriented, independently-organized conferences such as NMUN, SRMUN, AMUN, and MUNFW that give out many school awards.

The North America College Ranking is meant to only capture the successes for the first circuit, informally dubbed the “World Division” after Harvard WorldMUN on this website. This is because the latter circuit, informally dubbed the “National Division” after NMUN, does not value the competitive aspect of Model UN nor does it give out individual awards and therefore does not have data that could be used in a rankings formula. Thus, please note that only about half of the Model UN community is recognized in these rankings. Many other high quality teams exist in college Model UN, such as the delegation award winners at NMUN Conference A and NMUN Conference B, that are arguably equally good as the teams on this set of rankings.

For teams participating in the university-organized conferences circuit, please note that rankings are relative to other teams’ results. It is also best to compare year-over-year rankings with the 2012-2013 Final rankings rather than the mid-season fall 2013 rankings. Teams tend to perform consistently across the year, so teams tend not to move up or down much relative to each other from the fall rankings.

In addition, two college-level recognition platforms that are determined by votes from readers of this website include:

• North America College MUN All-Star Team 2013-2014
• Best College MUN Conferences in North America 2013-2014 

Methodology & Credits

The methodology uses the sum of weighted scores across all conferences that a team has participated in at university-hosted conferences in North America plus at WorldMUN. A full explanation of the methodology as well as insight into the purpose and philosophy of the rankings can be found in the link above. It has not changed from the one that has been used for the past two years, but new conferences such as &MUN and MUNE are included in the formula and weightings do change every year.

Notably for this year, HNMUN had a slightly lower weighting due to several top teams not being able to participate due to a snowstorm. McMUN and ChoMUN had slightly higher weightings as both conferences have slightly increased in size and competitiveness; McMUN’s higher weighting helped a record twelve Canadian teams place into the rankings. However, many of the mid-sized and smaller conferences received lower weightings, as the proliferation of these conferences have spread thin the circuit and watered down the competitiveness of each conference. One small conference did not submit awards data.

The average number of conferences won per top-25 team has increased to 6.24. In comparison, this number was 6.04 in 2012-2013 and 5.32 in 2011-2012.

Credits: Huge thanks to the Best Delegate Media team members who helped put this article together by sourcing the conference awards data, the Head Delegate quotes, and the team photos. This year’s project lead was Katherine Bonner, and she was assisted by Ashley Rhoades, Erik Leiden, Ellen Perfect, and Oliver Nacey.

Suggested Changes to the Rankings

Part of Best Delegate’s social mission in Model UN is to promote the successes of the participants and organizations in the Model UN community. We find no value in promoting competition, which itself should not be the purpose of Model UN anyway. However, there are three types of Model UN teams that have been negatively impacted by rankings, and we would like to hear your feedback in the comments section.

1. Teams that do not attend university-hosted conferences feel that the rankings do a disservice to their success or community. About half of the college MUN community in North America does not participate in university-hosted conferences that give out individual awards (i.e. they attend conferences such as NMUN). Do these teams want to be recognized for their successes in some way, and if so, what would be the appropriate platform of recognition?

2. Teams that attend university-hosted conferences but feel it has become too competitive. Many Media Associates have reported that delegates have expressed concerns that the circuit has become too competitive this year. What can Best Delegate do to address this issue, either by modifying the rankings (e.g. they are now tiered at the high school level instead of place ranked) or by providing some other service?

3. Teams that attend university-hosted conferences but feel geographically or financially disadvantaged. East Coast teams and wealthier teams have the advantage of attending more conferences and therefore boosting their scores in aggregate scoring. Should a cap of six conference scores — about the current average of conference wins by top-25 teams — be implemented in future rankings?

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Top 25 Final Rankings for 2013-2014

1. University of Chicago

The University of Chicago is once again the #1 team on the college circuit and is the first team to achieve two end-of-season #1 rankings since they have been published. UChicago had a nearly undefeated season. UChicago absolutely dominated the competition at HNMUN and had a weighted score equal to the combined weighted scores of the next two best teams, FIU and Yale. That enabled UChicago to regain the Best Large Delegation at HNMUN. The dominant win also helped boost UChicago’s score from HNMUN and made up for the conference’s slightly lower weighting than usual due to a few top teams like UPenn and West Point being snowed out from attending.

Beyond HNMUN, UChicago won the Best Large Delegation at both UPMUNC and NCSC. The team also received the Outstanding Large Delegation at CMUNNY where it was barely edged for top honors by Georgetown. Finally, UChicago was one of several teams that tested out McMUN, a conference that takes place around UChicago’s high school conference dates, and UChicago’s smaller delegation there came away with a top ten finish. The McMUN result helped it make up scores it would have normally received by attending another mid-sized conference and helped it narrow Georgetown’s advantage at McMUN. Overall, UChicago’s higher quality first place finishes gave the team a slightly higher rank than Georgetown despite attending three fewer conferences. The team also hosted ChoMUN to end the season for the entire circuit.

Head Delegate Eric Wessan said of the team, “over the course of this year, the University of Chicago has strode toward excellence in all facets of Model United Nations.  We brought a record number of unique delegates to more conferences than we ever had before.  We introduced a training regimen that empowered first-years to grow both as delegates and as part of the Model United Nations family. We aspired to produce a culture of winning and success that will hopefully continue for years to come.” Head Delegate Nisha Bala added, “UChicago Model UN tried to diversify itself this year not just in striving at excellence on the circuit, but also diversifying the campus population that we were able to reach. This year we more than doubled the number of first years we were able to take to conference, who have risen admirably to the occasion. We are incredibly proud of the team and all they have accomplished this year!”

2. Georgetown University

Georgetown is a world champion after winning the Best Small Delegation at WorldMUN in Brussels, Belgium this year. This is Georgetown’s second time attending WorldMUN and the team has quickly adapted to the diplomatic culture there and made WorldMUN attendance a priority. In North America, Georgetown went head-to-head with UChicago for the top rank this year. The team defended its Best Large Delegation award at McMUN and won the Outstanding Large Delegation award at two other competitive conferences: UPMUNC (behind only UChicago) and ChoMUN (behind only Harvard). In addition, the team received the Best Large Delegation at CMUNNY and VICS, the Outstanding Delegation award at WPMUNI, and finished third at SCSY. With large delegation results of 3 first-place finishes, 3 second-place finishes, 1 third-place finish, plus one small delegation award,  it was obvious that the team would land at either #1 or #2, and ultimately Georgetown came very close to UChicago in aggregate scoring for the #1 ranking. The team also hosted NCSC in the fall.

Head Delegate Jeff Caso balances both awards and a broader mission, saying that “as someone who believes not only in the competitive elements of Model UN, but also in the teamwork that is forged among like-minded individuals from all over the world, I could not be any happier with how this semester has gone! At Georgetown, we prioritize the ‘mission statement’ of our Model UN team above all else, in the sense that we believe that everyone has something to learn from each other. Over the 2013-2014 academic year, we’ve gotten to know a tremendous bunch of underclassmen who will one day lead our team to new heights — but what’s so special to me is that, even though older people have mentored younger people all year long, the underclassmen have taught us all something new! I sincerely can’t wait for next year so we can show the circuit all that Georgetown stands for, both inside and outside the committee room!”

3. Harvard University

This is the best Harvard team since the rankings have been published, and expectations have changed in the past four years from attempting to win a small delegation award to consistently winning Best Large Delegation awards. Harvard’s rise has been methodical and characterized with consistent improvement as successive head delegates have transitioned well and built upon the successes of their predecessors. The #3 ranking is also the highest Harvard could reasonably reach under the aggregate scoring formula given that it cannot compete at HNMUN or WorldMUN — there is considerable distance between the #2 and #3 ranks — unless it somehow dominates all of the rest of the major conferences.

Harvard was close to winning a delegation award in the fall, coming in third overall in terms of weighted score at UPMUNC, NCSC, and CMUNNY and fourth at SCSY. It tested out McMUN for the first time during the winter period where it traditionally focuses on hosting its own college and high school conferences, and was able to add a good number of awards there. Then in the spring, Harvard came out in full force, taking home three straight victories with a Best Large Delegation at ChoMUN, a Best Small Delegation at UCBMUN, and a Best Large Delegation award at NYUMUNC. Harvard also helped host or staff three college conferences: HNMUN in Boston, HNMUN Latin America in Natal, Brazil, and WorldMUN in Brussels, Belgium. HNMUN-LA will be in Lima, Peru next year and WorldMUN will be held in Seoul, Republic of Korea next year.

Head Delegate Delany Sisiruca said of the team, “throughout the past academic year, Harvard has stressed both preparation for conference and a cohesive team culture, two focal points that carried over even after the transfer of power between head delegates in the spring. Harvard’s increased focus on training has resulted in especially strong up-and-coming underclassmen, as demonstrated by the Best Small Delegation win at UCBMUN by a team composed exclusively of freshmen and sophomores. Harvard’s team has been very successful this spring: in addition to its win at UCBMUN, Harvard won Best Large Delegation at both NYUMUNC and ChoMUN.”

4. University of Pennsylvania

UPenn was one of several major teams that were affected by the snowstorm and could not attend HNMUN, but it still put together an impressive record across nine conferences. It had a strong start to its season when it won three Outstanding Large Delegation awards out of the four conferences it attended in the fall at NCSC, SCSY, and BarMUN. It also finished in the top five at CMUNNY in the fall and hosted UPMUNC, the fall championship on this circuit.

To UPenn’s credit, they tried to give their members more opportunities to participate at conferences after missing out on HNMUN and signed up for several of the spring crisis conferences. In the spring, the team came in third behind only Georgetown and Harvard at ChoMUN, won the Best Large Delegation at VICS, dominated the field at PICSim to win Best Delegation, came in second at NYUMUNC, and won awards at WPMUNI. Overall, it is impressive that UPenn was able to put in enough consistently strong performances to garner a top five ranking despite not attending HNMUN, UPMUNC, or McMUN.

Outgoing and incoming Head Delegates Akhilesh Goswami and Stephanie Herrmann issued a joint statement about the team, statement that ”Coming into this past year, the Penn team spent time training and traveling with incoming delegates.  Under the leadership of Akhilesh Goswami, highlights for the Penn team include Best Large delegation at VICS and at PICSim. This upcoming year, Stephanie Herrmann, a rising junior, will serve as Penn’s head delegate. Penn looks forward to an amazing year ahead packed with many conferences and unforgettable experiences.”

5. Florida International University

When the current class of seniors were freshmen four years ago, FIU was seen as a team from the NMUN circuit that would do well at HNMUN but for the most part was not part of the university-hosted conferences circuit. Four years later and guided by successive leadership that emphasized hard work and methodical improvement, FIU is now deeply entrenched in the circuit and expected to be a regular contender against Ivy League-type teams for best delegation awards. In fact, FIU has become so much of a mainstay that they did not even attend NMUN this year.

On the circuit, FIU got its big breakthrough when it won the Outstanding Large Delegation award at HNMUN, placing it only behind U.Chicago. For most of the rest of the year, it competed as a small delegation, taking home the Best Small Delegation at NCSC and a pair of Outstanding Small Delegation awards at UPMUNC and CMUNNY. The team also contended for a delegation award at ChoMUN and won Best Delegation awards at the smaller WPMUNI and UNCMUNC conferences. FIU was not able to leapfrog UPenn in the rankings this year as UPenn had higher weighted scores in all head-to-head matchups except at WPMUNI and UPenn won at more conferences and more awards per conference as a primarily large delegation. Nevertheless, FIU’s top five ranking puts the team in elite company and in good position to challenge the rest of the teams in the future.

Head Delegate Mark Hodgson explained that the team’s focus goes beyond winning awards though. “We were certain that our mission shouldn’t be just about sending the proven to harvest awards, but to offer the conference experience to as many students as possible. Our goal to expand from a Small Delegation in the Fall to a Large Delegation in the Spring served the dual purpose of granting greater student access to conferences and creating a backbone of younger delegates for the future of our program,” he said. He added that the team won the delegation awards at the spring conferences “with a historic number of new members in our MUN family, with half of our delegation having less than a semester of experience. We’re so proud of the hard work our entire team put in this semester, and thrilled to be rewarded with success.”

6. United States Military Academy at West Point

Although West Point was not able to attend HNMUN this year due to the snowstorm, it was able to showcase its highly respected team at other major conferences around the world. In North America, West Point captured the Best Small Delegation at McMUN and UPMUNC, won an Outstanding Small Delegation award at UCBMUN, and contended for delegation awards at NCSC and SCSY. In Europe, West Point received the Best Small Delegation at OxIMUN and came in tied with Best Small Delegation winner Georgetown at WorldMUN and tied for second among North American teams behind only Yale. A few awards at HNMUN may have pushed the team into the top five, but nevertheless West Point once again demonstrated that it is one of the best small delegations in the world.

Head Delegate Brandon Moore reflected, “looking back on this year, the team has truly made my job easy as Head Delegate. Though the Class of 2014 has been something of a dynasty (shout out to Claire Williams, Jack Worthington, Warren Geary, and Pat Brown), we’ve also been fortunate to recruit some outstanding talent this year. We anticipate next year will be a rebuilding year for the team, but I have complete confidence that Pat Beauregard and Megan McNulty will lead the team to another successful year on the circuit. Though my time on the circuit is now over, I cannot express enough gratitude to MUN for all the remarkable friends and experiences it has offered.”

7. Yale University

Yale had a great year despite not winning a delegation award this year. MUNTY won the most Diplomacy Awards among North American teams at WorldMUN where it contended for a Best Large Delegation award, and in fact Yale’s large delegation doubled the awards intake of WorldMUN Best Small Delegation winner Georgetown. The team also narrowly missed out on a delegation award at HNMUN, where it came in third behind U.Chicago and FIU. In addition, Yale competed for a delegation award at UPMUNC where it finished in the top five. An elite GA team, Yale also won a few awards at crisis-oriented NCSC. Overall, the Yale team’s high quality wins at prestigious, Harvard-hosted HNMUN and WorldMUN helped in rank once again in the top ten despite attending only four conferences in an aggregate-scoring based ranking. Yale also hosted SCSY in the fall.

Head Delegate Haley Adams said, “I have been very proud of the way MUNTY has performed this year, and although we did not take home a delegation award, I was incredibly pleased with the way individual delegates performed. While there is always room for improvement, I could not be happier with the amount of effort that our delegates put into the team.”

