Which college Model UN teams are the best on the circuit? There are many definitions of success in Model UN, and awards are not the purpose of Model UN. Nevertheless, awards have existed in Model UN for many years and serve to recognize individual students for their accomplishments in leadership, research, public speaking, resolution-building, negotiation, and diplomacy. These rankings recognize teams for their efforts in preparing more students to succeed at more conferences and build the skills necessary to win awards in Model UN, thereby improving Model UN for all of its participants.

The North American collegiate Model United Nations community is informally divided into two circuits, which we refer to as the National Division and the World Division.

• The National Division teams tend to be led by faculty advisors, focus on the academic and educational aspects of the conference, and attend about 2-3 organization-hosted conferences per year that give out many school awards but de-emphasize competition by usually not formally giving out individual awards from appointed chairs.
• The World Division teams tend to be led by college head delegates, focus on the competitive and social aspects of the conference, and attend about 5-6 college-hosted conferences per year (with a majority of them being crisis simulations) that give out many individual awards but only a few school awards. More details about both divisions can be found here.

Fall 2016 North American College Recognition: National Division

Notable fall conferences in the National Division include NMUN DC, AMUN, SRMUN, and NWMUN Seattle. Rankings are not within the values of the National Division conferences, and recognition of the delegation award winners is more appropriate. Please note that the conferences often give delegation awards by country (not by school), so some schools may receive multiple country delegation awards.

We will post the all the North American delegation awards for these conferences as they become available. Also, in line with their educational philosophy AMUN does not wish to emphasize awards, so we will not be posting their awards here.

Fall 2016 North American College Rankings: World Division

Methodology

The Weighted Score Methodology is the same as in previous years with minor modifications in weightings to reflect attendance this year. The article above also provides insight into the purpose and philosophy behind the rankings. Fall conferences were weighted in this order:

1. UPMUNC
2. NCSC & CMUNNY
3. BarMUN & SCSY
4. TrojanMUN
5. SBIMUN
6. UNCMUNC & CIAC

Weighting modifications: The difference between UPMUNC and NCSC/CMUNNY increased. BarMUN is now weighted slightly higher than SCSY. The difference between TrojanMUN and SBIMUN increased. The aforementioned changes are based on changes in the relative competitiveness of the conference compared to last year. UNCMUNC and CIAC are additions to the Fall rankings. DISCon did not submit data but could be incorporated into the final rankings if data is received.

It is important to note that we use aggregate weighted scoring while many conferences use a ratio in their scoring methodology. Please keep in mind these scoring differences as you read the following narratives- our rankings of for example “2nd Place” at a conference is in terms of total weighted awards, and may not match with the Outstanding Large Delegation at that conference.

It is also important to note that schools that host collegiate conferences in the fall were unable to compete at these conferences. However, most of the top teams will host collegiate conferences at some point this year, so the aggregate scoring opportunities will mostly balance out by the end of the year.

Best Delegate’s Editor of Training Content Richard Zhao helped lead this project and collect the awards data, and Best Delegate’s Kevin Felix Chan and Erik Leiden completed analysis of the data and editing of the narratives. Thank you also to the Secretaries-General of each of the conferences for their support of this project and for sharing their award lists.

Let’s meet our top 75 World Division Model UN teams for the Fall season.

1. University of Chicago

The University of Chicago has once again retained its position as the number one team on the circuit by placing first or second in terms of weighted score at the three most competitive conferences of the semester. UChicago won the Outstanding Large Delegation award at UPMUNC, where it finished second in terms of weighted score. Although the team did not win a delegation award at NCSC, the team actually tied Best Large winner UPenn for the highest weighted score there and probably lost the large delegation awards to UPenn and FIU by ratio. Last but not least, the team received the Outstanding Large Delegation award at CMUNNY, where it finished first in terms of weighted score and also probably lost by ratio to Best Large winner UPenn. While UChicago did not win a Best Large Delegation award this semester, the team had the second most individual awards on the circuit and it still ranked #1 overall in terms of weighted score. That said, this is probably the most tenuous #1 ranking it has been in, and the team will need a strong performance at HNMUN to retain the top year-end ranking for the fourth year in a row. The University of Chicago will be hosting ChoMUN during the Spring semester.

2. Florida International University

FIU has achieved its highest ranking ever by competing at all four of the most competitive conferences this semester and winning a delegation award at every one. The four delegation awards are the most of any team on the circuit this semester. The team won the Best Small Delegation award three times at UPMUNC, CMUNNY, and BarMUN. The team also competed as a large delegation at NCSC and won the Outstanding Large Delegation award there. One of FIU’s competitive strengths is its optimized team as its small delegation achieves weighted scores at a similar level as the large delegation award winners. For example, the team was actually #1 at BarMUN in terms of weighted score. If any Ivy League ceiling ever existed, FIU would have smashed it by now because the team is now ranked above every Ivy League team. Now, the only team it has ever yet to rank ahead is UChicago, the #1 team for the past three years. FIU will get their head-to-head chance against UChicago at HNMUN, though it will also need to fend off Yale — which snapped FIU’s two-year Outstanding Large Delegation award streak at HNMUN last year — and a renewed UPenn team there first before it could be ranked any higher.

3. Harvard University

Harvard’s travel team, ICMUN, put in another strong performance during this Fall semester to obtain the number three spot. The highlight of its semester was winning the Best Large Delegation award at SCSY, where it topped Ivy League competitors Princeton and Penn. This was a conference that the team had not attended since 2013, so a return to rival Yale’s campus instead of staying at home for BarMUN proved to be fruitful for the team. Harvard also contended for a large delegation award at UPMUNC and NCSC, where it finished fourth in terms of weighted score at both conferences. Last but not least, it placed among the top ten at CMUNNY. Despite only receiving one delegation award, Harvard placed third in the rankings based on its strength of having the most individual awards of any team on the circuit this semester. Next semester, Harvard will host HNMUN in Boston, WorldMUN in Montreal, and HNMUN Latin America in Lima, Peru.

4. Georgetown University

The Georgetown team traveled to three conferences this semester and improved in each one. The team started the semester with a top ten performance in terms of weighted score at CMUNNY. Next, the team improved to win the Outstanding Large Delegation award at BarMUN, where it finished behind only Best Large winner Vanderbilt and Best Small winner FIU. It then hosted NCSC, one of the most competitive conferences in the Fall. Georgetown ended its Fall semester strong by winning the Best Large Delegation award at UPMUNC, the most competitive conference of the semester, for the second year in a row. Similar to last year, the UPMUNC victory could give Georgetown a decent case to claim that it is a better team than UChicago, FIU, and Harvard when it comes to head-to-head competition. The team dropped from #3 to #4 in terms of Fall ranking compared to last year primarily because it did not do as well at BarMUN (it won Best Large there last year). But overall, the team is winning at a very similar level to last year. And since it already hosted NCSC, the team should have a legitimate chance to contend for the #1 rank by the end of the year.

5. University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania has triumphantly returned to the top five of the rankings. Intercol, as the team is known, could make a decent though not solid case that it should be the #1 ranked team on the circuit. The team won the Best Large Delegation award at NCSC and CMUNNY, the two most competitive conferences that it could compete in this semester since they hosted UPMUNC, and beat UChicago twice for that honor (though they would be 1-1 in terms of weighted score as UChicago lost by ratio at CMUNNY). The team also won an Outstanding Large Delegation award at SCSY. Its relative anomaly performance was at BarMUN, where it placed in the top ten in terms of weighted score. The main reason it was not ranked higher was that it could not compete at its own conference this semester, but aggregate scoring opportunities should balance out by the end of the year. That will start with HNMUN, where the team will have a chance to prove itself against #1 UChicago and #2 FIU (and catch up in scoring with #3 Harvard). Regardless, the past two years of being ranked in the teens feels like history already, and the fact that it sent a team of almost all underclassmen to win Best Large at NCSC should be a scary thought for the rest of the circuit — this top-five team intends to stay there.

6. The George Washington University

GW’s team is tied for its highest rank ever with one of its strongest Fall semester performances to date. The team attend all four of the most competitive conferences and although it did not win any delegation awards it was consistently successful at all of them. The team contended for delegation awards at NCSC and BarMUN as it finished in the top five at both conferences, placed right outside the top five at CMUNNY, and was right outside the top ten at UPMUNC. The team did not win a delegation award last Fall either but finished in the top ten of the final rankings. With similarly consistent performances in the spring semester, this GW team could achieve something similar this year — or even try to break into unprecedented top five territory.

7. American University

American University is one of the most improved teams on the circuit this year as the team put on a strong performance to soar into the top ten of the rankings — its highest rank ever. American finished sixth overall in terms of weighted score at both UPMUNC and NCSC, the two most competitive conferences of the Fall semester. Essentially, the only teams that finished above them at those conferences are the teams ranked above them this Fall. And American took home its first delegation award ever, an Outstanding Small Delegation at BarMUN. The team has invested in breakthrough training and smooth leadership transition over the past two years and may continue to rise. Georgetown, George Washington, and American are all neighbors in DC; they are neighbors in the top ten of the college Model UN rankings now, too.

8. New York University

NYU’s team took on another busy Fall season competing at four conferences. The team matched its performances at SCSY and NCSC from last year by once again winning the Outstanding Small Delegation award at both conferences. Both awards were won with optimized ratios. Also similar to last year, the team contended for a large delegation award at crosstown CMUNNY, where it finished third behind the two delegation award winners, UPenn and UChicago. And the team put in another top ten performance at UPMUNC to round out their busy semester. The primary reason for a slightly lower rank compared to last Fall is that the team did not attend BarMUN this year (whereas it took home Best Small there last year), so their aggregate score is lower. But on a per-conference basis, the team is essentially a mirror of its competitive self from last year, so it should challenge for a top-five ranking by the end of the year. NYU will be hosting NYUMUNC during the Spring semester.

