Overview of this Guide

OVERVIEW OF THIS GUIDE

Who this Guide is for

The Guide is written principally for student leaders and Model UN advisors who organize Model UN conferences. The Guide’s aim is to provide information about the UN structure, as well as its decision-making procedures and processes, so that leaders and advisors will be able to organize accurate simulations of UN meetings. At the same time, much of the material in the appendices (e.g., The Essential UN, UN Structure) is useful for students looking to learn more about Model UN conferences and the UN.

How this Guide is Different from Other Model UN Guides

Model UN was established around the same time the UN was created, some say even before. Yet Model UN was not initially monitored by the UN. The first time that a Model UN conference was co-sponsored by the UN was in August 2000 at UN Headquarters in New York. The UN later organized three GMUN conferences in 2009 – 2011. These three conferences led to new Rules of Procedure and a new approach for conducting Model UN conferences. This Guide builds on the three conferences’ pioneering approach.

This Guide introduces a leadership structure and responsibilities that more accurately mirror the relationship between the GA and the UN Secretariat. As a result, student leaders play a more substantive role in conferences than they do in some Model UN conferences.

Second, it uses Rules of Procedure that are much closer to those used at the UN. While there is some variety in the Rules of Procedure used by Model UN programmes, they are largely based on Rules of Procedure that are different than those used at the UN. The General Assembly Rules of Procedure do not have many of the points and motions used during many Model UN conferences, such as Points of Information, Points of Personal Privilege, or Points of Inquiry. In some instances, procedures violate the sovereign rights of Member States, and are therefore not appropriate for General Assembly (GA) or Security Council (SC) conferences.

Third, most decisions adopted by the GA and the SC are made by consensus—that is, without taking a vote. The leadership structure and Rules of Procedure should support a working environment that encourages delegates to build consensus. This Guide introduces new ideas of how Model UN conferences can encourage building consensus.

How to Use this Guide

The Guide is comprised of three main, interrelated sections: structure, procedures, and processes.

The section on structure focuses on two main UN organs: the General Assembly and the Security Council. The information is designed to help organizers of Model UN programmes decide on the appropriate leadership structure.

The section on procedures focuses on how to adapt the Rules of Procedures used in actual GA meetings to a Model UN conference, where the timeframes for making decisions are much shorter. It also highlights the differences between the rules used in most Model UN programmes and those used at the UN.

The section on processes focuses on a wide range of topics, including:

1. the importance of building consensus,
2. how to chair a Committee meeting,
3. how to write and table resolutions and amendments,
4. how to write scripts for the President of the GA (PGA) and Committee Chairs, and
5. the art of negotiation.

The content aims to give an overview of the skills needed to run an engaging and successful conference.