8. Claremont McKenna College

If the East Coast establishment has not taken note yet, it should now. No longer content with just winning the Best California Delegation at UCBMUN, this year Claremont McKenna took on the full circuit and topped Harvard, West Point, UCLA, Columbia, and others when it won the Best Large Delegation at UCBMUN. Of course, West Coast and WorldMUN teams had already taken note of CMC in the past few years, and the team’s performances at other conferences this year was strong again. The team won multiple awards at WorldMUN, UPMUNC, and NCSC this year. The team was also able to hold off a strong challenge from Berkeley for West Coast supremacy in the rankings, and it “split” its head-to-head meetings with a Best Large Delegation at SBIMUN ahead of Berkeley and a Best Small Delegation at LAMUN behind the higher weighted score of the larger Berkeley delegation.

Overall, CMC’s story is significantly different than where it stood just a few years ago. Incoming Head Delegate Aseem Chipalkatti remarked, “CMC’s team has come a long way since I joined my freshman year, thanks in no small part to the cadre of seniors who are graduating this year. That said, we’ve recruited an exceptional freshman class, and look forward to picking up some more talented individuals for the next year, and continuing the trend of success that we’ve been having over the past few years. We’re all very excited to see what the next year holds.” Outgoing Head Delegate Kanupriya Rungta added, “I am unbelievably proud of all the team has achieved this year. Going forward, we want the team to continue its performance while building upon its skills, meeting people, and having fun!”

9. Columbia University

Columbia was a prolific at traveling this year, and it also displayed marked improvement in terms of success at the many conferences that it attended. The team did best at mid-sized crisis conferences, where it captured the Best Large Delegation award at SCSY over the likes of U.Penn, Georgetown, and Harvard, and placed in the top five at UCBMUN and NYUMUNC. The team also won awards at UPMUNC, ChoMUN, NCSC, VICS, and BarMUN. However, their one other notable win was finishing among the top ten North American teams at HNMUN, showing that Columbia may have potential for further success at large, GA-oriented conferences. Columbia also hosted CMUNNY at the beginning of this year, a conference that some felt was the best among mid-sized crisis conferences. The team was led by Head Delegates Michael Ying and Chris Crant.

10. Rutgers University

Rutgers is back in the top ten — tied for its highest rank to date — primarily by amassing wins across nine conferences. As one of the two top ten teams this year that do not host a college conference, they were able to fully load up its conference schedule with all of the most competitive conferences: HNMUN, UPMUNC, McMUN, ChoMUN, and NCSC. Similar to Columbia, its favorable East Coast location also allowed the team to field delegations to SCSY, CMUNNY, NYUMUNC, and FCMUN. Its nine conference schedule is also notable for being the most among public universities and among teams that do not directly also host a high school conference. The team did best with top ten finishes at McMUN and SCSY, and won a few awards at each of the other conferences.

Head Delegate Evan Gottesman said, “Rutgers fielded a very young team this past season: freshmen represented a plurality or majority in nearly all of the delegations we sent out. Despite this being a new activity for many of our delegates, both first-time freshmen and returning veterans put on an impressive performance for one of Rutgers’ best years on record. 2013-14 was also our Head Delegate, Dan’s final year, and with strong leadership and a lot of hard work from our delegates, he has left behind a team with a bright future. We look forward to the fall, to giving new delegates a chance to compete and to bringing back committed veterans, to seeing old friends and new faces and to another exciting season on the collegiate circuit.”

11. Boston University

BU’s results this year showed that it is closer to the top ten ranking they received last year than the top 15 range of rankings they have received in the past. That is despite the fact that the team was relatively young compared to previous teams. BU seems to be slightly better at crisis or smaller conferences than at large and competitive GAs. The team placed in the top three at NYUMUNC, top five at NCSC, top ten at McMUN, and right outside the top ten at ChoMUN, and had solid performances at HNMUN and UPMUNC with multiple awards each. The team also hosted BarMUN in the fall.

Head Delegate Alix Neenan said that this year, “BU focused on building a relatively young team to make sure that our success is institutionalized and consistent. Despite the focus on training this year, I am still very proud of the performance put forth by every member on the team. Now that it is the end of the year, I can say with great certainty that I am extremely excited to return to the circuit this fall with a team that is stronger than ever.”

12. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley fielded an all-around good team this year that did well in both GA and crisis committees, and that enabled the team to secure the #12 ranking. This is Berkeley’s highest ranking to date and it also helped the team narrow the gap against top West Coast team Claremont McKenna. Berkeley did best at the end of the spring semester, winning the Best Large Delegation at LAMUN in a dominant twenty-award performance ahead of Claremont McKenna and winning Best Small Delegation at ChoMUN over rival Stanford. It also won the Outstanding Large Delegation at GA-oriented SBIMUN in the Fall. In addition, the team won its share of awards at GA-heavy HNMUN, UPMUNC, and McMUN and at the crisis-oriented CMUNNY. The team also hosted UCBMUN in the spring.

Head Delegate Apratim Vidyarthi explained the team’s success this year, stating, “the UC Berkeley Model United Nations team has seen a vast jump in the quality of delegates, especially MUN freshmen, through increased and intensified training. As one of the few public and West Coast teams active on the circuit, and with delegates having to pay their own way to conferences, UCBMUN’s achievement this year is an unprecedented first.” He added, “While sad to see a senior class of 16 leaving UCBMUN, including MUN veterans like ex-head delegates Shannon Thomas and Anirudh Garg, as well as President Sebastien Welch, newly (re)-elected head delegates Anton Wideroth and Apratim Vidyarthi aim to build upon this year’s work by further maximizing the efficiency of training, by closing the gap between the caliber and potential of novice delegates, and going to more conferences, while maintaining the work-hard-party-hard attitude that is intrinsic to UCBMUN.”

13. The George Washington University

GW did not get the chance to attend HNMUN this year due to the snowstorm, but it still put in a good season. Namely, the team put in an impressive performance at McMUN where it finished third overall behind the two delegation award winners, Georgetown and West Point. The team also won awards at UPMUNC, ChoMUN, NCSC, SCSY, CMUNNY, and UCBMUN, plus a Best Delegation at &MUN. GW was missing a lot of its original junior class Colonial Cadets due to study abroad or internships in the Fall, but the strong second semester performance could indicate that the freshmen and sophomores are now good enough to help the team contend again.

Head Delegate David Berris mentioned the ups and downs, remarking that “we were no stranger to adversity this year, but coming away with a Best Delegation at &MUN and solid performances at every conference we attended in the spring semester, it was a total team effort. Looking towards next year we hope to come back in full force by emphasizing the “team” aspect of our Model UN program. I’m confident that we can take the momentum that we’ve built up into next season and have some fun while we’re at it.”

14. New York University

NYU loaded up its schedule this year with only competitive conferences and won awards at each one en route to another high ranking. This year, the team won awards at HNMUN, UPMUNC, McMUN, NCSC, and CMUNNY. In fact, NYU finished in the top ten at both HNMUN and UPMUNC, showing that it can go head-to-head with the best teams in North America and in the world. It also did particularly well at cross-town CMUNNY where it put in a top five performance. Finally, the team hosted its mega-joint crisis NYUMUNC in the spring.

Head Delegate Isabelle Klinghoffer said, “this past year has been a challenging yet extremely successful one for our travel team. We fielded a particularly young team, and have been blown away by both their progress and accomplishments. I am looking forward to expanding upon both our training program and recruitment process next year, and cannot wait to see what this incredible team will achieve!”

15. University of Miami

UMiami is not only a top-15 team but also a champion this year after capturing the Best Small Delegation at HNMUN. This is a big improvement compared to the last two years when it hovered in and out of the top 25, and the #15 ranking is tied for the highest ever for the team and is the second highest among teams that attended four or fewer conferences this year (Yale is the other but fielded a large delegation at HNMUN). Miami’s strong spring semester included a top five finish at ChoMUN, a conference where they have done well in the past few years. The team also won the Outstanding Small Delegation award at SCSY and finished just outside the top ten at UPMUNC.

Head Delegate Marie Hanewinckel said, “seeing such a young team grow so much over the course of the year has been amazing. Our team set out with several goals this year – one of which was to win best small delegation at HNMUN – and they definitely could not have been accomplished without maintaining the fun and passion the UMiami MUN family is proud of. The countless hours of hard work put in by everyone have definitely begun to set a new standard for UMiami MUN that we hope to continue into next year.”

16. University of Florida

UF achieved its highest rank yet with a resume that includes top ten finishes at three of the larger conferences, UPMUNC, McMUN, and ChoMUN, a Best Small Delegation award at CMUNNY, and a third place finish at VICS in terms of weighted score behind Georgetown and UPenn. In addition, the team won an Outstanding Delegation award and a Distinguished Delegation award at SRMUN. In addition, UF is helping to expand the training conference opportunities in Florida with its continued hosting of FLCS.

Head Delegate Christopher Joyce said that the team achieved its three goals for the year: “First, we wanted to increase our presence and capitalize on last year’s momentum. Second, we wanted to develop the young, but talented, members of our team. Finally, we wanted to bring home some hardware. Personally, I feel as though we accomplished all three. We attended more conferences than ever, including McMUN, we won more awards than any previous manifestation of UFs competitive team. Most importantly, fun was had by all. Taking all this into account, I would say that the state of MUN in the gator nation is good.” Fred Kolb, who will return as one of the Head Delegates next year, added, “Receiving the Best Small Delegation award at CMUNNY was a very proud moment for all of us and while we did graduate some of our most talented members, I have no doubt that we will build on our achievements this upcoming Fall.”

17. Clark University

Clark greatly expanded its travel schedule this year and racked up awards at BarMUN, BUCS, CMUNNY, FCMUN, McMUN, SCSY, UPMUNC. But most important, it continued to prove that it is an elite delegation when it matters as the team finished fifth overall at HNMUN behind only three of the delegation award winners — UChicago, FIU, Simon Bolivar — and Yale.

Head Delegate Patrick Burchat said of the team’s philosophy, “Clark has managed to stay in the top 25 for the last several years because of our absolute passion for and devotion to Model United Nations. This drive is represented by our philosophy of not focusing on winning awards, but about improving each member’s self-confidence and public speaking, and maintaining a high level of integrity. We have expanded our travel regimen to 8 competitive North American conferences through the hard work of each and every member; most notably attending our first ever McMUN this past Spring. We pride ourselves in being a team, but also one big, bizarre and ticklish family.”

18. Michigan State University

Michigan State had a strong season thanks to its top ten finish at UPMUNC and top five finish at McMUN. The team has traditionally been at full strength at McMUN and contends for the best large delegation award there. Its upset of UPenn at BarMUN also helped bolster the resume and show the potential of this team in going head-to-head with the best. Finally, MSU also won awards at ChoMUN. Much like this past football season, it held off B1G Ten rival Ohio State at the end of the MUN season, but OSU’s higher finish and Secretary-General’s award at ChoMUN means that MSU now has increased competition for bragging rights as the best Midwest team outside of UChicago.

Matthew McLaughlin will serve as Head Delegate for next year, and recaps that “this year has been a fantastic one for MSUIRO. With a great combination of veteran and rookie members, we have created a place of success and fun. I cannot express my gratitude for the leadership displayed by our veteran members this year and the executive board sees a bright future for our team in the coming year.”

19. College of William & Mary

W&M is usually a top ten team, but they spent this season focusing more on investing for the future. That said, the team did contend for the best large delegation award again at McMUN with a fourth place finish, and it received a pair of Outstanding Delegation awards at smaller southern conferences, DISCon and MUNE. The team also won awards at UPMUNC, ChoMUN, WorldMUN, NCSC, and CMUNNY. Finally, the team hosted its second &MUN conference, a conference that has quickly developed interest among other college teams.

Head Delegate Connor Smith explained, “this was meant as an expansion year for the William & Mary team. We attended 9 conferences, inaugurated a new training curriculum, brought more of our delegates onto the circuit than ever before, and expanded our footprint to new places. I am really pleased at the level of experience this afforded our team, as well as how much perseverance they showed with such a packed travel schedule, as well as our conference hosting schedule. Next year, we plan to hone these skills and keep building all of the young talent we recruited this season!”

20. McGill University

McGill has been improving every year since the rankings have come out and this year is no exception. This is McGill’s highest rank to date and helps them maintain the title as the best Canadian delegation. This season’s accomplishments include a solid performance at HNMUN, an Outstanding Small Delegation at VICS, a  top-five finishes at SCSY, awards at NCSC, and a Best Small Delegation award at CIAC. The organization also hosted McMUN in the winter, which was voted as tied with HNMUN for the best conference in North America.

Head Delegate Emmett Meacher seemed pleased with the team’s strong performance this year. ”The McGill delegations team is extremely satisfied which their performance throughout the year having unprecedented success on the circuit with numerous individual awards at and 2 delegations awards at 6 conferences. The team’s accomplishments are a testament towards a new emphasis on training and preparation before the conference. With a great mixture of veteran and new delegates the team is quite excited to see how the next year will unfold.”

21. Emory University

Emory is usually a top 15 team buoyed by a strong performance at HNMUN, but Emory was not able to attend that conference this year due to the snowstorm. The team also underwent some organization transitions this year as it is rebranding into the Emory International Relations Association and folding in more Model UN activities and conferences (including hosting MUNE) beyond the travel team. Nevertheless, the Emory team was able to win awards across many conferences including UPMUNC, ChoMUN, NCSC, CMUNNY, &MUN, and DISCon. Its best performance was at the end of the year at ChoMUN, where it finished fourth behind only Georgetown, Harvard, and U.Penn. That should give the team some momentum going into next year.

Head Delegate Kate Cyr said, “between MUNE II being so successful, our fantastic delegates, and our transition into the Emory International Relations Association, we hope to continue growing and expanding into an even better program in the coming year.” Incoming co-Head Delegate Aaron Tucek has a positive outlook for the future, saying “the competitive success shown by some of our younger members is extremely encouraging for the future of our team.” Incoming co-Head Delegate Orli Berman added, “EMUN is an incredibly young and dynamic team, and we have undergone significant growth and changes in the past year. The team is filled with incredibly talented delegates, and we could not be more thrilled to be a part in strengthening the foundations of our traveling team.”

22. Stanford University

Stanford is pretty good at optimizing its delegations to win delegation awards, which enabled its relatively small team to receive prominent recognition during multiple closing ceremonies. Stanford won a Best Small Delegation at SCSY and a pair of Outstanding Small Delegation awards at ChoMUN and LAMUN. The team also won awards at McMUN, NCSC, UCBMUN, SBIMUN, and &MUN. The keys to a higher ranking for Stanford would be consistency across conferences and to put in stronger performances on the West Coast where it has been at times surpassed by top-50 teams such as UCLA, USC, and Northern Arizona in terms of weighted score.