9. Yale University

Yale hosted SCSY during the Fall semester and only traveled to one conference during the Fall, and is the highest team to be ranked for attending only one conference. MUNTY, as the Yale team is called, put in an extremely strong performance at UPMUNC and contended for a delegation award there. The team finished third in terms of weighted score behind only Best Large Delegation award winner Georgetown and Outstanding Large Delegation award winner UChicago. Yale will continue its Ivy League schedule and large conference specialization when it heads to HNMUN in the spring semester, where it will try to defeat UChicago and retain its large delegation award against surging competition from FIU and UPenn.

10. United States Military Academy at West Point

West Point won a pair of delegation awards this Fall semester, which matched its strong performance from last Fall when the team also received a pair of delegation awards to rank #10. West Point’s success this year came from winning Best Small Delegation at NCSC and Outstanding Small Delegation at CMUNNY. The team actually finished better than Best Small winner FIU in terms of weighted score at CMUNNY, but probably lost by ratio. Furthermore, West Point contended for another delegation award at SCSY, a conference that it traditionally does well in, with a top five performance there. Lastly, the team also got on the scoreboard at UPMUNC. West Point will be hosting WPMUNI in the spring.

11. Princeton University

Princeton shot up in the rankings this Fall by delivering quality instead of just quantity of awards, and the team has achieved its highest ranking ever. The team continued to build on its success at SCSY last year when it barely missed out on a delegation award by taking home the Best Small Delegation award this time and placing second overall in terms of weighted score (behind only Best Large winner Harvard and ahead of Outstanding Large winner UPenn). It also displayed improved performances at CMUNNY and UPMUNC to round out its Ivy League schedule for the Fall semester. Princeton will host PICSim in the spring semester.

12. Claremont McKenna College

Claremont McKenna is the highest ranked West Coast team to be ranked this Fall by crushing the West Coast competition at TrojanMUN. Although it tied UCLA for the number of gavels, Claremont McKenna had much more depth than any West Coast team as it took home 21 awards — about double what an average Best Large Delegation award-winning team on the circuit would take home. In addition to winning Best Large at TrojanMUN, the team also put on a strong performance at UPMUNC to show that it can keep up with the rest of the circuit. The team finished twelfth overall at UPMUNC and happened to also be ranked twelfth overall this Fall.

13. University of Virginia

The University of Virginia has a lot of momentum behind the team and has achieved its highest ranking to date. UVA consistently finished in the top ten in terms of weighted score at three crisis conferences: CMUNNY, BarMUN, and NCSC. It also took home a handful of awards at UPMUNC to round out a successful Fall semester. UVA reached this rank without even attending UNCMUNC, a conference where they won a delegation award in last year, perhaps signaling that the team is ready for a more competitive schedule. Virginia will host VICS this spring.

14. University of California, Berkeley

UC Berkeley placed outside the top ten of the rankings for the first time in a few years due to its inconsistent performance in the Fall. On the positive side, the team put in a top ten performance at UPMUNC to show that it can compete against the best on the circuit. But the team only won a few awards at CMUNNY and placed behind Claremont McKenna and UCLA at TrojanMUN. Berkeley isn’t afraid to travel though, so it will have chances to reclaim a top ten spot in the spring. UC Berkeley will host UCBMUN next semester.

15. Michigan State University

Michigan State built on last year’s success to put on a strong Fall run that enabled the team to enter into the top 15 of the rankings. Although it did not win a delegation award like it did last Fall, the team was more consistent this year and put in top ten performances in terms of weighted score at both BarMUN and UPMUNC. The team has potential to rise further as it usually sends its largest delegations to McMUN and ChoMUN during the spring semester.

16. Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt has been rising in the rankings during the previous years and has put in another strong Fall performance. Vanderbilt continued its strategy of winning big at the smaller conferences this Fall, and its biggest win was taking home the Best Large Delegation award at BarMUN where it beat Outstanding Large winner Georgetown. The team also put in a top five performance at CMUNNY to contend for a large delegation award there. The team did trade SCSY for the geographically closer UNCMUNC, which moved its dates to the Fall, and dominated that small conference to win the Best Large Delegation award there as well. Vanderbilt is the highest ranked team that did not attend UPMUNC.

17. Boston University

BU started the season by hosting the largest and most competitive BarMUN conference to date. It started its competitive season by receiving just one award at NCSC. However, it put in a top ten performance at UPMUNC to win the Outstanding Small Delegation award. This bumped BU back into the top 20 and already matched last season’s win of one small delegation award, so the team has potential to rise up even further.

18. University of California, Los Angeles

UCLA only competed on the West Coast this semester. UCLA dominated SBIMUN, which did not feature any other top-25 teams this year. UCLA received the Best Small Delegation at SBIMUN, but their weighted score was actually more than three times that of Best Large winner USC. The team also won the second most awards at TrojanMUN and tied Claremont McKenna in the number of gavels won. The team nearly maxed out the ranking possibility for not going to the East Coast, but it will have to travel in order to stay ranked in the Spring. UCLA will host LAMUN this spring semester.

19. University of Miami

The U is winning consistently as it won awards in six committees at both CMUNNY and UPMUNC. Although it is a strong start, it produced a lower rank compared against last Fall’s success of winning Best Small at UPMUNC and winning at three conferences instead of two. Miami also won Best Small at HNMUN last year, so the team will have several opportunities to improve in the Spring.

20. Emory University

Emory attended a pair of Ivy League conferences and came away with enough awards to place in the top 20 of the Fall rankings. The team won multiple awards at SCSY and UPMUNC, showing its ability to win in both GA and crisis conferences. Emory will host their fifth edition of MUNE this Spring.

21. Florida State University

The FSU World Affairs Program put in top 10 performances at BarMUN and NCSC during the Fall to remain in the Top 25. FSU WAP won several delegation awards last spring semester and doing so again this Spring would likely help the team maintain a spot in the Top 25. FSU WAP hosted the Regional Training Conference in the Fall.

22. The College of William & Mary

William & Mary, a regular top-25 team, has quickly ascended back into the Top 25 rankings after a quick dip into the top 50 at the end of last year. This is thanks to consistently taking home awards from SCSY, CMUNNY, and NCSC. William & Mary will be hosting &MUN in the Spring.

23. Boston College

Boston College put in a solid Fall performance to move back into the Top 25. The team curiously chose to travel to SCSY instead of staying at home for BarMUN, but the strategy paid off — the team tied for the second most gavels at SCSY. Boston College also got on the scoreboard at UPMUNC to round out their Fall season.

24. University of Central Florida

UCF broke into the Top 25 for the first time after steadily climbing the ranks over the past few years. The team was able to take home awards at both the smaller, crisis-oriented BarMUN as well as the larger, GA-oriented UPMUNC. UCF tied Florida State in weighted score at BarMUN and is not far behind the rankings from Miami and FSU — could this be the beginning of a power shift in the state of Florida?

25. McGill University

McGill is again the top Canadian team in the rankings. McGill won awards at BarMUN, CMUNNY, and NCSC to make it into the Top 25. Its best finish was at NCSC, where it placed among the top ten teams in terms of weighted score. McGill did not attend UPMUNC as it conflicted with its high school conference as usual. McGill will host McMUN to kick off the spring semester.

Top 50 Outstanding Delegations (Alphabetical Order)

The five teams closest to breaking into the Top 25 were: Rutgers, Case Western, Clark, USC, and Columbia.

Case Western Reserve University
Clark University
College of the Canyons
Columbia University
Elon University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Ithaca College
Mount Holyoke College
Northeastern University
The Ohio State University
Old Dominion University
Pomona College
Rutgers University
Seton Hall University
State University of New York at Geneseo
Temple University
University of California, Davis
University of California, San Diego
University of Florida
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
University of LaVerne
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Pittsburgh
University of Southern California

Top 75 Honorable Mention Delegations (Alphabetical Order)

Amherst College
Brown University
Cornell University
Davidson College
Fordham University
Middle Tennessee State University
Middlebury College
Northern Arizona University
Northwestern University
Pennsylvania State University
Queen’s University
Soka University
Stanford University
Tufts University
University of California, Merced
University of Cincinnati
University of Delaware
University of Michigan
University of North Carolina, Wilmington
University of Southern Maine
University of Tampa
University of Toronto
Washington University in St. Louis
Wellesley College

Congratulations to all the teams! Enjoy your winter break and see you back on the circuit next semester!

Written by Vishan Nigam, Vice President of the Princeton International Relations Council and a member of the Secretariat of PMUNC 2016.

Delegates hear from human rights expert Martin S. Flaherty

At Opening Ceremonies, PMUNC Secretary-General Emily Chen and Charge d’Affaires Alis Yoo welcomed the delegates to the conference, some of whom came from as far away as Italy, Turkey, India, and China. Before beginning debate, the delegates and staff were honored to hear from Martin S. Flaherty, the Leitner Family Professor of Law at Fordham Law School and a Visiting Professor at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Professor Flaherty spoke about the importance of international institutions like the United Nations in the face of modern conflicts, and the duty that all delegates had to understand the system and work towards better human rights around the world.

