UN at a glance

MUN Guide General Assembly
- Introduction
  - Overview of this Guide
  - How Decisions are Made at the UN
- UN at a glance
  - How a State Becomes a UN Member
  - UN Emblem and Flag
  - UN Charter
  - UN Structure
  - The 4 pillars of the United Nations
  - UN Family of Organizations
  - History of the United Nations
- Getting Ready
  - Decisions Before a Conference
    - Agenda, Workplan, Documents and Rules of Procedure
    - Choosing Leadership Roles
      - Leadership Positions in the GA
      - Leadership Positions in the Secretariat
      - Leadership Positions in the Security Council
      - Selecting Candidates for Leadership Positions
    - Oversight of the Conference - Things to Consider
    - Roles and Responsibilities of Elected Officials
  - Delegate Preparation
- Step-by-Step Outline for Organizing a MUN
  - Pre-Conference
  - During the Conference
- Formal and Informal Meetings
  - Formal Proceedings
    - Action Phase: Making Decisions
    - Adoption of Agenda and Work Programme
    - Discussion Phase -- General Debate
    - Opening and Closing of Plenary
    - Plenary vs. Committee Meetings
    - Differences Between GA Rules and some Model UN Rules of Procedure
  - Informal Processes
    - Significance of Groups
    - The Purpose of Consultations
- Skills
  - Chairing a Conference
    - General Considerations and Denationalization
    - Procedural Roles of the Chairman: A Step-by-Step
    - Substantive Role of the Chair
    - The Chair's Activities in Guiding the Work of a Committee
  - Drafting Resolutions
  - Negotiation
    - Competitive Bargaining vs. Cooperative problem solving
    - Characteristics of Winning Proposals
    - Fundamentals of Negotiation
    - Making Consultations Happen
    - The Process of Negotiation
    - Groups of Member States
  - Speaking at a Conference
    - Changing Audience and Cultural Sensitivity
    - Engaging the Audience
    - Forms of Address
    - Preparation, Purpose and Structure
  - Resources
    - General Information about the United Nations
    - United Nations General Assembly
    - United Nations Security Council
    - United Nations Documents
    - Other Online Resources

CHATPTER 2

THE UN AT A GLANCE

When the UN was first founded, it consisted of 51 members. In 2020, it consists of 193 members. The newest member, the Republic of South Sudan, joined the organization in July 2011.

The 195 flags that fly outside the UN Headquarters in New York are arranged in English alphabetical order. They represent the 193 Member States as well as two Observer States (the Holy See and the State of Palestine).

The term “United Nations” was coined by U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1941. The term was first officially used on 1 January 1942.

* The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (the Eastern Bloc), and the United States with its Western allies which ended with the collapse of the USSR in December 1991.

CHATPTER 2

THE UN AT A GLANCE

Model United Nations

Updates from the UN

Research Resources

Youth Opportunities