Head Delegate Elena Stephenson said, “our seasoned veterans as well as a large group of talented freshmen led us to delegation awards at SCSY, LAMUN and ChoMUN, as well as good performances at the other conferences we attended. Above all, we’re proud of the tremendous dedication and passion for MUN each delegate on our team has shown throughout this year. As a graduating senior, I’m thrilled to leave behind a MUN program at Stanford that is both a community and a group of highly motivated delegates.” Head Delegate Alex Richard also added, “we’re very proud of how our team’s hard work and practice has paid off this year.”

23. The Ohio State University

Ohio State finishes the season in the top 25 for the first time, and that is a very big accomplishment given that this is only the team’s second year participating on the college circuit. On the East Coast, the team was able to capture awards at competitive conferences such as HNMUN, UPMUNC, and NCSC. The team did even better within B1G Ten territory — it won the Secretary-General’s award at ChoMUN as the top team from the Midwest where its top-five finish surpassed traditional Midwest power Michigan State, and it also won the Best Delegation award at PUNC hosted by Penn State.

Head Delegate Erik Leiden credited OSU’s quick ascent into the college rankings to credited it to the dedication, passion, and teamwork of the team’s delegates. He compared last year with this year by saying, “One year ago we had finished the first year of our school ever competing at intercollegiate Model UN competitions, with one award to our name. Today, we just finished our second year with 23 individual awards, 2 delegation awards, and had a blast both in committee with our horrible-pun-directive-names and outside of it accurately representing how United Nations representatives actually conduct themselves.”

24. Florida State University

FSU was able to maintain a spot in the top 25 in the Fall after a top ten finish at NCSC and awards at UPMUNC, and they maintained that consistency in the spring semester with a top ten finish at ChoMUN, a Best Small Delegation at VICS, and awards at WPMUNI. The Seminoles and rival Florida Gators also interestingly finished close to each other at two spring conferences; they tied in terms of weighted score at ChoMUN, and FSU was fourth behind large delegation UF in terms of weighted score at VICS but came away with the Best Small Delegation award.

Head Delegate Hillary Harlan had some deep reflections about building foundations at FSU this year. “Florida State University has been through many ups and downs over the past four years. This year was more than just a building year, it was a year of foundations, shedding the starry-eyed reflections of top-5 finishes from our past from 2009-2011, and remembering that it is the foundations of a team that make the experience of Model UN worthwhile. We sought to lay foundations in delegate prowess, but even further, sought to form relationships across delegates, delegations and conferences. We are continually surprised and impressed with the professionalism and capability of other delegates across the circuit and are excited to continue working with them and cultivating these foundations.”

25. Carleton College

Carleton College enters the top 25 for the first time after a strong second semester performance with awards at three of the most competitive conferences of the year: HNMUN, McMUN, and ChoMUN. The team also attended CMUNNY last semester. Carleton’s entry into the rankings is one of only a few examples of smaller liberal arts colleges being able to hold their own against larger universities.

Head Delegate Aditya Negendran said, “We’re extremely pleased with the progress we’ve made over the past year, which is a testament to the passion, determination, and commitment shown by the team. We’re fortunate to have a good mix of returning and new delegates on the team, which has enabled us to develop a driven and tightly knit team culture. We will continue to push ourselves at each and every conference we attend, while also expanding Model UN’s presence on Carleton’s campus.”

Top 50 (alphabetical order)

Next five closest to the top 25 were: Carleton University, Vanderbilt, Cornell, UCLA, and Tulane. Over half of this year’s top 50 teams rose into this tier compared to last year: Case Western, Concordia, Emmanuel College, Gordon College, Middlebury, MIT, Mount Holyoke, Northern Arizona, Pitzer, Tufts, Seton Hall, USC, and Virginia.

• Boston College
• Carleton University
• Case Western Reserve University
• Concordia University
• Cornell University
• Duke University
• Emmanuel College
• Gordon College
• Middlebury College
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Mount Holyoke College
• Northern Arizona University
• Pitzer College
• Princeton University
• Seton Hall University
• Tufts University
• Tulane University
• University of Calgary
• University of California, Los Angeles
• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• University of Southern California
• University of Virginia
• University of Western Ontario
• Vanderbilt University
• Washington University in St. Louis

Top 75  (alphabetical order)

• Acadia University
• American University
• Colgate University
• Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf
• College of the Canyons
• Dawson College
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Hartwick College
• Nipissing University
• Old Dominion University
• Pennsylvania State University
• Pomona College
• Queen’s University
• Roger Williams University
• Spelman College
• State University of New York, Plattsburgh
• United States Air Force Academy
• United States Naval Academy
• University of California, Davis
• University of California, San Diego
• University of North Carolina, Charlotte
• University of Ottawa
• University of Texas at Austin
• University of Toronto
• Wellesley College

**

Congratulations to all the delegations for a successful 2013-2014 school year. Good luck to all the graduating seniors, and we hope to see everyone else back on the circuit next year. Have a great summer!

This article was provided by Erik Leiden, Undersecretary-General of Communications and Public Information for the WFUNA International Model United Nations Conference, as well as a Best Delegate Media Associate and Diplomacy Fellow.

Looking for a new, unique, and realistic Model United Nations experience this summer?

The WFUNA International Model United Nations Conference (WIMUN) will hold its inaugural session this summer from June 30 to July 4. WIMUN will be the first international conference to use UN4MUN procedure. Developed by the United Nations Department of Public Information, UN4MUN procedure means that delegates will get an accurate simulation of the principles, practices, and procedure of the United Nations.

Delegates will truly feel like UN diplomats, as the entire conference takes place at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the beautiful city of Rome, Italy. Delegates will have access to UN facilities and will engage with staff from all three Rome-based UN agencies: the FAO, the World Food Programme, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. The conference is also partnered with the President and the Foreign Minister of Italy.

WIMUN will invite hundreds of delegates from around the world to enjoy a 5-day live simulation of UN committees, covering topics ranging from world food security to illicit arms trafficking. Organized by the World Federation of United Nations Associations, along with the Italian Society for International Organizations, and cosponsored by several UN bodies and European government agencies, delegates will get to see and hear about what real work is like in international organizations, as well as collaboratively experiencing the policy making process of the United Nations on some of the most pressing global issues happening today.

Hillary Saviello from the London School of Economics will be serving as the Secretary General for WIMUN. She is confident that WIMUN will be an incredible experience for all those involved, both through the collective experience of the Secretariat and the passion that she knows delegates will bring to the event. In her own words:

“I can contribute to WIMUN 2014 given my experience as both a delegate and Secretariat member. I have experienced what it takes to develop all aspects of a conference first-hand, having founded my undergraduate university’s conference and built it up as Secretary-General. The empowerment I felt through participation in Model United Nations lead to the realization that instead of feeling helpless to make a difference towards the problems of the global era, I could be part of incremental solutions towards solving such challenges, like global terrorism and climate change.”

For Hillary, an Italian-American, being Secretary-General of a Model United Nations conference held in Italy is something special:

“It is particularly meaningful for me to take up this leadership position in Rome as an Italian-American. My father’s parent’s came to the United States from Italy seeking greater opportunity and their hard work has been such an inspiration. My family have always emphasized the importance of education and I owe much of where I am today to their support and example.”

Registration ends on May 30. If you’re interested in being a part of the inaugural session of WIMUN, visiting Rome and the FAO, and building lifelong relationships and experiences, check out WIMUN. We hope to see you there!

This article originally appeared in the May 2014 edition of the Olive Branch Middle East MUN Newsletter.

A visionary turns dreams into reality, seeing what’s possible before others know what to look for. When others are lost in the desert, a visionary shows them a common vision and gives them a common voice, guiding them and moving them toward their promised destination. When others are parched with thirst, only able to see mirages, a visionary quenches that thirst and creates an oasis.

Cameron Janzen is a Model UN visionary. Cameron turned the dream of empowering, unifying, and student-centered Model UN programs into reality. Cameron saw what was possible for Qatar MUN before the rest of us had ever heard of THIMUN Qatar. When students and teachers were looking for guidance on how to bring Model UN to their schools, Cameron started the Qatar Leadership Conference and the Olive Branch. When Model UN was a mirage for many schools, Cameron organized workshops and partnered with O-MUN to make sure that anyone, anywhere in the region had the opportunity to participate in this transformative and life-changing activity. Over the past decade, Cameron has created an oasis for Model UN in the Middle East.

Cameron is an extraordinary professional with a sterling reputation, and it has been our pleasure to work with him on multiple projects over the past two years. We have enjoyed working with him and Lisa on teaching Model UN workshops and and delivering the Olive Branch. We’re grateful to have been part of the Qatar Leadership Conference and the THIMUN Qatar Conference. Cameron’s achievements and professionalism are only exceeded by his genuine kindness and generosity in helping others. Ever since our first meeting at THIMUN Hague 2012, we have been inspired by Cameron’s dedication to empowering students and teachers in Qatar, across the Middle East, and around the world.

Of all the students and teachers we’ve met, we’ve never met anyone who has so deeply understood the transformative impact that Model UN has on students the way that Cameron does. We were particularly moved by Cameron’s speech at this year’s THIMUN Qatar:

“MUN is about forming people who have empathy towards others, who have the skills to engage in purposeful, peaceful, but well-organized action…We may not solve the world’s problems, but each and every one of us can make an incredible difference in the lives of others.”

Cameron, thank you for everything. It has been our pleasure to work with you. We wish you the best of luck in your next position and your future endeavors. And although you’ve said that you’re retiring from Model UN, we know from our experience that Model UN is for life — so we look forward to seeing you at your next Model UN conference!

Harvard National Model United Nations — Latin America is excited to announce that registration for the conference’s fourth session opens June 1, 2014. HNMUN-LA 2015 will be held in Lima, Peru from 13-16 January. The conference will be held at Universidad del Pacífico, in conjunction with Peruvian Universities — AENU Perú. Delegates will have the opportunity to experience both substantive excellence and the rich culture of Lima.

A team of Harvard undergraduates and their partners in Peru will collaborate to bring together hundreds of university students from the region and around the world. The conference will offer eight committees, including two Spanish-language committees, two about Peruvian politics, and a Third Party Actors program that enables delegates to represent media outlets and NGOs. HNMUN-LA also offers exciting cultural and social events each night of the conference.

Official Website

Facebook Page

The infamous BAMUN cupcakes.

The following Recap was provided by the BAMUN Secretariat.

DON’T GO TO BAMUN, EVER. It sucks.

This year’s BAMUN Conference was absolutely terrible. The delegates hated (and I mean HATED) the high levels of debate, the interesting topics and the fantastic keynote speaker. They turned away at the sight of piles of fresh and aromatic pizza and hand-made cupcakes decorated to look like the world and bearing the BAMUN logo. “Enough is enough,” they said, when they found out they’d be spending the day in the brand new, eco-friendly, technologically-forward Police Academy. They cried of embarrassment when they found out that their effort would be recognized with awards, hand-written in beautiful Gothic calligraphy. Finally, they spent the entire day writing concerned pages to each other using the complementary note pads and snazzy pens provided by the Conference.

Don’t think the Secretariat enjoyed themselves, either. In fact, the crisis office was rampant with stray crisis liaisons hiding from debate and delegate-zillas behind barricades crafted from Rice Krispy Treat boxes. Faced with crying delegates, the Secretariat was forced to spend the entire day running as if they were marathon runners. And, as MUN debaters, it is clear that they are only talented in “sports of the mind.” One can imagine the immense suffering that was caused to these poor souls. Foot rubs during the various breaks were the only way that these martyrs could go on.

And the debate topics totally sucked. I mean who cares about saving the world from widespread, life-threatening epidemic called MUNitis? And the European Union potentially breaking apart and making way for a new politically unified Arab Union? BORING!!! Not to mention debating the ethics and logistics behind the Mars One Mission…the Secretariat probably should have cancelled the conference as soon as they had the chance.

Co-Secretary-General Marta Skreta speaks.

Delegates raise their placards in committee.

Members of the BAMUN team.

A delegate makes a speech in committee.

This plight can be traced to well before the conference. Delegates who had never participated in any MUN conference were highly insulted that their teachers recognized them as novices and signed them up for BAMUN’s complementary training day. They absolutely could not believe that veteran debaters would have the audacity to corrupt their untouched minds with useful tips and debate practice.  Besides, the fact that the Secretariat hosted them at their own library and even fed them pizza was a sign they wanted fattened delegates, perhaps to feed to the guard dogs of Tartarus. This, of course, would have been a better fate than if they had spent the day at BAMUN.

All in all, BAMUN sucked. Seriously. If you’re ever thinking of going, just stop.

Save yourself.

Just kidding…BAMUN was THE BOMB!!!

Over 100 delegates, ranging in experience from novices to veterans, came from all over the Greater Toronto Area to attend BAMUN’s seventh annual conference. The theme for this year was “Taking Initiative as Global Citizens”, which provided  an inviting environment for these future global thinkers and leaders to discuss ideas, solutions and opinions on issues that significantly impact all members of the global community.

After the day, the Secretariat was wowed by the outpouring of delegates and teachers who both commended them on organizing the best BAMUN to date.

After all, the Secretariat stayed up the night before thinking of G-rated MUN puns for the day of. Any conference that values MUN puns is guaranteed to be awesome.

Check out their website at www.bamun.org!

BAMUN 2014′s theme was “Taking Initiative as Global Citizens.”

Delegates debate in committee.

One of BAMUN’s Crisis Directors shows his excitement for the conference.

Best Delegate will not be publishing rankings for the North American High School Model UN community this year. However, we will still be recognizing teams for their success and the Media team is currently reaching out to conferences for awards information. Rankings have been both highly popular and controversial, but after careful consideration of its impact on our values, the community, and its teams, we have decided that another form of recognition will be healthier and more appropriate for Model UN.

Why is Best Delegate Moving Away From Rankings?

The purpose of the rankings was to recognize success. Back in March 2011, Ryan and I were teaching a year-long class on international relations at a public high school and during our prep period, we remarked how we had visited many high school and college conferences around North America that year and had aggregated a lot of awards data in the process. We brainstormed how we could publish this data in a useful way that would be beneficial to the community and we came up with the idea to recognize programs that had both quality and quantity — they were the best at preparing their students, and they gave more students more opportunities to participate at conferences. These were the programs that we thought were the most successful. With that definition of success in mind, we decided to create a rankings methodology (called “Standings” when it first came out until readers kept referring to them as “Rankings”) that aggregated awards across all conferences.

However, rankings are no longer the best medium to serve that purpose because of the following reasons that impact our values, the community, and its teams.

