The life of a Muner

What do Muners do ?

They discuss real life topics

They deliver speeches

They wear smart suits

They vote on resolutions

They make exciting encounters

They have relaxing coffee breaks

They dine together and share their minds

They travel, discover new places

They collaborate and compromise

Being a MUNer

An insider's look

They suggest and write amendments

More on MUN

They stand for a country

They stand for a country

No matter if you are impressing people with your amazing opening speech, writing an incredible resolution that will solve world crisis, making amendments or even voting, when you're a delegate you have to keep in mind at all time that you're representing a country, its political regime but also its people, alliances, economical interests, international agenda, culture and beliefs... That means that you also get to act out a bit, in that you are like the country's ambassador. For instance if you're the US you may give big self-important talks. And if you are the Vanuatus you get to be overdramatic about your survival ! (my favorite part )

Congrats now you're officially a delegate !

They travel & discover new places

We went to to Budapest !

What is really cool about MUNs is that they happen all over the world ! That means that if you're lucky you might attend a conference abroad !!!!Of course it's part of the fun and you really tighten bonds with your delegation mates. Honestly I made some of my greatest memories this year travelling to Budapest :D !

Your goal is to find a deal that suits everyone

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For that there is the lobbying time

MUN conferences mimick what truly happens in the United Nations. Imagine that you were there representing a nation and trying to convince 193 sovereign states to adopt certain measures. That sounds impossible, right!Well that's why convincing but also listening and compromising are key skills to work on for Muners. By allowing every country to express their views, MUN conferences help us become more tolerant and understanding. And that's when we manage to find suitable deals!

A useful procedure Each time the agenda is set on a new topic, the Chair opens the debate with about 1h30 of 'lobbying' : the delegates can stand up and exchange with one another other freely to get an idea of everyone's position and create coalitions. Once main blocks have emerged, they start writing a draft resolution which everyone in the coalition could stand for and that could also be accepted or at least amended by the other coalitions. This is the most crucial moment of the day. It is the occasion to practice your leader skills, to accomplish a group task in a limited time and, maybe, to see your country written as main submitter on the resolution if it passes. At the beginning, lobbying time was a bit confusing for us. Yet, this freedom happened to be interesting and the opportunity to really get into the role of our country. The advantage of discussing the draft resolutions in lobbying time is that it shortens the time for debate so that a resolution can be voted on in one day, which is useful for highschool's MUN. On the other hand, it provode less time to exchange about the differents visions of the concept.

They deliver speeches

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Delivering speeches as a Model United Nations delegate requires efficient, well-researched, and persuasive communication. Effective speeches should address the topic at hand, offer solutions, and be supported by relevant facts and evidence. Good eye contact and confident body language are also essential for engaging the audience.

Delivering speeches as a Model United Nations (MUN) delegate is a crucial aspect of the MUN experience. As a delegate, you are expected to deliver speeches that are well-informed, "to-the-point", and persuasive, while also being respectful of other delegates and their opinions. It is essential to speak clearly and sound confidence, maintaining eye contact and using some body language to effectively engage your audience. With proper preparation and practice, delivering speeches as an MUN delegate can be an exciting opportunity to showcase your knowledge and skills in diplomacy and public speaking.

(That's also my favourite part)

Aaaaah I so much like getting stuff to eat at all times of day !One of the major pros of attending a MUN is definitely the food. You get to eat nice little snacks in betweeen sessions and there are options for every one : salty, sweet, chocolaty, vegan, gluten-free, allergy-free, ...Breaks are also a terrific opportunity to have a relaxed chat with the members of your committee and to try and approach that cute delegate you've cast glances at :)

(For this one, we forgot to take picks from the actual coffee break so you'll have to use that wonderful creative mind of yours to recreate that litteral food heaven)

Coffee Breaks

They discuss real life topics

When you attend a MUN, you are assigned one special committee of the United Nation and current topics derived from the real UN agenda. As a result, during the time of the MUN, you’ll be debating two or three different issues relating to your committee’s domain. To give you an example, in the Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), the delegates discussed the danger of space debris, and impact of suborbital flights on space law while the committee UN women was thrashing out the issues of abortion rights and marital rape. The subjects chosen for each MUN are all truly relevant and enable the participants to be more aware of our world’s most acute problems!

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For the curious ones ! If you are interested in the kind of topics debated in the KarMUN, here is the link to their web site with all the committees and the issue descriptions they made ! Here is the link : KarMUN Note : Click on "committees", then select the "Committees of the English speaking Conference", then choose one of the committees proposed and you'll find the issues at the bottom of the page !

They suggest and write amendments

Amendments

Amendments are modifications to one specific clause and can only be suggested by one delegate.

Writing an amendment

A delegate wishing to submit an amendment must first get an amendment sheet. He /she must make sure to phrase it very clearly, respecting the formal language of the UN

Suggesting an amendment

After writing his/her amendment, the delegate must submit it to the chair, who will then add it to the motions on the floor. Once the turn of said delegates amendment has come, he/she will then make a speech defending the amendment. All the other delegates present are allowed to have a say of their own in favor or against the amendment. After all speeches are finished, all delegates vote on the amendment.

They vote on resolutions

Now we're talking

Ok now is the time when things get interesting....Voting is very important in the UN as it garantees that all resolutions are passed in a democratic manner. Before voting on resolutions you want to convince and persuade as many delegates as possible to follow your views. To achieve that you can deliver a speech against (to absolutely tear apart the arguments of those supporting this awful resolution!) or in favour (your last chance to persuade hesitant delegates to vote for this magnificent resolution!)

They make exciting encounters

Plus it's often a surprise which makes it even more exciting !

No waaaaaay I can't believe we got to meet the former vice-president of (the real) COPUOS (Comittee On the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space)! That's the man with the white beard who was invited in our committee to give an eye-opening talk about rockets and help us get the issues at hand.We also got to meet delegates from litteraly all over the world (like from Jerusalem or Casablanca or Sofia)

They wear smart suits

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A muner on an official trip wears nice suits. It’s part of the job! You put on your best clothes and you set out to conquer the MUN conference.

These photos are from the trip to Budapest in March 2023

They dine together and share their minds

And get to try savory local dishes

A Model United Nations conference is cool, but it's strenuous. So after it, all you want to do is debriefing about it with your comrades while trying the local food from the city/country your conference is in. It's one of the most important times of the day.