After that, it was time to debate! Delegates broke into 21 committees, divided into General Assembly, Specialized, and Crisis committees. The large General Assemblies considered significant global problems, ranging from the Kashmir conflict to Human Trafficking to Police Brutality. The Specialized committees simulated smaller groups of countries and more precise topics—OPEC debated price controls in the aftermath of the global oil market crash, and the Chinese Politburo debated control of the media within China itself.

As usual, PMUNC included an innovative group of modern and historical crisis committees, ranging from the UN Security Council to the High Council of Tsar Nicholas II. The hallmark of this year’s conference was the JCC: 1971 East Pakistan Crisis, in which delegates role-played members of the Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi governments. For the first time, PMUNC also included two Novice Committees, the Polish Cabinet and NATO, which allowed new delegates to quickly adjust to the pace of debate.

All in all, it was a successful conference, and the Secretariat looks forward to welcoming (and welcoming back) delegates from all over the world to PMUNC 2017!

Best Large Delegation: University of Chicago Laboratory Schools

Outstanding Large Delegation: The Dalton School

Best Small Delegation: West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South

Outstanding Small Delegation: South Brunswick High School

Delegates in the UNHCR

Crisis staffers coordinate the JCC: 1971 East Pakistan Crisis from the War Room

Best Delegate trainers have included (top row): WIMUN Secretary-General Ibrahim El-Kazaz, Georgetown IRC Chair Eric Chen; and (bottom row): Fordham MUN President Lala Kumakura, American Crisis Assistant Head Delegate Caroline Rose, BarMUN Secretary-General Kaitlyn Perreault

Best Delegate is grateful for having some of the best Model UN leaders in the world serve as MUN Mentors at the Model UN Institute and trainers at our various programs. For example, we have had Aaron Kalafarski (Secretary-General of GatorMUN), Melissa Miller (Secretary-General of WAMUNC), Laurabeth Goldsmith (President of Emory MUN), and Erik Leiden (President of Ohio State MUN) serve on our staff when they were in their leadership positions in university. Since then, they have graduated from university and now work in the professional world or are in graduate school.

Best Delegate is also proud of having helped play small a part in developing some of the current leaders of the university Model UN circuit. We have taken on young but highly talented students to serve as MUN Mentors, and it is amazing to see that they are now Presidents and Secretaries-General on the college MUN circuit. For example, Eric Chen and Lala Kumakura were rising sophomores when they were Diplomacy Fellows, now referred to as “MUN Mentors”, but are now leading Model UN programs at their universities.

Here is an example of current university Model UN leaders who have taught with Best Delegate:

Kaitlyn Perreault, Boston University, Secretary-General of BarMUN

Kaitlyn served as a Diplomacy Fellow at the Model UN Institute last year and is currently the Product Development Manager on the Product Development Team. She recently served as Secretary-General of BarMUN, hosting the largest and most competitive BarMUN conference in its history.

Eric Chen, Georgetown University, Chair of Georgetown IRC

Eric is an alumnus of the Model UN Institute and served as a Diplomacy Fellow in 2015. He is now Chair of Georgetown International Relations Club and oversees all student-based international relations activity on campus, including Georgetown Model UN.

Ibrahim El-Kazaz, Istanbul Bilgi University, Secretary-General of WIMUN

Ibrahim served as a Diplomacy Fellow at the Model UN Institute in 2015 and returned in 2016 as a Program Manager. He is now the Secretary-General for WIMUN which will take place at the UN Headquarters in February 2017.

Caroline Rose, American University, Crisis Assistant Head Delegate of American Model UN

Caroline served as a Diplomacy Fellow at the Model UN Institute last year. She is now Crisis Assistant Head Delegate of American’s Model UN program and led her team from top 75 to #7 in the World Division this year.

Lala Kumakura, Fordham University, President of Fordham Model UN

Lala is an alumna of the Model UN Institute and last year served as a Diplomacy Fellow. As a sophomore, she is now President of Fordham Model UN, a NGO Youth Representative at the United Nations, and Editor for Model UN Institute Alumni on the Media Team.

**

We hope to have another outstanding class of MUN Mentors for the summer of 2017 who can give back their Model UN experience to the next generation of high school and middle school students. If you are a college junior or senior and a leader of a major Model UN organization, we definitely encourage you to apply! We also take a few talented rising sophomores every year.

Applications for the Diplomacy Fellowship and the Residential Counselor positions are due January 31, 2017!

With THIMUN Hague and THIMUN Qatar just around the corner, this article will discuss one, if not the most, important part of the THIMUN experience– lobbying! Over the course of one week, delegates will have the opportunity to discuss global issues with other delegates in the committee room. Lobbying takes place during the first part of a THIMUN or THIMUN-affiliated conference, and the length depends on the length of the conference. Besides the actual debate on these issues, roughly half of the conference is dedicated to open discussion on these issues. On the first day, shortly after opening speeches, lobbying commences. During lobbying, delegates are split up into groups which are usually dictated by the committee topics. Delegates split into these groups based on their country/organization involvement on the issues, or which topic they have researched most heavily. If delegates are heavily involved or has heavily researched into more than one topic, there is freedom for delegates to walk around the room and switch over to groups throughout lobbying session. In these groups, the main goal is to draft a resolution to be debated during the conference. All topics are debated, and therefore at least one resolution should be produced for each topic (this is subject to change based on how many committee topics there are, or how much time is allocated per issue/per resolution). 

Prior to the conference, every committee Chair writes a research report for a respective topic. Therefore, there is a Chair in every committee that specialize in a topic being discussed. It is the role of the Chair to mediate lobbying sessions and keep delegates on track by pushing them in the right direction towards discussing solutions for the main sub-issues of the topic. The chair is expected to be heavily involved during the lobbying process, as the success of lobbying correlates with the success of debate. Besides fact-checking and ensuring lobbying is running smoothly, chairs also have the responsibility to ensure that all procedural questions and resolution formatting is on par with the expectations of the THIMUN Foundation. 

After groups have developed a rough draft resolution, Chairs look over it one last time before the draft resolution is submitted to the Approval Panel. The Approval Panel consists of directors that revise the draft resolutions for grammatical errors and resolution formatting. After a resolution has been revised, it is finalized and ready for debate!

A director in the Approval Panel assisting delegates before finalizing the resolution for debate.

As evident in this article, much weight is put on the success of lobbying– an experience exclusive to THIMUN and THIMUN-affiliated conferences! Without the careful revision and support of all individuals, there leaves risk for unproductive discussion during debate on the committee issues. This is why, during THIMUN Singapore XII, extended lobbying commenced for the first time for all General Assembly sub-committees. This opportunity gave participants more time to openly discuss and draft resolutions on the committee topics with other delegates, prior to actual debate.

It’s that time of the year again: the holidays. Once again we find ourselves searching for gifts for our friends and family. If you have a Model UN enthusiast in your life and are having trouble coming up with a gift to get them, then we have the list for you. This is a list compiled by MUNners for MUNners that we feel would enjoy gifts such as these.

1. Anything to help them stand out in committee: We’re talking colored pens, colored notepads, colored binders, colored post-it notes. Basically anything that differentiate your delegate from the rest of the crowd. After a certain amount of directives, working papers, or notes, chairs and other delegates will begin to notice your paper or pen color and will define you by it. This can be extremely beneficial as everyone will notice how much you are doing in committee because of it.

2. Western Business Attire: Because who doesn’t like to look good? A new suit or article of clothing is sure to boost your delegate’s confidence. You can find some great deals on Western Business Attire at stores such as J. Crew, Banana Republic, Men’s Wearhouse, and Express. If you don’t know their exact size or style then a gift card would definitely suffice.

3. Tie bars, Pocket Squares, Cuff Links: Though they may be small, simple accessories like these can really make a male delegates outfit pop and make them stand out into their fellow delegates or the chair.

4. Statement Ties: These colorful ties are sure to brighten up any outfit. Country flag themed ties are always a good idea, but any vibrant pattern is a safe bet. (Recommended by Sam Povey)

5. UN Lapel Pins: Because they look cool on any sports coat and instantly make you look better than the other delegates.                          (Recommended by Pinar Sezgin)

6. Anything with a UN Flag on it: Of course as Model UN enthusiasts we have to rep the UN, and anything with the UN flag on it is sure to make a great gift. You can find almost anything with a UN flag on it online whether it be a lapel pin, shirt, bag, or socks mug, just check out Amazon or related sites.

7. An Actual UN Flag: Because why not? A UN flag is sure to liven any delegates wall in their room.

 8. Various Colors of the UN Charter: As delegates we have all probably obtained a few UN Charters from conferences, but why stop at only a few colors when you could have the whole rainbow? The information may not change, but it is a cool novelty gift for the delegate in your life.

9. Gavel Stress Toy or an Actual Gavel: Gavels are usually an esteemed award for winning Best Delegate, but they can also be used to show appreciation. Because of its stature gavels can be a good way to show an advisor or mentor how much you appreciate what they have done for you while also keeping a MUN theme. It doesn’t have to be a real gavel, for you can also find gavel stress toys on Amazon if you want a more light-hearted gift.

10. To-go Coffee Cups: For those early morning committee sessions when the only thing keeping you going is caffeine. To-go Coffee cups are also much more manageable than a flimsy Starbucks cup when rushing to committee at 8 in the morning. (Recommended by Caroline Bello)

11. Index Card Cases: Aside from looking cool, these things are sure to keep your crisis notes more organized while in committee. Instead of having to stuff all your notes into a binder or briefcase after committee, you can shove them in one of these and be all good to go. You can buy it here (Recommended by Natalia Daza)

12. Magazine Subscriptions: Not only can subscriptions to magazines such as The Economist and Foreign Affairs keep one up to date on global issues, but they also have stockpiles of old articles on their website. These websites are great sources for committee research and general knowledge but can only be accessed with a subscription which is why these subscriptions can be so invaluable to a delegate.