1. Rankings take away from our educational mission.

The mission of Best Delegate is to help Model United Nations participants succeed in the activity. Of course, there are many definitions of success. Here at Best Delegate, we believe that the best education for a participant who wants to be prepared to interact with a wide range of people and solve a wide range of problems is to experience a wide range of definitions of success. We also believe that these definitions of success, such as winning awards through top-notch competition or receiving education through a valuable experience, are not always mutually exclusive.

Awards have existed in Model UN long before the creation of this website and is only one definition of success. We primarily promote this definition of success twice a year (Fall and Final rankings), but it gets disproportionate attention at the expense of all the other content that we put out. Some participants therefore only associate Best Delegate with rankings when it is in fact not the focus of the vast majority of our work.

This has led to cognitive dissonance as Best Delegate has grown to become a global organization. For example, Best Delegate provides training for THIMUN-affiliated groups and in partnership with the United Nations Department of Public Information. Neither organization emphasizes awards; THIMUN does not give out any awards. It is important for Best Delegate to be able to offer educational programs without them being associated with a focus on competition.

2. Rankings have produced the negative effect of making the activity too competitive and too focused on rankings.

Head delegates and faculty advisors from schools throughout the United States and Canada have brought up that the rankings are making Model UN too competitive as teams seek to get ranked for the primary purpose of getting ranked. This has become so widely known that one British student at a European conference told me that he “hates Best Delegate because it has made his MUN friends in New York only care about rankings.” Only a small minority of student-leaders have told me that the rankings have inspired them to help their team get better for the sole purpose of improvement and education, and only a small minority of faculty advisors have said that rankings have benefited Model UN without any negative consequences.

So although our intended consequence was to encourage teams to train their delegates better in research, speaking, and negotiation instead of showing up at conferences underprepared and to give their students more chances to participate at more conferences — and to get recognized for that — the actual unintended consequence is the increase of gavel-hunting delegates who use competitive, “power delegate” tactics for the primary purpose of winning awards and therefore helping their team get ranked. Teams have also started selecting more competitive conferences for the purposes of boosting their ranking, which has negatively impacted some conferences in terms of attendance numbers and on the type of educational committee experience they wanted to create. Competition can be healthy, but that is not the current state of Model UN according to participants and rankings are doing more to hurt the activity than to help it.

Of course, getting rid of rankings does not solve the issue of competition. Competition in Model UN will always exist as long as awards exist and are limited, and awards have existed long before this website for both cultural reasons (e.g. many academic activities have been giving out awards to students since they were little kids) and economic reasons (e.g. to incentivize clubs to attend the conference and send more students). Elements of competition will always exist even if conferences do not give awards if their rules of procedure places limits on leadership opportunities instead of focusing on building consensus — for example, having one main submitter or several primary sponsors to a resolution or having voting where there are winners and losers instead of having an entire committee be part of and agree upon the same resolution as in UN4MUN procedure.

3. Some of the best teams do not want rankings.

I interact with the faculty advisors of top-25 ranked teams often since I see them at the largest conferences throughout the year. They usually provide well-rounded feedback and insight into the state of Model UN, and two comments stood out in particular.

One faculty advisor of a perennial top-10 team remarked that he tells his students not to check the rankings and not to talk about it at school. Rankings have no place in their program that emphasizes the educational side of Model UN. Another faculty advisor of a different perennial top-10 team remarked that there should not be rankings in Model UN, and that Best Delegate can make a powerful statement by getting rid of them. These are both faculty advisors who respect Best Delegate for its other work. Of course, other faculty advisors and head delegates of top-ranked teams have been eagerly awaiting the rankings and probably benefit from them, so there is no consensus here.

There are a lot of reasons for and against rankings, but when the faculty advisors of some of the best and most respected teams do not believe it is the right platform of recognition, then it is time for a change.

What Will the New Recognition Look Like? 

Best Delegate’s mission is still to help participants find success in Model United Nations, and it would be a disservice to a large part of the North America high school MUN community if existing definitions of success that are based on awards are not recognized. Therefore, Best Delegate will still publish a recognition platform.

The recognition platform that we will aim to publish by mid-June is a list of the top delegations for Canada and for five regions in the United States: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, South, and West. Top delegations will be determined more by facts — the schools in each region that won the top school delegation awards at top multi-day conferences in the US and Canada — and less reliance on the weighted score formula used in the rankings that rewarded teams for winning more individual awards at more conferences and at the most competitive conferences. In order to best represent each region’s conferences and teams, Best Delegate will be reaching out to over 100 multi-day conferences located throughout the United States and Canada for their delegation award results and full awards lists where available. In order to balance between de-emphasizing competition while making the results meaningful, the end result will look similar to the tiered and limited Top 25 Regional teams from last year’s rankings.

An interesting alternative idea suggested by a reader in a comment to one of the previous rankings articles is to have a standing page of delegation award winners at every conference. This would simply be sharing facts without placing value or analysis on them (i.e. listing the delegation award winners without comparing their merits against delegation award winners at other conferences), and it would be updated throughout the year. This would be a further departure from the rankings and could be considered in future years.

If you have suggestions, please leave a comment and that will be the official way for us to receive feedback on how to best recognize teams for their successes in the future.

**

Best Delegate is currently reaching out to over 100 multi-day conferences in the United States and Canada for their awards lists. Nikita Barde is the project lead for the US Northeast and US Mid-Atlantic regions, Prathm Juneja is the project lead for the US Midwest and US South regions, and Ginny Tan is the project lead for the US West region and Canada. We hope to publish the results by mid-June.

This Recap was provided by the UC Davis Model United Nations’ Team of 2014

Ending the 2013-2014 debate year with its high school conference, Davis Model United Nations Conference (DMUNC 2014), the UC Davis MUN family finally started seeing what nine months of long and hard work amounted to. Twelve committees, forty staff members, twenty five schools, and four hundred delegates filled the halls of the UC Davis Gus Olson building on the weekend of May 17-18.

Kicking off the conference with keynote speaker, Pablo Castro, President of the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) – San Francisco Chapter, he encouraged modern youth to learn from historical mistakes of miscommunication, unilateral decisions, and human shortcomings. President Castro reminded the world of a rising hope through personal stories of his past in addition to excerpts from recent experiences in his life.

Guest speaker at opening ceremonies.

Using his reassuring words of communication and hope, delegates proceeded to dissect, analyze, and produce feasible multilateral solutions for highly contested modern day issues such as Lethal Autonomous Robotics, Non-Governmental Organization Corruption, Counterfeit Drugs, Immigration within the EU, and the Crisis within South Sudan. Along with said salient issues, some delegates were given exciting opportunities to participate in Historical Cabinet Crisis Simulation for the Third Crusades (Islam vs. Christianity) and the Great War of 1899 (Allied vs. Entente).

Outside of Committee, delegates and staff spent some of their Saturday evening together to play board games and watch movies. Throughout the conference, candy grams filled with Hershey Kisses, Starbursts, and other indulging confections were sent to staff members, delegates, and advisors; ultimately allowing the Davis team to provide our proceeds to UNICEF. Beautifully designed t-shirts and lanyards were also provided to those interested.

After an unbelievably short, exhilarating, and intense weekend of debate, the conference congregated to hand out awards and recognitions. All committee decisions were handed out with much difficulty and debate, due to extremely qualified and enthusiastic delegates the Davis MUN team has ever experienced. Nevertheless, Best Small Delegation award was presented to Foothill High School, with the Best Large Delegation award presented to Cerritos High School. An enormous congratulation to all awarded delegates at DMUNC 2014, and a bigger congratulation to all who spoke, provided input, and removed themselves from their comfort zone.

The UC Davis Model United Nations team would like to finally thank all its staff, sponsors and secretariat members that worked so incredibly hard on this project. The team would especially like to thank its attendees for coming to the conference, thank the advisors for taking time out of their personal lives to assist their students in their growth and development of worldly issues and social progression, and in total, thank President Pablo Castro for providing us with words of knowledge, experience, and hope. Thank you!!

For more information about UC Davis MUN, please check out their website!

The UC Davis MUN Staff picture

Best delegates in the Crusades: Christianity committee being knighted by head chairs and crisis director at closing ceremonies

Crisis Staff presenting an update in DISEC.

Delegates in the EU committee.​

Submitted by Secretaries-General Rachel Johnson and Thera Watson of the 2014 NMUN•NY, and NMUN Program Associate Jess Hopeman

National Model United Nations, the world’s largest post-secondary UN simulation, held its annual NMUN•NY 2014 conference in late March and early April. More than 5,200 students from all over the world (including universities from 53 UN member states) met in Manhattan to address global concerns in a real world context.

Samantha Power was one of many distinguished speakers at NMUN•NY 2014. (Photo from NMUN Facebook page)

For several years, the New York conference has been held in identical A and B weeks to accommodate the large number of participants. The 2014 week A participants were enthralled by an opening ceremony keynote speech by the Hon. Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN, who remarked that looking over the eager crowd was like being in “nerd heaven” and that she felt that she belonged there. She spoke of her own experience as an Irish immigrant, and her path to becoming the US Ambassador, working tirelessly for peace and justice.  H.E. Thomas Mayr-Harting, head of the EU delegation to the UN gave the Week B opening speech, and remarked that the students present were proving wrong those who “say that the young generation is not interested in politics, not interested in international relations, not interested in the United Nations.” He also engaged in an extensive Q and A session with students about current world events. Videos of their speeches can be found online here.

After opening ceremonies, the simulations began in earnest. Over the course of several days delegates gave formal speeches, negotiated diligently, generated working papers, cooperated where possible to produce draft resolutions and grabbed sleep and caffeine when able. By the conclusion committees adopted resolutions and reports on wide-ranging topics including: preventing terrorists from acquiring WMDs, increasing access to education and promoting multi-sector inclusion for women in an effort to eliminate all forms of violence against women, impact of the global financial crisis on the AIDS response, urban development and investments as methods to enhance living standards in slums, along with a multitude of other subjects. A comprehensive listing of summaries from each committee’s work can be found online here: www.nmun.org/ny_committee_guides.html.

Delegates at NMUN 2014. (Photo from NMUN Facebook page)

The conference also included a number of other ways for delegates to engage with experts in a variety of fields. Many delegations used time the second day to meet with the Permanent Mission to the UN of their assigned country. In addition, the Opportunity Fair featured representatives from a number of graduate schools and other organizations. The European Union Delegation to the UN conducted an EU Coordination Briefing each week. The Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) hosted discussions for students and faculty advisors on careers in international relations. The conference also included a series of well-attended delegate seminars with panels talking about media involvement in international affairs, peace and security, sustainable development, equality, ending global poverty, the UN and NGOs, disarmament and arms control, and empowerment through Model UN.

Venezuelan delegates at NMUN 2014. (Photo from NMUN Facebook page)

After the conclusion of committee meetings, each week culminated with inspiring closing ceremonies at United Nations Headquarters. Members of the fantastic volunteer Secretariat reflected on the meaning of the NMUN experience and summarized conference activities, and delegates/delegations of distinction were recognized for their preparation, performance in committee, and overall accomplishments. Speakers for the various closing ceremonies included Ahmad Alhindawi (UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth), Chris Whatley (Executive Director of UNA-USA), D. Stephen Mathias (UN Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs), Ambassador František Ružička (Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the UN), and H.E. Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, who encouraged students to work to diminish the gap between the world as it is, and the world as it should be.

H.E. Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, spoke during NMUN Closing Ceremonies. (Photo from NMUN Facebook page)

Feedback from this year’s attendees has described this conference as a life-changing experience, which provided them invaluable lessons in public speaking, leadership, and negotiation. Delegates built skills in diplomacy and compromise. They pushed themselves and their perceived limits; they learned to consider global issues from multiple perspectives; and they made new friends from all over the world. To hear about the NMUN experience in the words of delegates, watch some of the videos posted by delegations to the NMUN YouTube channel.

NMUN 2014 Staff. (Photo from NMUN Facebook page)

NMUN has been held in New York for more than 50 years and has been sponsored by the National Collegiate Conference Association, a student-founded nonprofit educational organization, since 1968. Registration for the 2015 New York conference will begin 1 September at www.nmun.org. NMUN will also hold simulations this year in Washington, DC (end of October) and Rome, Italy (late November). More information about all of NMUN’s conferences can also be found on the website.

**

Editor’s Notes:

• Recognition can be found here: http://www.nmun.org/ny_recognition.html
• Photos can be found on the Facebook page for both conferences

This article, provided by WIMUN Undersecretary General of Communications Erik Leiden, is the first of a 3 part series to prepare delegates for the WFUNA International Model United Nations Conference in Rome, Italy from June 31-July 4.  It was written to advise delegates on tips and strategies using UN4MUN Procedure and was originally published on wfuna.org. You can see the original here. 

At a Model UN conference, speech-making and debating are two necessary skills to grant you success as a delegate, whether you’re used to a “Speakers’ List,” “Formal Session,” or some other form of speech-making. Your first speech can be incredibly important in determining the reception of your policies and of you as a delegate as you start a conference.

When using UN4MUN procedure, your first speech is even more paramount; in seeking to be an accurate simulation of the United Nations, each delegate gets only one speech during formal session on each agenda item, followed by a maximum of one right of reply. Therefore, a strong first speech sets the tone for your work in committee. You can build an impressive, policy-oriented speech with three easy steps.

Start with an Attention-Grabbing Introduction

It’s an unfortunate reality that in many Model UN conferences (and, to be honest, the actual UN General Assembly Hall), there will be a considerable number of delegates who are disengaged and not paying very close attention. If you walk up to the front of the room and begin your speech in a monotone, quiet voice while not saying anything very interesting, these delegates are likely to continue not paying attention and miss out on the awesome policies that you want them to work with you on.

To assure that your message reaches as many attentive ears as possible, pull in the listeners and grab a hold of their attention. Walk confidently to the front of the room, stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, and immediately engage your audience. As in with the large script on a billboard or the first words in a TV commercial, your goal at the beginning of your statements is to enrapture your audience, so that when you decide to tell them your policies, you can be sure that they’re listening. Though there are many exciting ways to start off your dialogue, there are four easy ways to kick-start your speech and pull in the other delegates in the room:

• Interesting Facts: Facts demonstrating how serious a global issue is or how it affects your country specifically can help engage the audience.

• A Quote: Start with a quote from a well-known global figure. It can help the audience feel more connected to you through their connection to the person you’re quoting.

• A Question: By starting your speech with a rhetorical question, you can assure that your listeners are really thinking about the issue and how it may affect them or otherpeople.

• A Story or Anecdote: A more personal appeal in the form of a story or anecdote can carry with it some emotion and demonstrate the real human effect that global issues have on individuals, rather than just statistics about large groups of people in tragic situations.

