Model United Nations

Model United Nations

The Model United Nations was first introduced in Northfields 5 years ago and has been a very successful event, mostly in the upper school years.

Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an extra-curricular activity in which students typically role-play delegates to the United Nations and simulate UN committees. This activity takes place at MUN conferences, which is usually organized by a high school or college MUN club or even abroad.

Students at Northfields have been taking an active role in RIMUN.

Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations where students play the role of delegates from different countries and attempt to solve real world issues with the policies and perspectives of their assigned country. For example, a student may be assigned to the United Kingdom and will have to solve global topics such as nuclear non-proliferation or climate change from the policies and perspectives of the United Kingdom.

Students can attend Model United Nations conferences around the world. These conferences are organized by universities, high schools, non-profit organizations, and other educational groups. Conferences are offered for different academic levels: college and university, high school, middle school, and grade school. There is no central governing body for Model UN — any school can create a Model UN team and register for any Model UN conference they wish to attend.

Once a team has registered for a conference, it receives a country to represent. Each student on that team will represent that country in a different committee with different topics. For example, Best Delegate High School could be assigned to China and have different students representing China in the disarmament committee, the human rights committee, the development committee, and so forth. Schools with larger teams will receive additional countries.

MUN•ROME is a yearly UN simulation that Consulates organize in Rome in collaboration with the Institute for International Affairs (IAI).

The simulation of the main UN committees and agencies provides a unique opportunity to deal first hand with major international issues and acquire a firm grasp of the rules and mechanisms of multilateral diplomacy.

Together with the simulation there will be further learning activities:

Opening Ceremony: opening session with the participation of experts and institutional representatives.
Guest Speaker Program: speeches by international analysts who explore specific issues.

Mission Briefings: meetings with officials and diplomatic representatives from countries being represented in the setting of the conference.

Closing Ceremony: closing session of the conference with the participation of experts and diplomats where awards will be given to students who have performed with distinction during the work sessions.

Mission

MUN•ROME is for those who wish to better understand the international significance of the problems they deal with daily in their studies, and who wish to strengthen their ability to operate in the field of competitive negotiation and elevate their awareness of internationalization.

The project is structured to achieve the following goals:

Contextualization of multilateral diplomatic issues: by means of the specifically-created training course, the participants will be able to understand how players operating within the international community define the most urgent and relevant issues that require joint action.

Comprehension of the negotiating and interactional dynamics: by means of a preliminary analysis and the simulation of international diplomatic negotiations, participants will acquire the notions and expertise which lie at the basis of the work of all negotiators.

Strengthening of relational and expressive abilities: participants will have to give formal speeches, negotiate and, in more general terms, interact in English using formulas and terminology appropriate to the context.

Orientation relating to careers and international opportunities: the simulation of UN committees and specialized agencies helps all participants understand the real interest they may have in a career in public or private international institutions.

‘MUN was a great experience, there was a lot of preparation, but in the end it was worth it’ I have met so many people and enjoyed Rome. It has been a fulfilling experience, especially as I was the youngest of the group!’

Jayendra Mardemootoo, Year 8