13. Pocket Version of The Geneva Conventions: Because you never know when you’re going to have to school somebody on humanitarian issues in committee. (Recommended by Caroline Bello)

14. UN/International Relations Books: On top of being good reads, such books could also provide useful knowledge in and out of committee. Books such as War by Other Means, Diplomacy, The Art of Negotiation, and other related titles are great choices.

15. The Model United Nations Institute: The Model United Nations Institute by Best Delegate is our flagship MUN summer camp for high school and middle school students held at prestigious university campuses across the United States. We designed the MUN Institute to benefit Model UN student looking to improve and meet equally talented and enthusiastic peers. Give the gift of leadership, confidence, and the summer adventure of a lifetime – registration for MUNI is now open! More information about our awesome programs can be found here. Use code earlybird1 for $50 off your course package!

16. Any of Best Delegates merchandise!: Last but not least our shameless self promotion for our sick merchandise. We carry the best MUN gear on the market whether it be our Best Delegate Hoodies, MUN t-shirts, or Ban Ki-moon phone cases. Be sure to check out our shop here to check out what else we have to offer.

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Thanks to Best Delegate Media Team Members Caroline Bello, Natalia Daza, Sam Povey, and Pinar Sezgin for their suggestions!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM BEST DELEGATE!

Welcome back to Research Binder Friday! Today, we’ll be taking a look at one of the international community’s most interesting bodies out there for delegates to simulate: the African Union! 

The African Union’s Story

The African Union was first established as a body with 32 member states from the continent of African in 1963, known as the Organization of African Union (OAU). During the 1990s, the OAU underwent several shifts in structure and was re-established as the African Union in 1999, and the Lome Summit in 2000 adopted the Constitutive Act of the African Union, establishing the responsibilities and powers of the body. Currently, the AU’s purpose is to work towards a peaceful, prosperous, and integrated Africa through advancing development on the African continent, promoting and protecting human rights in accordance with the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, and defending common African positions of interest. The AU has a variety of different structural bodies within its purview; while most Model UN conferences simulate the Assembly of the AU (comparable to the General Assembly Plenary of the United Nations), the AU also contains an African Court of Justice, regional peacekeeping capabilities, and Specialized Technical Committees as established through the aforementioned Constitutive Act.

Funding and Relationships with Other Organizations

The African Union’s budget comes from a variety of sources, including those inside and outside the African continent itself. First, each African Union member state is required to make payments to the organization in order to maintain the benefits of this membership; however, due to the numerous outside agencies also acting as AU beneficiaries, there is little pressure on members who default or make their payments late. Still, the fact that membership to the AU requires buy-in means that the AU also has the power to sanction its members.

At the same time, the AU receives contributions from various other organizations around the world, known as “partners”, in order to realize its lofty goals. These actors include the European Union, different Asian states (the most notable being China), the United Nations, and the World Bank. At present, member nations currently fund around 60% of the AU’s infrastructure operations, and by 2020, the AU hopes to be able to fund 100% of these operations, 75% of its programs, and at least 25% of its peace and security component (including its peacekeeping forces).

Alongside its work with international actors, the AU works closely with different regional, economic bodies, known as Regional Economic Communities, within Africa, made up of AU member states. There are eight RECs currently standing, and some prominent examples of these bodies include the Economic Commission for West African States  (ECOWAS), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

Common Topics

Here are some common topics that simulations of the AU at Model UN conferences frequently discuss:

• Child Soldiers
• The Ebola Crisis
• The HIV/AIDS Problem
• ForeignAid
• Sustainable Energy on the African Continent
• Illicit Drugs Trafficking in West Africa
• Illicit Arms Trafficking in West Africa
• The Situation in the Central African Republic
• Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development
• Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict
• The Rise of Boko Haram (and other terrorist groups)
• The Conflict in Western Sahara

Resources

Learn more about the African Union and other related agencies through these provided resources!

https://www.au.int/ – The main website of the African Union.

http://agenda2063.au.int/ – The website for the AU’s Agenda 2063, a set of goals AU member nations hope to achieve by this date.

https://www.au.int/en/sites/default/files/ConstitutiveAct_EN.pdf – The Constitutive Act of the African Union in full.

http://www.afdb.org/en/ – The website of the African Development Bank.

https://www.ecowas.int/ – The website of the Economic Commission for West African States.

Best Delegate is currently hiring university students to serve as MUN Mentors for the Model United Nations Institute (MUNI), our premier series of MUN summer programs. MUN Mentors are paid staff that serve as MUN instructors for the students that attend our programs, and fellows are selected from the best and brightest delegates from around the United States and beyond. Here are five reasons why you should apply today!

If you are interested in the Diplomacy Fellowship, click here to learn more!

The application deadline is January 31, 2017!!!

#1 Spend the Summer Traveling Across the United States!

MUNI runs programs at the following five universities across the United States: Georgetown, Harvard, UCLA, Southwestern, and Austin College. As a MUN Mentor, you will be staffing programs at many of these locations, and all housing, meals, and most travel expenses will be covered. This is a great opportunity if you are interested in traveling to new places!

#2 The Rewarding Experience of Teaching MUN

The Diplomacy Fellowship is an opportunity for you to pass your MUN knowledge on to the next generation! Every year, our staff walk away from the fellowship with a profound appreciation for education because of how learning MUN helps our students to grow and succeed.

#3 M-U-N is F-U-N!!!

Best Delegate believes that M-U-N is F-U-N, and we make MUNI reflect that! MUNI is a fun experience for both our students and our staff. Not only do we help students appreciate MUN with fun activities, ice breakers, and challenges, but we have fun outside of the classroom too!

#4 Make Lasting Connections

As a MUN Mentor, you will be part of a team that is made of university students from around the United States and abroad. Every summer, our staff make lasting friendships, and often have the opportunity of reuniting on the college circuit or when staffing other Best Delegate programs!

#5 Grow personally and Professionally

The Diplomacy Fellowship is a challenging professional experience that teaches our staff to be effective teachers, mentors, and leaders. In addition to personal growth in these areas, serving as a MUN Mentor is also a great way to build your resume!

A Brazil-provided UN Peacekeeper in Haiti

The United Nations has no army, but it does have UN Peacekeepers. The goal of UN Peacekeepers is to create conditions for lasting peace. Peacekeeping is guided by three principles: consent of parties (countries must invite UN peacekeepers to enter; the UN cannot just send peacekeepers anywhere), impartiality, and non-use of force except in self-defense and defense of the mandate written in the resolution. Peacekeepers are sent upon UN Security Council recommendations, and often only when ceasefire has already been established as most countries do not want their soldiers to enter into active war zones.

The UN currently has 100,950 peacekeepers as of August 2016 (the latest data available). If the UN peacekeeping force was ranked against national militaries, it would be the 44th largest military in the world, or around the same size as the number of active military troops in Malaysia or Angola.

The 100,950 UN Peacekeepers are currently deployed on 20 UN peacekeeping missions around the world. The largest mission is the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or MONUSCO, with 18,333 UN Peacekeepers deployed.

123 countries currently provide the military troops and police forces that make up the UN Peacekeeping force. Countries can also provide experts as part of a peacekeeping mission.

Here are the Top 25 countries providing UN Peacekeepers:

1. Ethiopia (8,326)
2. India (7,471)
3. Pakistan (7,161)
4. Bangladesh (6,772)
5. Rwanda (6,146)
6. Nepal (5,131)
7. Senegal (3,617)
8. Burkina Faso (3,036)
9. Ghana (2,972)
10. Egypt (2,889)
11. Indonesia (2,867)
12. China (2,639)
13. Tanzania (2,341)
14. Nigeria (2,170)
15. Niger (1,871)
16. Togo (1,661)
17. Morocco (1,607)
18. Chad (1,489)
19. Uruguay (1,457)
20. South Africa (1,427)
21. Brazil (1,303)
22. Kenya (1,229)
23. Benin (1,174)
24. Cameroon (1,137)
25. Italy (1,114)

You can find the list of all 123 countries ranked here.

Ethiopia is the #1 provider with 8,326 peacekeepers, or about 6% of its 138,000 active military troops. Their peacekeepers primarily support UNAMID in Darfur, Sudan, and UNISFA between Sudan and South Sudan. Responsibility for peacekeeping has increasingly shifted toward regional leaders, and African countries are among the top providers of peacekeepers as many UN peacekeeping missions are located in Africa.

South Asian countries have traditionally been top providers for peacekeepers. India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are all in the top five, and Nepal is sixth in terms of peacekeepers. Almost all of their peacekeepers are deployed on missions in Africa. This is partially because the UN pays a standardized reimbursement rate that is higher than the cost of that troop’s salary. For example, an entry-level soldier in India makes about 25,000 Indian rupees (approximately $366) per month, but the UN will reimburse the government of India the standard rate of $1,332 per soldier per month. That said, India also sees its high peacekeeping contribution as a reason for why it should have a seat on the UN Security Council.

China has historically been reluctant to intervene in other countries and traditionally did not provide peacekeepers. However, that has recently changed. China is now the 12th largest provider of peacekeepers. It is also a P5 Member of the Security Council (the UN organ that can send peacekeepers) and the second-largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget. In other words, China is now an active player from the beginning-to-end in peacekeeping operations: it votes on the resolutions to send peacekeepers, it deploys its own troops as peacekeepers, and it funds the peacekeeping missions.