Example:  “Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.” These words were spoken by Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani and international activist fighting for global education and gender equality.

Make a Clear, Positive and Succinct Argument

During the introduction, your goal was to engage your audience and make sure that they were paying attention. Now that you’ve got their attention, it’s time to explain your policy and why you think that this is the best way for the international community to move forward.

It’s incredibly important during your arguments to keep in mind the objectives of the United Nations and UN4MUN procedure. Your opening speech is meant to tell the world what your country stands for and what policies you want. Speaking time is limited, so every second of your speech is precious. Because of this, it is important that you don’t waste your time directing combative comments at other countries and being negative. Make a very optimistic, positive speech, and clearly outline your policies and your reasons for them.

Arguments should be limited to just a few main points so that your speech can be as memorable as possible. Each point can be broken down into two main parts:

The Why: Speak briefly about the components of the problem that your plan will seek to address, and cite relevant information about how the issue affects your country specifically.

The What: Make a clear statement of your country’s suggested solution for the issue, and briefly explain actionable plans for what you want the international community to do.

Example:

The Why: Access to education is one of the most pressing global issues facing the international community today, and Colombia remains committed to providing that access to as many citizens as possible nationwide. One of the main obstacles to accomplishing the Millennium Development Goal of Universal Primary Education is the availability of qualified teaching professionals.

The What: To combat this issue, Colombia advocates for international cooperative agreements among countries with stronger education infrastructure to partner with countries in need of education support. These partnerships can be leveraged to promote the sharing of best practices and expertise to train educators in host countries and create long-term permanent systems, rather than the traditional method of simply flying in educators to train students temporarily.

Conclude with a Call to Action

A memorable Model UN speech should persuade the audience, not just inform them of issues, so you need to finish with a call to action. With a call to action, you leave your audience with a task–why spend your time writing a speech about an issue if you’re not going to ask anybody to do anything about it?

Simply put, a call to action asks your listeners to go forth and tackle this issue, whether through domestic policies or international cooperation. Be creative with this call to action, but also carve a clear path that leads your audience towards what they can do to help implement these policies as quickly as possible.

Example: We’d like to invite all of you to move forward with us to collaboratively generate new and effective measures to provide education to as many of the world’s youth as possible. We encourage all Member States to form these partnerships for domestic, industry-oriented education, and to provide the next generation of global youth the greatest degree of opportunity possible.

By delivering a well-practiced and well-structured speech with these three parts, you’ll signal to your audience how you want to move forward and set the standard for collaboration and problem-solving in your committee. At the end of your speech, simply thank the audience and take your seat; UN4MUN procedure doesn’t require you to yield your time!

Stay tuned for two more delegate advice articles in the lead-up to WIMUN!

This article, provided by WIMUN Undersecretary General of Communications Erik Leiden, is the second of a 3 part series to prepare delegates for the WFUNA International Model United Nations Conference in Rome, Italy from June 31-July 4.  It was written to advise delegates on tips and strategies using UN4MUN Procedure and was originally published on wfuna.org. You can see the original here.

UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras

In Model UN, the culmination of your work for the entire week results in resolutions, or statements of the body on what the international community should do or feel about global issues. At WIMUN, students will be formulating resolutions for eventual submission to the proper UN bodies, so developing a strong and professional resolution is key to success as a delegate.

In Model UN, the culmination of your work for the entire week results in resolutions, or statements of the body on what the international community should do or feel about global issues. At WIMUN, students will formulate resolutions for eventual submission to the proper UN bodies, so developing a strong and professional resolution is key to success as a delegate.

Before the Conference

One of the central downfalls of Model UN delegates is the idea that the conference starts when you arrive and that you shouldn’t start thinking about resolutions until that point. Though many conferences (including WIMUN) emphasize that delegates do not bring pre-written resolutions, delegates should begin considering solutions to the problems at hand long before the actual conference.

Don’t spend all of your time researching country-specific statistics, historical background, and voting history on the issue; these things are important and should be researched, but the #1 most important thing to research on any issue is possible solutions. Read speeches by experts on the issue, think-tank reports, and policy papers to determine potential actionable plans because this will be the meat of your resolution.

UN resolutions aren’t meant to complain about issues–they’re meant to fix them. As a delegate, you should be the fixer. 

At the Conference: How to get started

Though UN resolutions eventually turn into long, formal documents, it’s not always how they originate. Working with your group to form a constructive outline that identifies the components of a topic and how to address them is a helpful way to increase both the quality and the efficiency of the work in your bloc. There are many ways you can do this, but the easiest way is to start by listing those working in your group and identifying the problems and solutions. This can be done with very informal language. For example, if your topic was Agricultural Development and Food Security:*

Countries: Angola, Bhutan, Colombia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Fiji, Ghana, Haiti

Problem: Some communities are too far from food sources to get regular food supplies.

Solution A: Development of local capacity to produce food through agriculture.

Solution B: Road and highway infrastructural development to help make food transportation and delivery systems more efficient and effective.

Problem: High temperatures and an increased rate of natural disaster due to climate change are hindering some farmers’ abilities to grow their normal crops.

Solution A: Genetically engineered crops that can work in these changing, harsher climates.

Solution B: Agro-ecological practices to make farming systems for resilient.

Problem: Emergency food aid delivered to disaster areas isn’t properly distributed.

Solution A: Oversight systems tied to future food delivery contingent upon proper distribution of food aid, transparency and efforts to combat corruption.

*Obviously at the conference your plans will be much more detailed and specific than those shown in this example

Header

Filling out the Header for the beginning of the formal draft of your resolution is easy. If you’re familiar with other Model UN conferences, the one difference to note with UN4MUN procedure is that, based on UN Rules of Procedure with the value of sovereign equality in mind, no country ever needs any other co-sponsors or signatories to bring forward a proposal–even one country alone can bring forward a draft resolution. Because of this, all partners to a resolution are listed as “Sponsors” with no minimum or maximum number of sponsors. Make sure to fill out the following information in the top left section of your draft resolution:

[Name of the Committee]

Sponsors: [List all countries bringing forth this resolution]

[Title of Topic]

Preambulatory Clauses

All preambulatory clauses have two other things in common: They all start with a “preambulatory phrase” (pictured above, usually a gerund), and end with a comma.The preamble of a resolution serves to explain the “Why?” of a resolution: Why the United Nations is discussing an issue, and why specific solutions set forth within the resolution are necessary. It is important to know that during the preamble of your resolution, you are solely indicating why the United Nations (or other organization) is involved, rather than actually making any statements or authorizing any action. These reasons can be “problems” for your earlier exercise, as well as references to past international actions or legislation, statistics, or the work of NGOs to highlight why the ideas set forth in this resolution are correct. It is important to refer to past resolutions in the preamble to demonstrate that a precedent exists for these actions. Recognizing work that is currently done in the field demonstrates that there was considerable work put into formulating the policies for this resolution.

Some of the Best High School Model UN teams in North America for 2013-2014. Pictured (clockwise): Horace Mann at ILMUNC, Mira Costa at NHSMUN, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South at WAMUNC, and Dalton at HMUN.

Best Delegate would like to recognize the 150 Best High School Model United Nations Teams in North America for the 2013-2014 school year!

The list primarily consists of teams that received a school delegation award (e.g. Best Large, Outstanding Large, Best Small, Outstanding Small, or equivalent) at any multi-day advanced Model UN conference in North America with at least 500 delegates. A few teams were also included for performing well at a major conference in North America, for performing well across several multi-day conferences with at least 500 delegates in North America, or for winning Best Large Delegation or equivalent at the next largest multi-day conference in their region. Disclaimer: We can only use data that is provided to us by the conferences. We reached out to over 100 conferences in North America, but not every conference was able to provide the awards data.

Teams are divided into six regions: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, South, West, and International. A separate list for Canada was not possible this year due to insufficient awards data. Teams could attend conferences in any region and be recognized for their success. Because teams attend conferences in different regions and because the number of conferences vary across regions, the distributions are not exactly even but nevertheless fairly distributed; there are 26 Northeast teams, 27 Mid-Atlantic teams, 25 Midwest teams, 24 South teams, 24 West teams, and 24 International teams that are recognized in the Top 150 this year.

This new recognition method replaces the rankings, and the reasons are explained in this article about why Best Delegate is moving away from rankings. Awards are one definition of success. Other definitions of success that have been proposed for us to consider recognizing in the future include conference organizing (i.e. high schools that do the best at hosting their own conference) and civic engagement (i.e. high schools who go beyond MUN simulations by engaging in advocacy, community service, philanthropy, or other educational programming).

Northeast Region

The Northeast region consists of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hamsphire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Teams based in this region that won delegation awards or performed notably well at major conferences in North America are listed here. Notable conferences in this region include: BosMUN, BUSUN, CMUNC, CMUNCE, CNYMUN, DartMUN, EagleMUNC, GCIMUN, HMUN, MITMUNC, NHSMUN, UCMUN, UMass MUN, Yeshiva MUN, YMUN, and others. The teams in alphabetical order:

• Bay Shore High School (New York)
• Beaver Country Day School (Massachusetts)
• Bedford High School (New Hampshire)
• Bromfield School (Massachusetts)
• Buckingham Browne & Nichols (Massachusetts)
• Choate Rosemary Hall (Connecticut)
• Collegiate School (New York)
• Concord Academy (Massachusetts)
• Dalton School (New York)
• Dana Hall School (Massachusetts)
• Elmont Memorial High School (New York)
• Horace Mann School (New York)
• Hotchkiss School (Connecticut)
• King Low Heywood Thomas (Connecticut)
• Loomis Chaffee School (Connecticut)
• Manlius Pebble Hill School (New York)
• New Canaan High School (Connecticut)
• North Andover High School (Massachusetts)
• Oceanside High School (New York)
• Phillips Academy (Massachusetts)
• Phillips Exeter Academy (New Hampshire)
• Stuyvesant High School (New York)
• The Master’s School (New York)
• Trevor Day School (New York)
• Trinity School (New York)
• Woodstock Academy (Connecticut)

Mid-Atlantic Region

The Mid-Atlantic region consists of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington DC, and West Virginia. Teams based in this region that won delegation awards or performed notably well at major conferences in North America are listed here. Notable conferences in this region include: Academy MUN, Chantilly MUN, HenMUN, ILMUNC, JHUMUNC, NAIMUN, ODUMUNC, PHUNC, PMUNC, RUMUN, SHUMUN, TechMUN, VAMUN, VIMUNC, WAMUNC, WMHSMUN, and others. The teams in alphabetical order:

• Al-Ghazaly School (New Jersey)
• Bergen County Academies (New Jersey)
• Bishop Ireton High School (Virginia)
• Douglas S. Freeman High School (Virginia)
• Franklin High School (New Jersey)
• George C. Marshall High School (Virginia)
• Granby High School (Virginia)
• Great Valley High School (Pennsylvania)
• J.P. Stevens High School (New Jersey)
• Langley High School (Virginia)
• Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School (Virginia)
• McLean High School (Virginia)
• Mt. Lebanon High School (Pennsylvania)
• Noor-ul-Iman School (New Jersey)
• Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy (Pennsylvania)
• Princeton High School (New Jersey)
• Radnor High School (Pennsylvania)
• School Without Walls (Washington DC)
• South Lakes High School (Virginia)
• St. Alban’s School (Washington DC)
• Tallwood High School (Virginia)
• Tenafly High School (New Jersey)
• Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology (Virginia)
• West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North (New Jersey)
• West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South (New Jersey)
• Winston Churchill High School (Maryland)
• Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School (Pennsylvania)

Midwest Region

The Midwest region consists of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Teams based in this region that won delegation awards or performed notably well at major conferences in North America are listed here. Notable conferences in this region include: CIMUN, GLIMUN, IHSMUN, MAMUN, MKCMUN, NSUMUN, MUNI, MUNUC, MUNUM, NUMUN, OSUMUN, SEMMUNA, Topeka MUN, WHSMUN, WUMUNS, and others. The teams in alphabetical order:

• Bloomfield Hills High School (Michigan)
• Chicagoland Jewish Day School (Illinois)
• Deerfield High School (Illinois)
• Detroit Country Day School (Michigan)
• Edina High School (Minnesota)
• Glenbrook South High School (Illinois)
• Highland Park High School (Illinois)
• Latin School of Chicago (Illinois)
• Liberty High School (Missouri)
• Liberty North High School (Missouri)
• Lyons Township High School (Illinois)
• North Farmington High School (Michigan)
• North Shore Country Day School (Illinois)
• Pewaukee High School (Wisconsin)
• Rock Bridge High School (Missouri)
• Rockhurst High School (Missouri)
• Shaker Heights High School (Ohio)
• Shawnee Heights High School (Kansas)
• St. Francis DeSales High School (Ohio)
• St. Ignatius College Prep (Illinois)
• St. Ignatius High School (Ohio)
• University of Chicago Laboratory School (Illinois)
• Upper Arlington High School (Ohio)
• Verona Area High School (Wisconsin)
• Washburn Rural High School (Kansas)

South Region

The South region consists of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Teams based in this region that won delegation awards or performed notably well at major conferences in North America are listed here. Notable conferences in this region include: Arkansas MUN, CTMUN, DUMUNC, FIMUN, GatorMUN, Georgia Southern MUN, FHSMUN, GTMUN, HAMUN, KnightMUN, MICSUN, MUNSA, OCMUNC, SUSMUN, SWFLMUN, UGAMUNC, VUMUN, and others. The teams in alphabetical order:

• American Heritage School (Florida)
• Belen Jesuit High School (Florida)
• Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School (North Carolina)
• Canterbury School (Ft. Myers, Florida)
• Cape Coral High School (Florida)
• Centennial High School (Georgia)
• Claudia Taylor Johnson High School (Texas)
• Conway High School (South Carolina)
• Grovetown High School (Georgia)
• Gulf Coast High School (Florida)
• Hillsborough High School (Florida)
• Liberal Arts & Sciences Academy (Texas)
• McCallie School (Tennessee)
• North Cobb High School (Georgia)
• Oasis High School (Florida)
• Pine View School (Florida)
• Pope John Paul II High School (Tennessee)
• Port Charlotte High School (Florida)
• Pulaski Academy (Arkansas)
• Richland Northeast High School (South Carolina)
• Seminole High School (Florida)
• Spanish River High School (Florida)
• Westlake High School (Texas)
• William P. Clements High School (Texas)

