Model United Nations, also known as MUN, is an educational simulation and academic activity in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. MUN involves and teaches participants speaking, debating, and writing skills, in addition to critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership abilities.
Participants in Model United Nations conferences, known as delegates, are placed in committees and assigned countries to represent, or occasionally other organizations or political figures, where they represent members of that body. Delegates are assigned countries before the conference, along with receiving a topic, or topics, that their committee will discuss. They conduct research before conferences, formulate position papers and come up with policy proposals that they will then debate with their fellow delegates in the committee, staying true to the actual position of the country or organization they represent. At the end of a conference, the delegates will vote on written policies, called “draft resolutions”, with the goal of passing them with a majority vote. The best-performing delegates in each committee, as well as delegations, are sometimes recognized with awards.