Keep in mind that funding the UN peacekeeping missions is different than providing UN peacekeepers. UN peacekeeping missions are funded by assessments (similar to how the overall UN General Assembly budget is funded). That means every UN Member State is required to pay a percentage of the total UN peacekeeping budget roughly proportional to that country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Member States can voluntarily contribute more funding or equipment and supplies if they wish.

The approved budget for UN peacekeeping operations for the fiscal year of July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017 is $7.87 billion, which is slightly smaller than its previous fiscal year’s budget. A military budget of $7.87 billion would rank the UN 26th if compared against other national military budgets, or smaller than Poland’s military budget of about $9 billion.

The Top 10 countries funding the UN peacekeeping budget are:

1. United States (28.57%)
2. China (10.29%)
3. Japan (9.68%)
4. Germany (6.39%)
5. France (6.31%)
6. United Kingdom (5.80%)
7. Russian Federation (4.01%)
8. Italy (3.75%)
9. Canada (2.92%)
10. Spain (2.44%)

You can find the full list of assessments for all 193 Member States in the latest General Assembly resolution here.

So the next time UN Peacekeepers are brought up, make sure the committee knows how the peacekeeping missions function, who provides the peacekeepers, and who funds the peacekeeping missions! This includes knowing your own country’s personnel and financial contributions to such missions, which would partially help inform your country’s policy toward such solutions.

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More advanced tips and training can be found at the Model United Nations Institute.

Written by Risha Rohera, Under-Secretary-General of Crisis Committees of UPMUNC 50 & Remi Cordelle, Business Director of UPMUNC 50

UPMUNC Upper Secretariat (Left to Right: Michael Mintskovsky (Chief Operating Officer), Alisha Chowdhury (Chief of Staff), Madeline Su (Director-General), Kent Hutchison (Secretary-General))

Cocktail Night (Friday Night Special Event)

Last November, nearly a thousand delegates traveled to Philadelphia, PA to attend the fiftieth iteration of the University of Pennsylvania Model United Nations Conference (UPMUNC). Delegates from around the world participated in four days’ worth of riveting committee sessions and thrilling social events in the historical city of Philadelphia. UPMUNC’s classic social events – Pub Night, Cocktail Night and DelFest – returned this year and remained highly successful. The weekend began on Thursday night with Opening Ceremonies, where President and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, Caryl Stern, shared her impactful experience as a UN worker in Africa. With her powerful speech in mind, delegates were ready to begin the weekend!

UPMUNC 50 USGs (Left to Right: Noah Levine (Crisis), Santiago Pereira (Crisis), Hannah Kanter (ECOSOC), Fjora Arapi (GA), Risha Rohera (Crisis))

UPMUNC 50 proudly offered 21 diverse committees — five General Assembly committees, four ECOSOC committees, and 12 fast-paced crisis committees. Article V: Convention of the States, in which delegates acted as partisan representatives from the 50 states, proved to be a favorite amongst ECOSOC committees this year. Action-packed crisis committees ranging from the Bonaparte Family Dinner to Designated Survivor to Macbeth all proved to keep delegates busy and focused, with groundbreaking crises occurring during each session. At one point in the weekend, the South African Anti-Apartheid Summit even went to a mini “night club” in which delegates negotiated with warlords to move forward with committee. UPMUNC 50 successfully offered a dynamic and exciting collection of committees once again. 

After days filled with fierce negotiations and vigorous debates, delegates looked to our renowned special events at night to let loose. On Thursday, delegates made stops at three iconic Philadelphia bars and explored the city during Pub Night. Back at the Sheraton Hotel the next day, delegates showed off their dance moves at Cocktail Night, with special lighting and beats by a live DJ. The final night of conference saw the return of every conference participant’s favorite social event: DelFest. With a guest DJ, a light and laser show, and a crowded dance floor, there was no doubt that DelFest lived up to delegates’ high expectations.

Delegates gathered Sunday morning for one last committee session before Closing Ceremonies. UPMUNC is proud to recognize the following schools for their performance during conference:

Outstanding Small Delegation: Boston University

Best Small Delegation: Florida International University

UPMUNC 50 USGs (Left to Right: Noah Levine (Crisis), Santiago Pereira (Crisis), Hannah Kanter (ECOSOC), Fjora Arapi (GA), Risha Rohera (Crisis))

Outstanding Large Delegation: University of Chicago

Best Large Delegation: Georgetown University

On behalf of the entire UPMUNC Secretariat, we would like to thank and congratulate all delegates for a memorable and exciting weekend. Rest assured that the Secretariat is already hard at work to make UPMUNC 51 the best conference yet. Stay tuned for the release of early registration details in early 2017!

Welcome to Moderated Caucus, a new series from Best Delegate examining the questions that keep delegates, chairs and secretariats up at night. Should closing ceremonies have guest speakers? Does crisis actually count as MUN? How do you explain to your non-MUN friends what you’re doing in a suit on a Saturday?

Want to get involved in Moderated Caucus? Send your topic suggestions to sam.povey@nullbestdelegate.com and you’ll get the chance to put your case to Best Delegate readers. 

This week, we’re looking at Western Business Attire. This dress code has become a staple of MUN conferences across the world, but is WBA now outdated and should we scrap it as the dress code of choice?

WBA? No thanks…

In favor of scrapping WBA: Sam Povey

Sam Povey is a member of Best Delegate’s Media Team and a former student of the London School of Economics. He is 21, from Aberdeen, and has been participating in MUN since 2010

WBA: one of the many MUN acronyms that separates a delegate from your ordinary student. For men, “Western business attire” is a suit, shirt and tie. For women, a sensible skirt or dress. So far, so boring. But not only is WBA a poor dress code, it’s an unnecessary one. MUN conferences should ditch it and trust delegates to dress themselves.

It is a shame that MUN conferences seek to deny the cultural diversity that exists amongst the member states of the UN by straitjacketing delegates into a prescribed dress code. National dress is one of the most visual ways of expressing a delegate’s culture, but conferences have come to resemble a Brooks Brothers catalogue launch. Worse still when this dress code is the product of one particular culture. WBA: an act of sartorial imperialism!

Moreover, WBA has become so outdated that it no longer resembles “Western business attire” at all. In most Western offices anything as formal as a tie is the exception, not the rule. We shouldn’t be surprised that WBA has become so outdated, this is the nature of dress codes. They are naturally conservative and make it difficult to keep up with natural developments in fashion tastes.

Of course, conferences should give delegates some guidance about what to wear. I’d recommend we’d look at the UN’s own dress code. Unlike so much of the UN, it is succinct and straightforward:

“dress appropriately for the international diplomatic environment of the United Nations”

Seems good to me – let delegates decide whether or not they want to wear a tie, trade oxfords for brogues or forgo a jacket in hot weather. It is what delegates say and do that matters, not what they wear. Let’s scrap WBA and focus on what’s important.

”A well-tied tie is the first serious step in life.” – Oscar Wilde

In opposition to scrapping WBA: John Salchak

John Salchak is a Media Associate for Training Content on the Best Delegate Media Team. He is a senior in High School and has been doing MUN for four years.

The United Nations General Assembly is an event of great pomp and circumstance, a who’s who of world leaders, clad in dark suits, surrounded by guards, and ready to address grave threats facing our world. Obviously, the most important thing to note here is: they are all wearing suits! They look professional. If Model United Nations is a simulation of the UN, it is only logical that we, as delegates, not only play the part of leaders, but also look the part.

Students will take MUN more seriously when they are required to wear business clothing. When students look professional, they feel professional and when they feel professional, they will act professionally. Requiring students to wear Western Business Attire (WBA) elevates the debate and the experience of MUN.

There are some other less readily apparent reasons to require WBA. If formality is in question, students will have to answer a question that for some like me is nearly existential: what to wear? Is business casual going to be the norm, or will it be as casual as jeans and tennis shoes? WBA requirements take that guess work out of the way and applies a standard and well known dress code to all those attending.

Furthermore, it gets high schoolers used to wearing professional attire. For many students, MUN will be one of the only times before leaving high school that they will have to wear a suit, something almost required in the professional job market. “Dressing up” can be intimidating at first, which means that conferences are doing delegates a favour by exposing them to the world of WBA.

Finally, most other serious competition activities such as debate and Mock Trial require their participants to dress professionally. If MUN doesn’t follow suit (pun intended), it will make the battle it faces to ascend to the same level of prestige the others enjoy even harder. MUN will be taken more seriously if the participants dress up. Conferences requiring WBA not only helps delegates, but the image of MUN as a whole.

Want to get involved in Moderated Caucus? Send your topic suggestions to sam.povey@nullbestdelegate.com and you’ll get the chance to put your case to Best Delegate readers. 

The McGill Model United Nations Assembly (McMUN) is the largest Model UN conference in Canada, and its twenty-eighth edition will be held from January 26-29, 2017. Best Delegate co-founder Kevin Felix Chan sat down to interview this year’s Secretary-General, Ginny Tan. Ginny previously served as a Best Delegate Media Associate and is the third consecutive McMUN Secretary-General with Best Delegate ties. Our team is proud of her and wanted her to share her thoughts leading up to the conference!

KFC: You’re serving as the Secretary-General of the McMUN, the largest annual Model UN conference in Canada. What has the experience been like so far organizing the conference and managing the largest MUN conference staff (600 staffers) in the world? 