West Region

The West region consists of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Teams based in this region that won delegation awards or performed notably well at major conferences in North America are listed here. Notable conferences in this region include: Alaska MUN, Arizona MUN, BMUN, BruinMUN, CCCMUN, DavisMUN, EHSMUN, ETHSMUN, GauchoMUN, Montana MUN, MVHSMUN, Oregon MUN, RHSMUN, SCVMUN, SMUNC, Surf City MUN, Teton County MUN, TritonMUN, THSMUN, UCIMUN, and others. The teams in alphabetical order:

• Brighton High School (Utah)
• California High School (San Ramon, California)
• Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy (Idaho)
• Cerritos High School (California)
• Dougherty Valley High School (California)
• Edison High School (Huntington Beach, California)
• Foothill High School (Pleasanton, California)
• Gahr High School (California)
• Huntington Beach High School (California)
• Irvine High School (California)
• Jackson High School (Wyoming)
• Milken Community High School (California)
• Mira Costa High School (California)
• Mountain View High School (Arizona)
• Newport Harbor High School (California)
• Palos Verdes Peninsula High School (California)
• San Marino High School (California)
• Santa Margarita Catholic High School (California)
• Spring Valley High School (Nevada)
• St. Margaret’s Episcopal School (California)
• Torrey Pines High School (California)
• Tustin High School (California)
• University High School (Irvine, California)
• Whitney High School (California)

International

The International region consists of teams from outside of the 50 US states that participated in at least one conference in North America. Teams from Puerto Rico and Canada are listed here as they do not fit into any of the other regions; a separate Canada list may be considered in the future if enough data from Canadian conferences becomes available. Notable conferences in Canada include: ACMUN, BAMUN, CAHSMUN, CAIMUN, Chaminade MUN, ConnectMUN, OMWHO, SEMIMUN, SOMA, SSICSim, SSUNS, UTMUN, VMUN, and York MUN. The teams in alphabetical order:

• Academia Merici (Venezuela)
• Anatolia College (Greece)
• Anglo-Chinese School (Singapore)
• Baldwin School of Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico)
• Bayview Glen School (Canada)
• Cathedral & John Connon School (India)
• Colegio Cumbres Medellin (Colombia)
• Colegio Puertorriqueño de Niñas (Puerto Rico)
• Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola (Puerto Rico)
• Global Leader (China)
• Hillfield Strathallan College (Canada)
• Instituto Andes (Venezuela)
• Laurentius-Gymnasium (Germany)
• Lyceum School (Pakistan)
• Marianopolis College (Canada)
• Prepa Ibero (Mexico)
• Robert College (Turkey)
• Saint John’s School (Puerto Rico)
• Shawnigan Lake School (Canada)
• St. George’s School (Canada)
• Strathcona Tweedsmuir School (Canada)
• The Skinner’s School (United Kingdom)
• University of Toronto Schools (Canada)
• Upper Canada College (Canada)

**

Congratulations to all the teams! We’ll be busy teaching at the Best Delegate Summer Programs throughout the summer and preparing our new Global Media Secretariat for when the school year re-starts in the fall. Hope everyone has a productive and fun summer!

This article, provided by WIMUN Undersecretary General of Communications Erik Leiden, is the third of a 3 part series to prepare delegates for the WFUNA International Model United Nations Conference in Rome, Italy from June 31-July 4.  It was written to advise delegates on tips and strategies using UN4MUN Procedure and was originally published on wfuna.org. You can see the original here.

As seen in our previous two articles about Formal Debate and Resolution Writing using the UN4MUN procedure, WIMUN’s rules have several points of divergence from the rules of procedure and norms that many delegates may be used to. Though similar to caucusing, Informal Consultations are the biggest change between these two formats because Model UN conferences typically haven’t represented this stage very accurately. At WIMUN, delegates will get a taste of the real process countries go through with their blocs, which includes merging papers and lobbying other countries to support their papers.

Working in Your Groups

Typically at a Model UN conference, you may see groups form seemingly at random during the first unmoderated caucus, with delegates who have worked together before forming blocs or blocs being determined by where delegates are seated in the room. In the United Nations, most legislation originates in the different regional or collaborative blocs of the General Assembly. At WIMUN, delegates will do much of their policy and resolution writing within these blocs. Though there are countless different groups on different issues, there is a core of working groups that is prevalent in almost any GA discussion, including the following:

Asia-Pacific Group: Most of the Asian and Southern Pacific countries, excluding Israel, Turkey, Australia and New Zealand

African Group: All African Countries, including Morocco (which is not a Member State of the African Union)

Eastern European Group: Eastern European Countries (minus Greece), plus Russia

WEOG – The Western European and Other Group: Includes not just Western European countries, but also New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Israel, Greece, Turkey, and the United States (as an observer)

GRULAC – The Group of Latin American Countries:  Includes all Caribbean, Central American, and South American states, as well as Mexico

African Union and European Union: Though not formal blocs, these international organizations tend to have their Member States cooperate heavily in the UNGA

NAM – The Non-Aligned Movement: Borne from the Cold War and the increasing polarization of Global Politics, with these countries claiming to be “Non-Aligned,” initially aiming to combat Cold War tensions. Still in existence today, this group is comprised of mainly economically developing countries.

G-77 – The Group of 77: Though originally named for its 77 members, the group today boasts 133 members and is arguably the most affecting voting bloc in the United Nations. It consists of a loose coalition of developing countries seeking joint objectives for economic development and security policy everywhere from the UNGA and UNDP to the IMF.

It is incredibly important to find a working group to serve as a support base before informal consultations. Once informal consultations begin, many countries will fall into these groups to determine their shared interests and write their initial resolution together within these blocs.

WIMUN will be a much more negotiation-driven conference than most, so during these initial stages, it may be hard to rectify what you think is a good idea, what your country’s policy is, and what other delegates are saying. Be prepared to make concessions to meet your goal of a consensus on your resolution, as the full endorsement of the United Nations General Assembly will carry a lot of weight for your ideas. Eighty percent of UN resolutions passed are adopted by unanimous consent, so in trying to act as realistic UN delegates, you need to assure that your bloc is unified behind your resolution because you will likely have more policy in common with these countries than any others in the committee.

Merging

While you’re working with your group to form a resolution, many of the other delegates will be as well. Once these initial drafts are formed by each group, it will be important to start merging. Though merging may feel uncomfortable or as if you’re losing your resolution, it is once again important to keep the function of the United Nations in mind: Does any one region or group really know what solutions will be best for the world? By working with other countries toward consensus, you can assure that the needs of all countries are being addressed by your committee’s resolution, not just your own.

Merging is a process of negotiation and concession, and because of this, it is important to go about it in an organized fashion. Find a bloc that has compatible ideas with your own (if you’re in the African Group, maybe you seek out the Asian Group because of the shared interests of economically developing countries), and sit down with a few representatives of each bloc sitting on each side of the table. Then, choose either a member of one of the blocs, or a member of your dais, to sit down and help you moderate your merger. Though you are in informal consultations and do not have to accept any moderation of your discussion, representatives at the United Nations appoint someone to organize discussion for the groups to save time and maintain a professional structure to their negotiations.

Each group will submit their drafts to the moderator of these discussions. Then, the moderator should proceed to read each clause out to both groups. Once the clause has been read, a brief discussion can occur on the clause. If there are any simple changes that need to be made (e.g. grammatical issues or replacing a specific word), that can be done with the consent of both parties, or the clause can be accepted as is. The moderator will ask if there is any opposition to this clause, and if there is no dissent, it gets included in the merged draft resolution.

If there is opposition, that clause gets marked and set aside for further negotiation, either to find “Compromise Language” (language for the clause that is acceptable to all parties), or to convince one party to drop the clause. These side negotiations should take place between just one representative of each bloc, and these delegates can even move away from the table to allow the rest of their groups to continue merging while they find compromise language.  Repeat this process until all of the clauses are accepted, amended, or removed. Then, you have a merged draft resolution with both of your groups on board!

Lobbying

Though countries will mainly work within their blocs, there are issues on which certain countries may differ. Also, though it’s very difficult to merge with more than one resolution at a time, you still want to be in communication with the other groups as you write and merge your resolutions. For both of these purposes, lobbying is a tool that is absolutely vital for delegates to use throughout informal consultations.

Once certain members of your group sit down to conduct a merger, other delegates can go and seek out delegates from other blocs to talk about their resolutions. All delegates lobbying for a group should have a unified message, so they should determine together what ideas and clauses they want to highlight with other groups. These conversations can serve three purposes:

1.     To convince delegates that what is in your resolution is agreeable and beneficial to the international community and their group specifically.

2.     To hear concerns from other groups about part of their resolution. Eventually, all of the resolutions will hopefully be merged, so if you can anticipate and figure out problems earlier on, it gives you more time to find compromise language and help other groups be more amenable to the clauses in your draft

3.     To express apprehensions to other groups about their resolution, and how it may make the merger and negotiation process more difficult when it comes time to work together. Here, you can convince other delegations to adopt compromise language before the actual negotiation process begins.

If you work with your group, organize the merging process and actively convince as a lobbyist, both your group and your committee will achieve the consensus on the best resolution possible. Though different states have different interests on many of the issues addressed by the United Nations, everyone is united against a problem. It all comes down to countries finding the best solutions that would best benefit their people.

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) is the gatekeeper and arbiter of international football (soccer), responsible for organizing the international tournaments that we know, love, and anxiously await every 4 years. Established in 1904, FIFA has helped make the game into the global sport that it is today. Recently, however, FIFA has come under intense criticism for many of its practices, such as:

• Complaints that FIFA strong-arms host countries into adopting unfavorable laws, such as forcing Brazil to allow alcohol into their World Cup stadiums
• Allegations that FIFA has been levying unfair costs and burdens on national associations to host the World Cup, while taking most of the profits from the tournaments for their own organization
• Accusations of fraud and bribery in determining World Cup host countries, most recently with Qatar’s selection to host World Cup 22

With all of this controversy, we feel it’s time to bring some MUN problem-solving to the topic of international Football.

For this competition, please submit a position paper (as yourself) highlighting the background and potential solutions for FIFA Reform. Please be sure to define what role you think FIFA should play in international soccer, and also how they can best play that role while respecting member associations. Submissions should be 1 page, single space, with 12pt Times New Roman Font, and submitted to Erik@nullBestDelegate.com by 11:59PM EST on July 13 (the night of the World Cup Final!). The winner will receive a Best Delegate T-Shirt, a Certificate of Recognition, and will be recognized on BestDelegate.com. Please be advised that all submissions may become public. Any questions can be sent to Erik@nullBestDelegate.com.  All high school and university students are welcome to participate!

Jakarta, June 28^th 2014 – Jakarta Model United Nations (JakartaMUN) 2014 wrapped up and left deep memories in the heart of every participant and also the organizing committees. After the opening with Mr. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Executive Task of Governor of DKI Jakarta in the first day, the second day of JakartaMUN 2014 which held on June 24^th 2014 hit the first session of Model United Nations series. The event was started with the Conference Zero as the place for the first-timer participants who have not experienced MUN to learn deeply about the art of diplomacy and negotiation in ModelUN. The topics chosen for Conference Zero were very diverse and popular, such as the topic of superhero and movie, so that the participants were easy to understand on how MUN works.

One of the committee session at Jakarta MUN

After the Conference Zero, the Conference series began. There were 6 councils in JakartaMUN 2014, they were The World Health Organization (WHO) which discussed about HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other disease; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) which talked about eradicating literacy; United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) which discussed about child mortality; United Nations Women (UN-Women) which talked about rape; United Nations World Food Program (UN-WFP) which talked about extreme poverty and world hunger; and the last was United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) which talked about the green economy.

Following the one day full with debate and diplomacy, all participants were entertained with one of JakartaMUN 2014 social event, which was Gala Dinner. In Gala Dinner, all participants had a special dinner in a round table together with the Directors and Assistant Directors of each council in order to get to know each other better. Gala Dinner was held in Museum Nasional Indonesia. All participants were also entertained by Band and solo performance.

Gala Diner at Indonesian National Museum

Gala Dinner with the Dais made the night feel warm and cozy :)

In June 25^th 2014, besides all series of conference, the participants were served with a discussion through the event of Hearing with the Experts. The expertise that came to had a discussion with all the bright youths are Ms. Choerunnisa from The Indonesia Institute of Science, Mr. Shahbaz Khan from UNESCO, dr. Donette Goodall from Lone Star College, and Ms. Gracia Paramitha from Indonesia Youth Diplomacy. The discussion was run very sharp and fruitful because the participants tried to get the input about the issue as much as possible in order to create an excellent Draft Resolution.

In the last day of JakartaMUN 2014, in June 26^th 2014, debates and negotiations in the conference

Ms. Gracia Paramitha from Indonesia Youth Diplomacy at Hearing with the Expert session

room heated up because all participants have entered the Draft Resolutions session. But at last, all councils succeed to create an excellent Draft Resolution. Conference series was closed by General Assembly where all participant from six councils gathered together to discuss each council Draft Resolution.

The following is the name of award winner from each council that was announced in the Closing Ceremony. Do find your name below? Congratulations for your success!

UNESCO

Best Delegate                              : Alfian Mohammad Pala (representing Netherlands)

Most Outstanding Delegate : M. Radhiyan Pasopati (representing Algeria)

Honorable Mention               : Zumaro (representing USA)

Best Position Paper               : Aila Kafrawi (representing Germany)

UNICEF

Best Delegate                              : Laras Thyrza (Representing Argentina)

Most Outstanding Delegate  : Margianta Surahman Juhanda (representing Germany)

Honorable Mention                 : Adizsa Nurulhuda (representing Turkey)

Best Position Paper                 : Adizsa Nurulhuda (representing Turkey)

UNCSD

Best Delegate                              : Christella Feni (Representing India)

Most Outstanding Delegate  : Melvin Hade (representing Spain)

Honorable Mention                 : Nadia Sekarsari Anindyati (representing USA)

Best Position Paper                 : Marcella Karina (representing United Kingdom)

UN-WFP

Best Delegate                              : Giasinta Livia (Representing India)

Most Outstanding Delegate  : Kevin (representing United Kingdom)

Honorable Mention                 : Alexander Wielgos (representing Russian Federation)

Best Position Paper                 : Giasinta Livia (Representing India)

WHO

Best Delegate                              : Diovio Alfath (Representing Saudi Arabia)

Most Outstanding Delegate  : S. Hanny Lismora (representing Russian Federation)

Honorable Mention                 : Frans Jediza (representing United Kingdom)

Best Position Paper                : S. Hanny Lismora (representing Russian Federation)

UN-Women

Best Delegate                              : M. Inardi Rizky (Representing USA)

Most Outstanding Delegate  : Mochammad Dimas Andra (representing Bangladesh)

Honorable Mention                 : Talita Luna Siagian (representing Japan)

Best Position Paper                 : Carissa Tridina (Representing Singapore)

  All of the event series of Jakarta Model United Nations 2014 was closed by the splendor After Party.

This article was written by Kaylee Boalt, a program associate at the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations (NCUSAR) and a four-year alum of Model Arab League (MAL).

Model United Nations is a term very familiar to American students of all ages, with hundreds of MUN conferences taking place annually across the country and around the world. However, mentioning the term “Model Arab League” can result in blank stares, perplexed expressions, and general confusion.

A program with many parallels to MUN, Model Arab League (MAL) is a debate simulation based on the League of Arab States. It has been operated by the Washington, D.C.-based National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations since 1983 and now operates over 20 conferences in the U.S. annually. MAL is unique in that its participants represent a pool of 22 countries instead of MUN’s 193, resulting in a more participatory atmosphere, greater opportunity to speak and influence the council, and, perhaps most importantly, ample opportunities to peer-network and befriend fellow delegates.

Involvement in a MAL conference is multi-faceted: pre-conference preparation refines research skills; position papers and draft resolutions hone professional writing abilities; and council sessions cultivate confidence in public speaking, problem-solving, negotiation, and diplomacy. Many participants gain exposure to actual diplomats via on-site embassy visits in the Nation’s Capital. MAL councils are intimate affairs over the course of their two-to-three days – delegates walk away with new friendships and mentors, an enhanced résumé, and even career connections.

One essential advantage of Model Arab League, however, is often overlooked: the ability to understand new perspectives and an appreciation of foreign viewpoints by placing oneself into the shoes of an Arab diplomat. Student delegates glean insight into the life of a person from another culture, as person acting on different assumptions and national interests. By attaining consensus, passing resolutions, and picking apart challenges, delegates transcend themselves and achieve a higher understanding of Middle Eastern policy and culture.

Counterintuitively, Model Arab League retains themes of universality in that its alums have pursued a large variety of majors and careers—from politics to education, business, hard sciences, medicine, law, and beyond. The skills inherited from MAL are undeniably useful, regardless of one’s academic major or future career path. In addition, MAL alumni may partner with the National Council to partake in sponsored study visits to the Arab region, overseas Arabic language immersions, and a specialized internship programs in Washington, D.C.

As explained by MAL and United States Military Academy at West Point alum, Hamid Nasir: “My MAL experience was extremely valuable to my development as a soldier-scholar. It afforded me the opportunity to put myself in the shoes of Arab diplomats and understand the geopolitics of the Arab world from a unique perspective… More concretely, MAL greatly helped me hone critical thinking and public speaking skills. But most importantly, MAL exposed me to a network of like-minded individuals who were equally committed to increasing mutual understanding of the Arab world.”

Are you intrigued yet? Thankfully, starting a Model Arab League team at your high school or college is easy! Conference take place across the country throughout the year. For more information, including a step-by-step start-up guide, please click here.

List of Upcoming Model Arab League Conferences

The following article was written by Frank Pobutkiewcz, a Model UN veteran of Boston University and founder of the All-American Model UN Program, which provides US high school students with a number of opportunities to compete in US and International conferences. He can be reached at frank@nullallamericanmun.com.

Model United Nations teaches core lessons in cross-cultural understanding. Students learn how to resolve interstate policy differences, how to adapt to changing circumstances, and also learn general communication skills through moderated and unmoderated debate. However, the true challenge of cross-cultural relationships can only be discovered by interacting with peers from a different country.

Pranav at Global Village

I always like to tell the story of the first time that the All-American Model UN team attended the WEMUN Expo Conference in Beijing, China. With students from across the United States, the regional differences appeared as soon as the students on the team met each other. Upon landing in China, those differences melted away. A more challenging set of circumstances directed all of our attention: communicating with our peers from several other countries, in a different country.

Communication Challenge Present Opportunities for Deeper Understanding
Trouble with communication occurs on many different levels. Even with a shared tongue, vocabulary and usage still plays a crucial role. Though it may be frustrating at times, working through communication miscues strengthens understanding. Delegates spend much more time on points that would be rushed through in a homogenous environment. This shared experience in turn can lead to better relationships, in and out of committee.

Cultural Idiosyncrasies Provide a Window into Policy
Political policies are not always a result of political thought. Many times, a state’s foreign policy reflects unique cultural aspects. For example, neither Norway nor Iceland is a member of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. The motivation clearly reflects their cultural heritage.

The previous example is a clear instance of culture influencing policy. Deeper analysis will show how more powerful, ingrained aspects of some cultures reflect their outlook on international issues. East Asian cultures typically have traditions of respecting authority while East European cultures tend to distrust it. These historic legacies frequently project into policy and it is difficult to understand without direct interaction with a different culture.

Common Connections Reduce National Distrust
It may be outlandish to hope that visiting other countries will lead to better understanding. It may be even more foolish to think that a deeper understand will lead to a reduction in distrust on a national level. One of the most important lessons that studying the United Nations has taught me has been to examine the big picture and aim not for incremental change, but for lasting change on a global scale. I wholeheartedly believe the more connections that American students have around the world, the more trust will develop for years to come.

Moreover, traveling abroad and directly interacting with another culture can eliminate preconceived bias and stereotypes. What you think you know about a country may be entirely different from the reality of everyday life in that country.

Why Attend a Model UN Conference? Why not just Tour another Country?
Model United Nations conferences are more than just an excuse to travel abroad; they are an unparalleled chance to interact with peers. I cannot understate the importance of the learning potential of peer-to-peer interaction across cultures.
That is not to say there is no value in traveling for tourism. There is an immense amount of value in travel itself. However, for whatever value you place on ordering an espresso in a French café you must admit the value is far greater when discussing the global coffee trade with a French student. Model UN provides the platform for students to learn from each other while delving into pressing international issues.

Other Best Delegate Posts by Frank:
How to Include Model UN in Your Résumé

The All-American Model UN Program is currently recruiting US high school students to compete at the Yale Model Government Europe conference hosted in Budapest, Hungary. For more information, please visit http://allamericanmun.com/ymge2014. To help more students take advantage of travel opportunities, all Best Delegate alumni will receive a 10% reduction in tuition costs for all All-American programs.

This guest article was written by Christine Ciganovich, the USG of Mains Committee at RHSMUN.

Walking around my committee room during an unmoderated caucus last RHSMUN, I overheard a group of delegates engaged in genuine discussion of a rather nuanced aspect of our topic. For a moment, I forgot that I was the Director of the committee and wanted to join their conversation. Now, coming up on my third RHSMUN, I have come to realize that this is an all too common occurrence in the ballrooms and meeting halls of the Hilton Union Square.

As an educational conference, our focus is not on individual awards or points, but on teaching delegates how to do MUN and why global issues are important. RHSMUN Directors spend nearly five months researching, writing, and editing Background Guides in order to provide delegates a strong knowledge base of the topics from which they can begin extensive individual research. The success of RHSMUN committees depends on how well-researched our delegates are. We strive for delegates to come prepared with a wide breadth of knowledge on the topics, and innovative and thorough solutions. In order to provide delegates with a quality learning environment, we also stress diplomacy. We deemphasize individual awards and regard diplomacy highly so that our Directors and Assistant Directors can truly provide delegates with a space to engage with what is at the core of MUN—becoming global citizens with the power and knowledge to alter our circumstances.

With conference staff and delegates from a variety of countries across the globe, RHSMUN presents delegates with unique perspectives most other West Coast conferences are unable to offer, especially at the high school level. However, RHSMUN’s international draw should not worry first time delegates. As an Assistant Director, Director, and now Under-Secretary-General of GA Main Committees, I have spent much of my RHSMUN career with first-year and first-conference delegates. Exposing new-to-MUN delegates to quality substantive programming and being part of an unbeatable learning experience is one of the reasons I keep coming back to RHSMUN. Now in my sixth year of MUN, I can positively say RHSMUN stands apart from any other West Coast conference.

I do not believe that success in MUN should be measured in gavels, but in productive conversations had, diplomatic solutions made, and knowledge gained. I, along with the entire RHSMUN staff, am passionate about global issues education. MUN opens students up to some of the most important topics, but too often points and individual awards obscure any chance at having delegates engage in productive discussion. Set in the city where the United Nations Charter was signed nearly seventy years ago, RHSMUN refuses to be just another MUN conference. When a group of more than thirty college students choose to dedicate a year, for some of us many years, of our lives to one three-day conference, something special is happening. RHSMUN is definitely a conference to keep on your radar—I hope to see you all in December!

For more information about RHSMUN, check out their website here.

This guest article was written by Rory Mondshein from Bard College MUN.

Since 2013, Bard has been focused on resolving bullying within Model UN. In the fall, members of Bard Model UN will propose an anti-bullying clause for the team charter.

In Model UN, we work to solve most of the pressing problems of our time, creating a better world. In committee, we condemn human rights violations and publicly condemn governments that reject “the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family” (United Nations Declaration of Human Rights). In committee, we refuse to be bystanders because we fear the ramifications of idle chatter and inaction. Yet, when the lights go out for the final session, does our behavior parallel the ones we publicly presented? There appears to be a disconnect between the way we present ourselves in committee, and our everyday practices: we are quick to speak out against power imbalances and unfair treatment in a simulation, but we are reluctant to extend that courtesy to our fellow delegates in the face of a more minor form of injustice — bullying.

According to the International Bullying Association, “Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include: An Imbalance of Power . . .[and] Repetition.” (Stop Bullying World). Bullying relates to many of the subjects we cover in Model UN because studies show that it is correlated with a number of global issues, including juvenile delinquency, gang violence, and youth mortality. It manifests itself in many areas, including schools, the workplace, and even in Model UN.

In Model UN, we emphasize the detriment of power imbalances in relation to repeated government abuses. Similarly, bullying refers to power plays on the micro-sociological level. We can draw many parallels between the macro-level and the micro-level. We focus a lot on global injustices, but are too afraid to speak out when it happens right in front of our faces. We feel empowered to stand up for Syrian citizens whose rights are being stricken by vituperative governments, but we are silent when our fellow class or teammate’s sense of personhood is being compromised by a belligerent bully. It is time for delegates to apply their Model UN experiences to a different forum, and stand up against bullying both in school and in Model UN.

Because of the media, today the word “bully” invokes an image of a physically strong student that pilfers lunch money. We have operationalized our conception of bullying to meet this definition. However, that would be overlooking the many other forms that bullying has. Bullying can be as subtle as a white lie meant to throw you off, or as obvious as plagiarizing policy proposals or a gender-divided bloc (“Stereotypes and the Gender Divide in Model UN”). Although some are surprised that such behavior exists in Model UN, it is no surprise that a fairly competitive activity attracts quite a few people that will do anything to win.

There are many ways that bullying can manifest itself in Model UN: a delegate could attempt to deter you from your main goal; act condescendingly to you; plagiarize your resolution; and, worst of all, take measures to lower your self-esteem for their own interest. Oftentimes these actions can be a deterrent for new delegates, and detract from your Model UN experience, but it is important to address them in order to enhance your experience, help other delegates, and protect the values of Model UN:

(1) Bullying at Conferences
If you are finding that a delegate is belligerently bullying you at a conference, there are many different ways to go about it: some delegates ignore it whereas others make a big spectacle out of it. However, it is important to find a middle ground between these two polar opposites, and use your Model UN skills to address this issue.

In order to ameliorate the bullying, it is important to take the delegate to the side, and ask for just a few minutes of their time. If they say that it is a bad time, wait about a half hour and then pursue it again. In the meantime, focus on your work in the conference. It is crucial that you do not make a big spectacle out of it because it can lead to retaliatory behavior. Do not embarrass the delegate, and, instead, bring it up in the most amiable manner possible. Try to use the words such as, “I feel” as much as possible because, while the delegate can get defensive with generalizations, s/he cannot question the veracity of your feelings. Speak for yourself and do not try to be the voice of the entire committee, even if they bring it up to you first, because then the delegate could feel isolated and retaliate with even more belligerent behavior. Respectfully bring it to their attention, and intervene before the situation escalates.

If you find that the situation has escalated, talk to the delegate again. This time, you can be a little more stern, but still diplomatic. If you are finding that your conversations have not resonated with him/her, it may be time to find another way to address it. If you know that other delegates share your sentiments, talk to your chair about the problem before going to your head delegate. Emphasize that you have spoken to this delegate multiple times to no avail, and ask what can be done about it. Do not offer solutions of your own because that can appear hostile; instead, listen to what they have to say, and leave it in their hands. Do not talk about it with other delegates, and let the proper channels address it.

If you are still finding that the delegate is acting belligerent even after talking to him/her and the chair, ask the chair what has been done. If you are finding this answer unsatisfactory, it is time to talk to your head delegate. Head delegates are appointed to deal with these issues, and enhance your Model UN experience. Tell the head delegate about everything you have done, and request that they talk to the conference directors. Do not feel guilty about making your chair look ineffective because, the truth is, chairs only have so much power, and, if this is a repeated problem, it may be an issue that only a conference director can deal with. Do not feel like a nuisance for bringing it up, and understand that the conference directors are there to enhance your Model UN experience and, if that is being compromised, it is up to you to address it.

(2) Bullying on Teams
In my opinion, the worst kind of bullying happens between teammates. While conference bullying lasts a maximum of four days, team bullying can last for an entire year. Unlike four-day conferences, teammates are forced to work with each other for the entire year.

Unlike conferences, team bullying takes a different form. It can start out with rumors, and then take a more obvious form with outright belligerence. When an individual gets more and more successful, they can get the sense that they are better than everyone else and express these sentiments through diva-like behavior. They can intimidate new members, isolate themselves from the team, and even, directly bully everyone else. This behavior is quite common in team settings, and here are some ways to deal with it.

(A) For Students
Delegates, if you feel like one of your teammates is bullying you, respectfully take them on the side and talk to them about how you feel. Remember to frame the issue in the first-person pronoun so that the other delegate does not get defensive. Assure them that it is not them, and that it is just the way that they are coming across. Afterwards, be patient and see if there are any changes.

If there are no changes, try talking to the delegate again and see where they stand. If you are finding that your talk is ineffective, talk to your club head or faculty adviser about intervening in the situation. Mention that you have spoken to the delegate, and tried to resolve it one-on-one, but that, perhaps, the situation requires a mediated session. If you find that other delegates feel this way, explain that to your club heads and faculty advisers. Ask them what can be done about the situation to improve your Model UN experience.

When you are sitting down with your faculty adviser, talk about the importance of making every delegate feel comfortable, and the long-term interests of the club. Explain that tolerating bullying would negatively affect membership, and that could compromise the strength of the club and completely destroy the team. After you have made your point, do not offer your own suggestions for punishment; just listen to what the adviser has to say.