Ginny: My experience so far has been wonderful! I have an amazing Secretariat team that makes this job incredibly fun. They have been working very hard ever since we started planning McMUN back in March 2016. We are currently training our staffers and I am confident to say that they are all every excited to welcome everyone very soon.

McMUN 2017 Secretary-General Ginny Tan

KFC: McMUN is still expecting close to 1,600 delegates despite the fact that WorldMUN is also being held in Montreal this year, essentially experiencing no drop-off in attendance. What would you attribute this high registration to? 

Ginny: McMUN is a conference that is very well-known and established across the collegiate circuit. It is always humbling for us, when we hear delegates from other schools being incredibly excited to come to McMUN. For us, a great delegate experience has always been our number one priority. I believe that our high registration definitely has to do with our commitment in delivering a great conference year after year. In addition to that, our registration team has definitely brought their A-game this year and they have been wonderful at their jobs.

KFC: IRSAM, the organization at McGill that hosts McMUN, has consultative status with ECOSOC and sends a delegation to UN Women every year. I also saw that McMUN just signed a partnership with ICAO. How has McMUN’s relationships with the real UN benefited the conference?

Ginny: By fostering a relationship with the real UN, we have been provided with the unique opportunity of gaining a better understanding of how the real UN functions. Many of our dais members have been part of the delegation we send to the UN every year. This year, our partnership with the ICAO has provided us with the opportunity of hosting a session at the headquarters. I believe that there will be a lot of exciting opportunities for our delegates to interact with the actual UN in the future and this is only just the beginning.

KFC: McMUN is known for its social events such as McParte. But I also know your Secretariat seeks to create a well-rounded experience in terms of committees, out-of-committee programming, and social events. What aspects of McMUN should delegates most look forward to this year?

Ginny: This year McMUN has officially partnered with the International Civil Aviation Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, and we will be hosting a committee session at the headquarter. I believe this will definitely be an amazing experience for our delegates. Having successfully ran bilingual committees in the past, we are also introducing a brand new Spanish bilingual committee this year. As for our social events, I am also proud to announce that we have a completely revamped Friday night social event, the Olympic Crawl! We have kept elements our delegates loved from the past and brought in new and innovative ideas. There are a lot of exciting things going on this year and I am just going to leave a couple of them as a surprise.

KFC: We chatted about awards policies over the summer. McMUN made some modifications to its awards distribution this year. Could you elaborate on that?

Ginny: Yes! After careful examination of our awards distribution, our team has decided that this year McMUN will be increasing the amount of Honorable Mentions that we will be handing out for our General Assemblies committees. We have decided to make this change because we truly believe in encouraging a positive competitive environment where delegates are recognized for their achievements.

KFC: Your Model UN career has taken you to internships with the US Embassy in Ottawa, the Canadian Embassy in Argentina, and the World Food Programme in Panama. What advice would you give to Model UN delegates hoping to work in international relations?

Ginny: Don’t be afraid of getting rejections or negative feedback; always see them as an opportunity for improvement. I applied to a lot of internships and I have gotten a fair share of rejections, some positions I have had to apply twice to before I got accepted. Internships and jobs in the field of international relations are very competitive and I would also encourage delegates who are interested in the field to test the waters early on. The idea of working for the United Nations and actually working for them is a quite different experience.

The McMUN 2017 Secretariat oversees a team of 600 staffers, the largest MUN staff in the world

Good luck to all the staff and delegates attending McMUN 2017! 

Written by Julia Clark, Member of the American University International Relations Society

OECD Secretary General Angel Gurría and American University School of International Service Dean James Goldeiger

Model UN delegates always joke about the overuse of “short and long term solutions.” I can guarantee that myself and the rest of the American University MUN team were all silently chuckling to ourselves when we heard Chinese Minister Li Kexin use the exact phrase.

However, short and long term solutions, 28 outcome documents, and three action plans were the very successful outcome of the 2016 G20 Summit that took place in Hangzhou, China in early September.

Just a short month later, on October 6th, 2016, the American University School of International Service was proud to host the inaugural event for the first US-based Model G20 Initiative. To take place from March 17th-19th, American University will be hosting teams of undergraduate students from across the country to participate as member states of the Group of 20 and international organizations to engage in an accurate G20 Leader’s Summit. The American University International Relations Society will be serving as Germany, the G20 Presidency.

Speakers at the launch event included American University School of International Service Dean James Goldgeier, Minister Li from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, Secretary General Angel Gurría of the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and Professor Cecilia Nahón who is the Executive Program Director for the Model G20 Initiative as well as the former Ambassador of Argentina to the US and former Argentinian Sherpa to the G20.

Unlike most international organizations, the G20 does not have a bureaucratic structure in place. It operates without a permanent secretariat or staff. Instead, leadership rotates among its member states on a yearly basis. In December, Germany will take over the presidency from China and will have the opportunity to set forth its own agenda priorities for the upcoming summit in Hamburg in July.

The G20 maintains a strong position in the international community because of its prominent membership. It is the only international forum where leaders of the largest advanced and emerging economies can meet on an annual basis to personally discuss the challenges of the global economy. Such a forum has also presented itself to be opportune for member states to discuss other geopolitical issues if required, such as its meetings regarding the 2015 Paris terror attacks and the 2013 situation in Syria. Reflecting on the contributions and challenges of the G20 from the OECD’s perspective, Secretary General Gurria highlighted: “its response to the global financial crisis is an excellent example of its nature […] to coordinate macroeconomic policies, develop the largest internationally coordinated stimulus package in history, and spearhead new approaches to financial regulation and to financial supervision.”

From left to right: Minister Li, Ambassador Nahón, Secretary General Gurria, and Dean Goldgeier

Minister Li asked himself how we can keep the G20 effective. His answer? Implementation. Just like Model UN, the feasibility and effectiveness of any solution lies in its ability to be implemented. He cited that the G20 is becoming less of a crisis response mechanism and more of an institution for long term governance, showing the G20’s ability to adapt to changing global needs. Just like the G20 is reconsidering its role in the global order, the role of any international body is something every Model UN delegate must consider when thinking of solutions for their respective committees.

Watch the full event here.

To learn more about American University’s Model G20 Initiative, click here.

Written By: George Mullens

Welcome back to Research Binder Friday! Today, we’ll be taking a look at one of the most exciting and coveted UN bodies – the United Nations Security Council. 

Representing a country in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) can easily be one of the most difficult debating environments within Model United Nations. The Security Council regularly fails to disappoint, with an extremely high level of debate and truly substantive solutions which try to solve the world’s most violent conflicts.

Committee History

The United Nations Security Council was established on the 24^th of October 1945 after the end of the Second World War and held it’s first session on the 17^th of January 1946. The Security Council is based in New York City and is the highest decision-making body within the United Nations. Ultimately the Security Council is the most powerful organ within the UN with the sole authority to use force in response to threats to international peace and security. Under article 23, Chapter 5 of the Charter, the composition of the Security Council is outlined as 15 members of the UN with 5 Permanent members who possess a veto power (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States of America) and 10 non-permanent members which are elected for a two-year term.

Committee Mandate

Under the UN Charter, the Security Council has the principal responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. As the only body that can use force in response to armed attacks, the Council plays a crucial role in the international community’s answer to all issues of conflict and violence. Therefore, while the Council has only been traditionally used to cover military and security-related issues, the Council has also passed resolutions on HIV/AIDS in Resolution 1308 (2000).

The UN Charter is in essence, essential for what the Council can and cannot do. Chapter VI of the Charter notes that the Council “may investigate any dispute or any situation which might lead to international friction or give rise to a dispute”. This means that the Council can mediate discussions between numerous warring parties.

However, Chapter VII of the Charter is the most important chapter concerning the powers of the council. Chapter VII gives the Council the board power to decide what measures should be taken in situations which involve “threats to peace, breaches of the peace, or acts of aggression”. This can include “may take such action by air, sea, or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security” (Article 42) and also economic sanctions, which can solely be used by the Council.

Common Topics

As the main mandate of the committee is concerned with international peace and security, Security Council topics will usually focus on armed conflicts. While in recent times, Model UN conferences have focused on the rise of terrorist organizations, and the ongoing civil war in Syria, it is important to note that the Council is preoccupied with a large variety of conflicts worldwide as the only UN Committee that can authorize the use of force. This means that anywhere that there is a peacekeeping operation will require Security Council approval, resulting in a large range of topics.

The Security Council within Model United Nations

Within Model UN, the Security Council is often one of the most intense committees that a delegate can be a part of. Organizers of conferences will usually place the Security Council as an advanced committee, due to the high level of knowledge on the topics and rules of procedures required to be a succeed within committee. The high level of debate along with the constraints placed by the Council in the form of the veto from the permanent 5 members, will regularly demonstrate the necessity for compromise as even one vote against a resolution from the permanent 5 will cause a resolution to fail. Due to the importance of the rules of procedure in the council, the way that delegates declare themselves in the morning as present or present and voting can also drastically shape the way that the debate will take place during the conference.

As the UN Committee with the most power, the Council can also give delegates a wide range of creative solutions, so keep in mind that you as a delegate can come up with creative solutions to whichever topic you are debating! However, always try to strike a balance between satisfying the requirements of the permanent 5 members and what is feasibly possible when writing your resolutions.

Additional Best Delegate Resources

5 Tips on How to Succeed in the Security Council

How to Represent an Observer State in the Security Council

How to Accurately Simulate the UN Security Council for Model UN

Interested in Learning More About Crisis Committees?

Check out Best Delegate’s Model United Nations Institute Crisis Program this summer! Our Crisis Program teaches students advanced MUN skills and strategy specifically for crisis committees, all taught by the most accomplished crisis delegates from the college MUN circuit. Click here to learn more!

Other Insightful Resources

UN Charter: http://www.un.org/en/charter-united-nations/index.html

Security Council Reports: http://www.securitycouncilreport.org

Security Council Sanctions list: https://www.un.org/sc/suborg/en/sanctions/un-sc-consolidated-list

Functions and powers of the Security Council: http://www.un.org/en/sc/about/functions.shtml

Structure of the Security Council: http://www.un.org/en/sc/about/structure.shtml

Delegates negotiating at the South African Model United Nations. Photo credit: UNIC Pretoria.

The Paris Climate Change Agreement in 2015 was groundbreaking because it was achieved with consensus. In the real United Nations is defined as the lack of objection by every Member State where a vote is not even necessary to adopt the resolution — was finally achieved after many rounds of climate change talks.

Consensus is important in real life UN agreements because Member States are more likely to implement the resolutions if they have no objections to them. In contrast, resolutions passed with simple majority votes are just going be ignored in real life if the Member State disagrees with them, so simple majority is actually weaker than consensus. Therefore, consensus is actually the default and preferred to voting procedures in the real UN.

Consensus may not be necessary in most Model UN conferences — most Model UN conferences require a simple majority vote for a resolution to pass, though UN4MUN conferences that emphasize accuracy such as the WFUNA International MUN aim toward adoption of resolutions by consensus instead of voting.

Nevertheless, attempting to reach consensus can help a delegate stand out as a leader. Strategically, it helps the resolution gain an overwhelming majority of committee support, which looks good to the Chair. Tactically, it helps build good faith and problem solving with the rest of the committee blocs, which is good for diplomacy and future relations (the future could be as soon as topic #2 in the committee!).

One negotiation technique to achieve consensus at the Paris Climate Change convention was called Indaba. Indaba is reportedly used by the Zulu and Xhosa people in South Africa to simplify negotiations. Per Quartz, indaba works like this:

“Instead of repeating stated positions, each party is encouraged to speak personally and state their “red lines,” which are thresholds that they don’t want to cross. But while telling others their hard limits, they are also asked to provide solutions to find a common ground.”

This could be done during unmoderated caucus with the resolution bloc standing in a circle. Instead of asking everyone what they want, suggest certain controversial ideas and ask who does NOT want that. This will immediately identify issues in the draft resolution that need to be worked out. This would be particularly effective to be used right before a draft resolution is to be submitted for presentation so that the group is fully aligned with the draft.

Similarly, indaba could be used when facilitating a merger between two groups. If two groups are merging, chances are that the majority of the two draft resolutions already have similar ideas or complementary clauses that are not controversial to everyone involved. Instead of focusing on those clauses, identify the clauses that the two blocs may disagree on, and then ask if it would be ok to remove or change any of those clauses. This is much more effective in identifying crux of the merger negotiation.

Lastly, indaba is not just identifying red lines or hard limits. It requires the group to also provide solutions to find common ground once they have identified those red lines. But having red lines makes it much more clear what countries want and do not want in a negotiation.

There’s only one week left to apply to staff MUNI this summer as part of the Diplomacy Fellowship, or as a Residential Counselor or English Exchange Fellow. The Model United Nations Institute (MUNI) is Best Delegate’s premier Model United Nations training program that takes place every summer at multiple universities across the United States. MUNI consists of a series of one-week academic summer programs that teach students about Model United Nations, and there are a variety of program types designed for different skill levels and age groups ranging from middle school and high school as well as for teachers.

Best Delegate is recruiting for three types of positions:

The Diplomacy Fellowship is a paid eight-week summer fellowship for top university graduates or students with significant Model UN achievements, leadership experience, and interest in educating the next generation of student leaders. If you are accepted to the fellowship, you will serve in the role of a “MUN Mentor” at the Model United Nations Institute, and work as an instructor, trainer, and mentor for students that attend MUNI. This position in previous years was referred to as “Diplomacy Fellow”.

The Residential Counselor position is a paid eight-week summer fellowship for top university graduates or students with significant experience in residential supervision, student safety, and recreational programming. Residential Counselors will ensure that each program is safe and fun for the students, and will run recreational programming during evenings and weekends.

The fellowship term for both MUN Mentors and Residential Counselors is from June 10 – August 5, 2017. Staff must be available during the entire fellowship term. All staff will start at Southwestern University in Texas for training and to teach and supervise the first Model UN Institute. Afterward, staff will be assigned to travel in small teams to teach and supervise at programs held in Washington, D.C., and Boston, with some staff also traveling to Los Angeles to finish the summer.

We are also hiring a limited number of spots in our English Exchange Fellowship, reserved for experienced Model UN delegates that speak Mandarin Chinese. In the English Exchange Fellowship, staff will serve as MUN Mentors for students looking to learn Model UN while improving their English skills. English Exchange Mentors can work anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks this summer from July 16 to August 5.

All staff will receive a competitive stipend, and all housing, most meals, and travel costs will be covered throughout each of the fellowship periods.

Applications are due January 31, 2017! The application for this program is very competitive. Learn more about all three fellowship positions, and view the applications here!

Here at Best Delegate, we’re implementing monthly themes for our website content! The theme for January is Crisis Committees – enjoy this crisis-filled article and let us know what you think!

In my sophomore year of high school, I was preparing for a conference in Istanbul. As I was checking the website, scouring for information, I realized that my committee was an “Ad-Hoc.” I had no idea how the committee functioned and I was a little bit nervous. But with a little bit of research and confidence, I was able to perform at my very best and even became one of the outstanding delegates in my committee. Needless to say, I grew to appreciate the Ad-Hoc procedure and found it more interesting and exciting than a regular Model United Nations committee. This article will explore how an Ad-Hoc committee functions, plus three tips to excel at one! 

First of all, what is an Ad-Hoc Committee?

In essence, an Ad-Hoc committee is a Crisis committee. The difference between regular Crisis committees and an Ad-Hoc committee is that Ad-Hoc topics are made available to delegates only a few days before the conference, or in some cases, possibly even during your first committee session! As such, delegates have to adapt to the situation at hand, anticipate upcoming crises, and find solutions all at a moments notice. Needless to say, this committee is not for the faint hearted. 

Most of the time, Ad-Hoc committees are considerably more challenging than regular committees. Therefore, be ready to encounter and rub shoulders with the best and the most experienced delegates at the conference. However, that doesn’t mean that your whole committee experience is going to be frightening and intimidating. On the contrary, Crisis committees are widely acknowledged for being ridiculously fun. As people say, “Once you go crisis, you can’t go back!” 

Flow of Debate & Crisis Updates

Since the functioning of an Ad-Hoc is dependent on new crisis updates being formed and released, there must be somebody creating these scenarios, right? That’s where the Crisis Director and their staff steps in. Try to think of each Crisis committee as two separate rooms, the first one is the actual committee room, of which each one of you will be debating; and then there’s the crisis room – that’s where the Crisis staff work. Throughout the conference, the crisis staff will visit your committee with updates on how the crisis is progressing. Interestingly, these updates can be presented on multiple platforms, including videos, newspaper articles, and briefings, to name a few. Sometimes, Crisis staffers will even act out scenes in the committee room for dramatic purposes! During this time, your job is to react to these updates, and take action as a body. You can even respond in the form of personal directives. 

In Crisis committees, debate is usually conducted as a continuous moderated caucus, with delegates moving to discuss specific topics for debate related to the crisis. And also, the most important thing to know about Ad-Hoc committees is that there is no resolution. Instead of a resolution, the committee decides upon “Directives” to take action in the committee.

In short, Ad-Hoc committees are fun, but challenging! Here are 3 tips which I believe will make you stand out better in an Ad-Hoc committee:

1. Never. Stop. Talking.

While debating, you will jump from topic to topic. But whatever the topic is, always raise your placard and speak! Try to state your opinions every time you have a chance. This tip helped me to become one of the outstanding delegates in my committee. Because no one will know if they want to work with you or not, if they have no idea about your opinions and policy. Additionally, because everyone in your committee will be relatively high caliber. To ensure success, you must be consistent with your participation. 

2. Try not to stick to one person/group.

When an unmoderated caucus begins, you will notice that everyone will form different groups and blocs. You will likely be part of one of your own, but you should never exclusively stick to an individual, or rely on a group. Because you will never know what is going to happen the next, or what crisis you will be facing in the near future. Believe me, everything can change rapidly, without notice in your committee. So, listen to everyone’s opinions and ideas, and ask or assist others on whatever their endeavors may be. Always be open to work with different people. And have a back up plan, in case things doesn’t work out. This will help you become more diplomatic in the eyes of the chair.

3. Be confident, and relax.

Panicking won’t help anyone. Remain calm and be familiar with the sequence of actions you should take. Debate can definitely become more aggressive, and at times committee will get heated, but always remember to be professional, and act accordingly. 

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We would love to hear about your experiences with Ad-Hoc committee! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact pinar.sezgin@nullbestdelegate.com. Additionally, here are some resources to further improve your skills:

Here at Best Delegate, we’re implementing monthly themes for our website content! The theme for January is Crisis Committees – enjoy this crisis-filled article and let us know what you think!

Additionally, The MUNecdote (MUN-Anecdote) series, will be a string of epic MUN stories, retold by our Media Associates to guide you through their mindset on how they successfully circumvented themselves out of some sticky situations. 