A common answer that advisers give is that they “did not see anything.” If your adviser says this, give them time to observe the situation. Just because they say that “they do not see anything” does not mean that they doubt you, but, instead, they want to wait to take action. If the situation escalates, go back to them and keep them informed.
If your adviser gets defensive, it could be because they do not know how to deal with the situation. If you are finding yourself in this predicament, then just carefully remind them about the importance of addressing bullying, and suggest that the club introduce an anti-bullying clause in the charter. If your adviser dismisses that, it could be because they do not want to admit that there is bullying. I encourage you to keep speaking up about it anyway. If other delegates feel this way, encourage them to speak up too, and remind them that their voices matter. Even if no one is listening, speak up and make your voice heard, even if it means using unconventional tactics, like explaining it with a puppet show or song. The only way to solve a problem is to talk about it.

(B) For Faculty.
Admitting that your team has a bullying problem is tough and disheartening, but it must be done to properly help your students. The truth is, the word is highly stigmatized. However, it is not your fault, and tons of teams go through it. It is no surprise that a competitive activity has a little bit of bullying in it. However, if a delegate is coming to you about bullying behaviors, you need to be there to address it because a positive delegate experience is the key to long-term success.

If a delegate is telling you about bullying, the best thing you can do is to let them know that you care, and make them feel comfortable for coming to you. It is not easy for students to come to teachers about these kinds of things because of overwhelming anxiety about “snitching.” If they do talk to you, it is a big deal, and it is important for you to treat it as such. Let the delegate know that you are there for them.

When the delegate approaches you, listen to their story. Do not cut them off, and do not make assumptions. Just listen with an open mind. Sometimes, we get defensive when we do not feel like we have the right response, but I encourage you to try not to be. The truth is, no one expects you to have all of the answers, but we do expect you to care enough to listen.
If you are not convinced of the bullying in your club, then, perhaps, you do not have to take direct action. There are many alternatives to direct confrontation. One of my favorite solutions is including an anti-bullying clause in club charters. The anti-bullying clause would define bullying, and serve as tangible proof that bullying is not tolerated. If delegates come together to write the clause, they will be more likely to abide by it. The anti-bullying clause solution is the middle ground between too much action and inaction because it resolves bullying without direct confrontation and sends a message to delegates.

All in All:
There are many wonderful people in the Model UN community actively working to make a difference; however, like with every competitive activity, there are always a few participants that take it too far and negatively impact others’ experiences. I hope this article does not bring about a negative connotation with Model UN, but open up a discussion about how we can use our Model UN experiences to combat the bullying within it.

Works Cited:
1. International Bullying Association. “About.” 2013. http://www.stopbullyingworld.org/index.php/about-ibpa-28 [accessed 29 April 2014].
2. UN General Assembly, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 10 December 1948, 217 A (III), available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b3712c.html [accessed 13 June 2014]
3. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “What is Bullying?” Stop Bullying. http://www.stopbullying.gov/what-is-bullying/index.html. [accessed 29 April 2014]

Leading up the World Cup Finals, delegates from around the world were tasked with writing Position Papers on an incredibly pressing topic- how to reform the International Federation of Football Associations to best suite the needs of national associations and athletes worldwide. We were incredibly impressed by all of the submissions, with a huge range of ideas as to how to reform the organization.  Suggestions for a new FIFA decision-making structure, external and internal audits and oversight over any bidding process, greater National Association control over the organization, and even ideas for completely tearing down and building back up the organization were recommended.

Entries were received from 4 continents and a multitude of countries, demonstrating the global nature of FIFA and International Football in general. All of the submissions were filled with great ideas, but we’ve decided to recognize First, Second, and Third Place in this competition with certificates of recognition, as well as a BD T-Shirt for the winner.

First Place- Meghana Bhimreddy

Congratulations to Meghana Bhimreddy, a Freshman at Hillsborough IB High School for coming in 1st place in the position paper contest! Meghana is an Indian national who lives in Tampa, Florida, and she says “As an avid football fan (I can proudly say that I watched almost every single match this FIFA World Cup Tournament!), every allegation of fraud that FIFA faces interests me. It seems extremely ironic that FIFA, which claims to go beyond football and support societies, is doing the very opposite of its slogan (“For the Game. For the World.”). Since football has evolved from being a sport to a unifying force, every decision FIFA makes affects millions of people worldwide. What could be a better reason than the sheer prevalence of football to making sure that decision is pure?”

Below we’ve reproduced the text of her winning paper:

Position Paper for FIFA Reform

Since 1904, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has committed itself to expanding football around the world through international competitions and development programs. Wielding their mantra “For the Game. For the World”, they have succeeded in constructing an organization that reigns considerable influence on the various associations that control the world of soccer. However, their actions in the past few years have gone against the very ideals of the mantra they live by, as allegations of fraud and corruption have been exposed by whistleblowers. As their actions become increasingly publicized, pressure must be exerted upon FIFA to consider reforming its practices before they disgrace their mission.

Although FIFA has proved to be unsuccessful in treating some of the issues and criticism it faces, it must receive commendation for its implementation of certain reform ideas of the Independent Governance Committee (IGC), which was established to supervise and administer solutions to combatting corruption and preserving the integrity of FIFA. They managed to construct an Ethics Committee and implement a confidential reporting mechanism that “systematically manages complaints and allegations of all kinds”. In light of these improvements, numerous solutions by the IGC remain discarded, and additional reform must take place to ensure that FIFA not only retains a prominent role in the football world, but also respects its member associations.

An issue facing intense criticism is FIFA’s practice of imposing unfair burdens and laws on World Cup™ host countries. A prominent example can be found in Brazil’s reluctant lift on the ban that bars alcohol within stadiums. While this emphasizes the prominent role FIFA has and should secure, it is a dangerous precedent to let go unresolved. In fact, many of the major issues FIFA faces arise from the fact that it handles both advertising and administering football, causing conflicting interests. Therefore, FIFA should consider the words of Dave Zirin, a political sportswriter, and formulate a way to spread its responsibilities into two groups: one to handle marketing the sport, and the other to monitor corruption and conduct integrity checks on the members of FIFA’s Congress and Executive Committee. However, these two groups must cooperate to facilitate the organization of competitions. In addition, World Cup™ sponsors – as well as FIFA members – are exempt from taxes and enjoy unrestricted access to the exclusion zones around stadiums. Abandoning these tax exemptions can ease the financial burden on host countries, especially since similar practices were successfully implemented in the London 2012 Olympics.

In addition, FIFA faces criticism for the allegations of bribery and vote-selling incidents unveiled by whistleblowers. Addressing this issue involves increasing transparency regarding gifts and salaries given to members, as well as instituting term limits for all elected members. Although these solutions face disapproval with executives who value their privileges and freedom, it is extremely imperative to sustain a confident relationship with the public and member associations. Increased cooperation with the media can help ensure this connection, and endow FIFA with a credibility that it desperately needs.

Despite all the efforts FIFA can make to preserve the value behind its mission to nurture a world that respects football and the principles of companionship behind it, no solution can be effective if FIFA does not actively support reform. The first step any organization can take to pave the path towards a prosperous solution is to employ the right mindset. FIFA has a long way to go in its fight for a fraud-free reputation, but the right measures and spirit can take it to great heights.

Second Place- Eric Chen

In second place is Eric Chen from Maine, USA, an incoming freshman at Georgetown University. Eric is also an alumnus of Best Delegate’s 2013 Summer Program at Georgetown! When asked why he feels FIFA Reform is important, he responded: “As a lifelong football fan, I’ve enjoyed both watching and playing it in almost every sense. Unfortunately, the issues surrounding FIFA have created an atmosphere that causes many to lose faith not only in the organization, but also the game. Therefore reforming FIFA is essential for restoring its reputation. By extension, such reforms can also renew confidence in the potential of the world’s most international sport to serve as a source of inspiration and common ground in times of conflict.”

For a quick excerpt from Eric’s paper, we picked out our favorite part!

“Rather than being an image of corruption in the football community, they must refocus on what they have the unique capability to be: a source of inspiration for people and a body capable of connecting players and fans from across the globe.”

Third Place- Álvaro París

Álvaro París, from the Instituto Educacional Juan XXIII in Venezuela, took home the third place award in this competition. Álvaro stated that he cares about FIFA Reform because “I care about FIFA reform because it will increase the responsibility of improving football, and it will be give people joy through fair play, rather than anger caused by injustice.”

Alvaro wrote a passionate paper, and we especially enjoyed this part:

“The current FIFA system has been considered by Andrew Jennings as typical organized crime, and it is time to make the organization’s division of tasks more representative and less centralized. When talking about the World Cups’ decisions, it would become acceptable if the location of the competitions is decided by a board of technocratic and independent judges after receiving technical reports from the member associations and considering which one is a better proposal.”

Congratulations to all the winners and all of the participants! For more information on how to write a successful position paper, you can check out this link!

This past July, the Chicago Model United Nations and the Indian Youth Economic Association held the First Annual ChoMUN India in New Delhi, India. Being the first ever ChoMUN India, the staff members worked together to bring both the distinct Model UN styles of Chicago Model UN and the Indian circuit.

KGB Committee Room
Credits: Kali Walia

In this guest article post we have two reflections from the main conference organizers of ChoMUN India 2014: Daksh Jaiswal (Chief of Staff) & Armaan Shahanshah (Chair of the Wall Street Meet (WSM) Committee).

Daksh Jaiswal: “The conference was in short a ‘Dream MUN’”

It gives me immense satisfation on having ChoMUN India 2014 end on such a successful note. As Chief of Staff and a Crisis Room Member this past conference, I oversaw both the logistical and committee aspect of ChoMUN.

What started out as a simple conversation with my friend, Ajay Sabharwal, soon became the start of building ChoMUN India. Chicago MUN India came about as a result of meticulous planning and new logistical techniques, of which could be used to help other Model UN Conferences in Delhi. For example, in the Crisis Room conference, staffers communicated amongst committees through a continuous stream of communication. Simiarly, a bilateral communication was established between the crisis room and the delegates through the use of notes.

While our purpose is to make the delegates feel at home, we also saw to it that delegates developed great debate and diplomacy skills at our conference as well. The level of debate was quite commendable as ChoMUN India was an invite-only conference. However, what proved to be the game changer were the logistics, the food, and the Organising Committee.

I would like to thank all the delegates who participated in the conference with vigour, the highly qualified Executive Board members who ensured that a high quality of debate was ensured, and the committees discussed issues holistically. In addition, I would like to commend the Organising Committee, members of the Indian Youth Economic Association and WORDZ Delhi, without whom organising such a conference would have been unimaginable. I am also thankful to the ChoSec members, Josh & others, for their suggestions and the help extended by them.

This is the Chief of Staff signing off. See you people at Chicago MUN India 2015

Armaan Shahanshah: ChoMUN INdia turned out to be that one perfectly concocted dish

ChoMUN’14 India was by far an exhilarating experience. From the Wall Street Meet Committee to the location of the conference, in the most celebrated school level MUN conference in India, DPSMUN.

With the efforts of Ajay Sabharwal and Daksh Jaiswal, two of my most esteemed friends and colleagues, we were able to make ChoMUN India a conference that was both educational and an experience for all.

Back in 2007, at DPSMUN (the same venue as ChoMUN’14), I took the first step in my Model UN journey. Then coming back to the birthplace of my Model UN career gave me a sting of nostalgia as the committee doors began to open and delegates began coming in. I was standing right there, in front of the same doors, now as a Moderator of the Wall Street Meet 2008 at ChoMUN‘14 India.

ChoMUN’14 has made me personally work harder, faster, and more meticulously than I had ever worked before. In India we never really grasped the concept of the ‘crisis room’ becoming a major part of the conference but when Priyanka Sethy, the Director General ChoMUN India explained the whole concept and introduced us to the ‘Chicago way’ I found myself thinking differently. Praneeth Rao and I started working on our guide and decided to develop a model that would change our committee protocols and create a balance between the Chicago style and the Indian tadka.

In order to get the crisis room to run smoothly at ChoMUN, we began by defining the functions of the crisis room with a select few delegates. The idea of a dynamic crisis room filled with continuous updating patter, backroom negotiations, and boardroom style meetings fascinated us. Things were all heating up and our adrenaline was pumping throughout our bodies. The utilization of the resources that we left at their disposal was so efficient that we decided to put in more members to handle the volume of operational actions, rumors, informational details, and backroom negotiations; hence the number of people handling the WSM rose to five towards the end of first day. It all became a game in which everyone was on their toes and efficiently working around the clock, exactly as we needed it, the closest to reality. One line, which describes what we did in our committee is this:

“I am soft, I’m lovable but what I really want to do is reach in, rip out their heart and eat it before they die.”

-  Richard Fuld.

According to our Secretary General, Ajay Sabharwal, taking care of the delegates was one thing, but making them feel at home was another. This mantra changed our conference for the better as the food, the logistics, and services were all carefully thought out. Even the quality of debate was managed, due to ChoMUN’s selectivity in delegates, due to its invite-only basis. Out of all the things that we can thank the secretariat for, one was the humility that each person showed and the respect everyone shared for each other. A special thanks goes to the Indian Youth Economics Association for taking up such a big step and turning ChoMUN India ’14 into a reality and WORDZ for all the support they could pledge and most importantly to Josh, Priyanka and the whole team from Chicago who helped us sail our boat through.

For more information about ChoMUN India, click here.
For more photos from ChoMUN India 2014, click here.

L to R: Maj Gen GD Bakshi (Chief Guest), Payal Chawla (Guest of Honour , President of Delhi Uchicago Alumni Club), Armaan Shahanshah, Praneeth Rao (EB of WSM) Tea before the opening ceremony
Credits: Abhishek Salunkhe

L to R: Siddhant Bajaj (Chair of UNSC), Priyanka Sethy (DG), Ajay Sabharwal (SecGen), Maj GD Bakshi, Payal Chawla
Credits: Abhishek Salunkhe

BJP-RSS committee room
Credits: Abhishek Salunkhe

Committee Notes
Credits: Kali Walia

WSM delegates in committee
Credits: Ramita Chatterjee

Praneeth Rao, Armaan Shahanshah (Chairs of WSM), Daksh Jaiswal (CoS)
Credits: Ramita Chatterjee

Ajay Sabharwal (SecGen) and Priyanka Sethy (DG)
Credits: Kali Walia

BestDelegate would like to thank Armaan Shahanshah and Daksh Jaiswal for providing us with their conference reflections, and Priyanka Sethy for connecting Best Delegate with ChoMUN India.