Author: John Salchak

Most delegates eventually find themselves in the elusive crisis committee at some point in their lengthy MUN careers. My first crisis experience was actually my first time ever doing Model UN. I was a nervous wreck, I had no idea what crisis committees were, and I was thrust into a complicated and fast-paced triple joint crisis. I was the Foreign Minister of Russia and the year was 1804. A fragile peace held Europe together, and my task was to navigate European politics to build a coalition capable of landing a fatal blow to Napoleon’s dreams of conquest and subsequently razing his empire to the ground.

The conference was held from a Friday to a Sunday, and the three parties to the conflict were Napoleonic France, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Third Coalition, which was made up of delegates from Austria, Great Britain, and Russia. Historically, Great Britain was in a state of permanent war with France for most of the period between 1800 and 1815, and the British raised multiple coalitions of various European powers to fight their French rivals. The War of the Third Coalition saw Russian and Austrian armies smashed by the brilliant Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz with a neutral Prussia standing by.  I was dedicated to not letting this happen again.

I was tired by the end of Saturday, the Foreign Ministers of Great Britain, Austria, and myself had spent most of the weekend trying to convince the Prussians to take up arms and join our coalition, but they wouldn’t budge. At one point in the day, the Prussian cabinet agreed to sign a non-aggression pact. While my committee intended to sign it, the paper got lost in the sea of crisis updates and we all forgot about it.

The situation was dire for Europe and a storm was brewing, the continent was about to go to war. The French committee had German allies and an army in Bavaria, but an hour before the last session of the day was finished, we received the worst possible news. Prussia not only rejected joining the Third Coalition, they signed an alliance with the French! It was chaos in the room as we hunted down the piece of crumpled paper with the non-aggression pact, quickly signing it to maybe buy us some time.

Desperate times call for desperate measures so we concocted a plan. The military leadership sent in the orders and my fellow Foreign Ministers were escorted by our Chair downstairs to the Prussian Cabinet. We brought with us a list of concessions we were willing to make for them to leave the French, but again, we were met with stalwart resistance. The negotiations were failing and the Prussians were adamant that an alliance with the Napoleon French was better for them. It was at that moment that the doors of the committee swung open and a Crisis Staffer came running in crying that French troops had just entered Prussian borders from multiple directions and, in the words of this staffer from 4 years ago, “They are burning villages, killing peasants, and throwing babies into bonfires while cursing the name of the King!”

It remains the most satisfying moment of my MUN career, the Prussians were in shock, and they thought they had been duped by the French. My colleagues and I stood up, we told the Prussians that they had many things to consider, we were still open to working with them, and we left. I walked out smiling because they weren’t duped by the French, they were duped by us. Earlier that night, after we left to meet with the Prussians, military leaders from the Third Coalition had ordered the elite British 95th Rifle Brigade to impersonate a French force. There was no French invasion, but by the time the Prussians realized that, the die had been cast.

The next morning, we came into committee to find a Prussian request for military aid. Sometimes all you need in a crisis committee is an old fashioned false flag operation.

Here are some more Crisis resources for your upcoming conference. Good luck and hope you thoroughly enjoyed this read!

Here at Best Delegate, we’re implementing monthly themes for our website content! The theme for January is Crisis Committees – enjoy this crisis-filled article and let us know what you think!

Additionally, The MUNecdote (MUN-Anecdote) series, will be a string of epic MUN stories, retold by our Media Associates to guide you through their mindset on how they successfully circumvented themselves out of some sticky situations. 

I gaze across the hall at hundreds of delegates with a facade of confidence disguising anticipation. Just like me. Suits, ties, vests, scarves, and the occasional sweater fill the room alongside a light mixture of various perfumes and colognes. Despite our bus being half an hour late, opening ceremonies were just beginning.

“Welcome to Harvard Model United Nations, 2016!” the Secretary-General greeted legions of high school students in a rehearsed, yet still genuine manner. After an hour, I’ve learned about charity projects in Brazil and heard the harmony of the esteemed acapella group, but as I head off to my committee in the conference, an older memory rhythmically pangs through my head, chipping at my self-esteem: 

***

Two years ago, in freshman year, I’d felt almost the same feeling. Except that time, I had not only hope, but arrogance that I would be called up to walk in front of thousands of people and claim an award. I was wrong. But that wasn’t what sent me falling off my high horse of middle school success. On the way back, the bus stopped for lunch, and I somehow expected what was to come. The president of my school’s club walked up to me. I almost hoped that he would offer a few words of comfort or advice or just anything positive, but at the end of my last freshman conference, the my club’s president told me I was “all talk”.

HMUN, one of the flagship winter conferences on the prestigious last weekend of January, was when I took my second crisis ever, but I felt as if the weight of my whole future was upon me. Up until that point in my Model UN career, I had never won an award at a national conference, and it seemed as if no one expected any better of me. Truth be told, I had made the team due to some last minute emergency cuts, so no one thought I would be going up for an award on Sunday.

Regardless, Thursday night, I tried my best. I wrote crisis notes, directives, and spoke as much as I could, but I felt as if I was crashing against a brick wall. Although the later two went well, almost every single one of my crisis notes came back with a notice that it could not be executed. After the first committee session, I asked the crisis staff what I could improve on, and was told to be more detailed and relevant to what was happening in committee.

Friday and Saturday, I took that advice to the best of my ability and broke every single one of my plans into small individual actions in order to write specific details. Moreover, I made sure to stay relevant in my crisis notes, which meant tying them into directives in clever ways. As a papal legal attempting to rise to the position of pope, I kidnapped the pope himself with the help of the Ottoman Turks, who were introduced in a previous update. When I authored a directive on rescuing him, I ordered our forces to kill all guards. In a private note, I dressed the pope as a guard, taking him out without any blood on my hands.

As I entered closing ceremonies on Sunday, I knew that I was not the same delegate as four days ago. And when I was called up for receiving an Outstanding Delegate Award, I knew that my transformation as a delegate was worth much more than the paper.

Thank you for reading, and good luck to all delegates at Model U.N conferences this weekend!

Alumni Spotlight is a new series of interviews with Model United Nations alumni who are pursuing interesting careers and opportunities after graduation. Today’s interview is with Rodolfo Diaz, the former Head Delegate of the Harvard Model UN team. Rodolfo went on to complete a master’s degree at Cambridge and now works as a Product Specialist at Facebook.

KFC: You served as the Head Delegate of the Harvard Intercollegiate Model UN team during your time in college. What was the experience like leading one of the top teams in the nation?

Rodolfo: It was life-changing to say the least. First, it gave me the opportunity to learn from and mentor the smartest and most passionate people I know. Second, it really made me learn how to put the success of others before my own. Winnings gavels was great, but when you become a leader you start valuing the success of your teammates more than your own. Lastly, it gave me the opportunity to make lifelong friends both from Harvard’s team and other schools.

Rodolfo Diaz at the Facebook holiday party

KFC: You’re working at the Facebook headquarters in Silicon Valley now. How were you able to leverage your Model UN experiences into a job in the tech world? What advice would you have for college students, particularly those in the social sciences, who’d like to pursue a career in tech?

Rodolfo: You don’t have to be a software engineer to work in tech. There are opportunities in operations, marketing, sales, policy, and other functions that don’t require a technical background. My advice is to ask friends at tech companies to connect you with co-workers in roles that interest you. That way you can understand if the day-to-day work interests you and identify the skills and experiences you’d need to get the job. Once you’ve done so, test out similar experiences through internships.

In terms of leveraging Model UN to land that tech job, it’s really all about the people you meet and friendships you make. The awesome network of friends I made through years of MUN competitions connected me with people in roles in tech that interested me and gave me amazing advice and tips on the application and interview process.

KFC: What’s the job of a Product Specialist at Facebook like? How have the skills you’ve developed in Model UN helped with your role?

Rodolfo: It’s honestly the most exciting opportunity I’ve had in my life. As a Product Specialist, I’m the expert in the user experience for my product—Facebook Groups—and using that knowledge I work with engineers to develop experiences that address our users’ top needs. Without knowing how to code I’m able to impact the day-to-day experience of the more than 1.6 billion people that use Facebook.

My Model UN skills help me be an effective Product Specialist in the following 3 ways:

1. Communications: Speaking concisely and in simple terms make you a strong partner in roles where you work with cross functional partners that aren’t all always on the same page
2. Empathy: Forming a coalition to draft that resolution really teaches you how to understand varying perspectives and how to work effectively with others
3. Negotiation: Like in MUN, people in your teams will have varying points of views and learning how to help the team decide on the best path forward is a valuable skills

KFC: You did your Master’s at Cambridge on International Development. Now that you’re immersed in Silicon Valley, how do you think technology could better assist with international development?

Rodolfo: Technology’s role in is all about leveraging scale to connect people with information, partners, and opportunities they would otherwise not have access to. Here are three ways how:

1. Education: Through online courses and just simple internet searches people can learn new skills to improve at their current job or engage in new lines of work. I for example used the website Khan Academy to teach myself statistics in preparation for an Econometrics course.
2. Connecting to opportunities and business partners: Technology makes distance a non-issue when facilitating business opportunities. For example, conPRmetidos, a Puerto Rico-based nonprofit I advise, created an online platform that links Puerto Rican professionals on the island with mentors and investors in the mainland US. By creating this network it hopes to help local businesses by attracting investments to Puerto Rico and identifying business partners for to export of goods and services.
3. Creating platforms to buy and sell goods: Technology platforms like Ebay, Airbnb, and Task Rabbit are powerful allies in development because they lend legitimacy to average people selling goods and services. Without this credibility, people like you and me wouldn’t feel comfortable giving our money to a person we don’t know.

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