INTRODUCTION
Building essential MUN skills such as public speaking, research, and negotiation can impact your leadership capacity. The United Nations recently introduced the programme UN4MUN with the intention for MUN to simulate the real UN functions.
Participation in the Model United Nations (MUN) programs fosters critical thinking and collaboration, essential for effective leadership. You can gain valuable experience that will equip you to contribute to a more peaceful world. Take, for example, Ronald:
Ronald is a 13-year-old orphan who becomes a diplomat through MUN essential skills. He dropped out of high school because he could not afford the fees anymore. Please read this article to see how he builds his leadership capacity.
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What Is MUN?
MUN stands for Model United Nations. It is a program designed to simulate the real United Nations and its functions. The participants are mostly students who can be called delegates, chairs, and the press.
The Model UN can hold its conferences in schools, online, or in NGO forums. The chair assigns duties to MUN members. The chairs can assign the delegates to a country other than their home country.
The delegates must simulate the political status of the country they represent. They can be the Human Rights Committee, the UN Secretary Council, or the Secretary-General or hold any position of interest.
The MUN conference debates mainly focus on two topics that the delegates must know before the conference date. The two issues include the committee topics and your proposed solution. The committee topics revolve around the policy of the country you represent.
Members of the press form part of the Model United Nations committee called Globe. They ensure that the delegates’ debate progresses, interview delegates, and write news articles and updates about the debate.
What Is Capacity Building?
Capacity building empowers an individual or an organization with the essential skills they need to reach their desired goals. Individuals and organizations can build their capacity through:
- Education: Education is an enlightening system that equips individuals or organizations with the skills they might need for a substantial living. You can obtain education from any of the following– school, home, and online programs,
- Delegation: Delegation is another essential way to build one’s capacity. Good delegators can train and pick the best people for the right jobs. MUN delegates participants to oversee the welfare of the country they represent.
- Collaboration: Building your capacity is easier with collaboration. Here, you get to know other people’s experiences and work with them to improve yourself. You share essential ideas and skills with the motive to build yourself for the contemporary world.
- Innovation: There is no capacity building without innovation. Organizations continuously develop their employees by training them with the best skills required to actualize the intended strategy. This is precisely what MUN does.
- Cooperation: Creating time for conferences such as the MUN workshops and seminars will go a very long way toward promoting and facilitating your capacity building. Do you remember Ronald?
He wants to be a great person. A diplomat. But unfortunately, his parents could not entirely sponsor him through high school before they lost their lives in a car accident.
Ronald is not easily deterred, so he is now online searching for ways to hone his leadership skills.
Then he comes across this post. The same post you’re reading right now.
Please continue reading to know what becomes of him.
THE 7 ESSENTIAL MUN SKILLS FOR CAPACITY BUILDING
Model United Nations (MUN) conferences allow people, especially students, to build their capacity. MUN offers its capacity-building skills using these seven strategies.
1) Research:
- Model UN assigns two topics to its delegates. As a delegate, first of all, you’re to represent a member state of the United Nations and assume the position of a delegate of that government.
- In this case, you have the responsibility to represent that state actively. You are genuinely interested in the state’s international affairs. Regardless of your opinions, you must monitor any matters arising from the state.
- To achieve this, research is your only guide. You must be well abreast of the events of your state. You can research as an individual or decide to work as a team.
- No matter the research method you use, the goal is to familiarize yourself with your assigned country’s geopolitical location, history, social and economic factors, and essential allies.
- You will be assigned to a committee. The committee’s law is that you must take two global topics and do thorough research on them to prepare strong documentation in advance.
- As a delegate, you are expected to write and prepare your position papers, which you will use to present your country’s positions to the other parties within the committee.
At the conference, you must pass a resolution paper with the questions and answers that the committee’s topics feature. The other countries should find these questions and answers acceptable.
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2) Public speaking:
- Model UN conferences are great for students to build their public speaking skills. During the meeting, delegates are to publicly represent their chosen country and address their audience.
- The delegates discuss various issues about the country they represent. This entails delivering speeches, debating, and negotiating with other delegates. Involving in these activities builds the student’s public speaking capacity.
3) Diplomacy:
MUN conferences expect delegates to participate in diplomacy by involving middle school, high school, and college students in capacity-building to simulate real-world positions established by historic diplomats. This helps build alliances.
4) Teamwork:
- Teamwork is an essential skill in MUN conferences. Delegates of each committee brainstorm and collaborate to research their assigned country’s position on the topic. They also team up to share ideas and improve their debates.
5) Critical thinking:
- Critical thinking helps you know whether the information is credible or not. This is to prevent any indifference which may poke. You must understand that critical thinking is what MUN uses to deal with multifaceted global challenges.
- Delegates should be able to develop persuasive debates to advocate for the position of the country they represent. Critical thinking is what you need to build logical evidence supported by proofs and facts to counter other arguments.
- MUN simulations encourage drafting resolutions to address global issues. Imbibing critical thinking will enable you to analyze the strengths and shortcomings of the country assigned to you to curb future consequences.
- Debate allows you to present your side of an argument strategically. In debate, you are expected to prove your points with logical and relevant evidence to win the fair judgment of your audience.
- Whether you support or oppose a given opinion, the debate makes the MUN simulation real. It allows for a lively atmosphere, giving delegates room to express themselves and actively engage with complex issues, as there are in real diplomats.
- MUN builds and develops its participants with the essential skills it offers and uses them to solve its global problems. Through debate, for example, delegates can propose solutions and see how they match their teammates’ solutions.
7. Leadership:
- Go for leadership positions in MUN conferences. You can run for Secretary General, Treasurer, Secretary, or Committee Chair for a conference. These positions will bring your leadership capacity into the limelight.
- Your confidence will soar as you keep taking on leadership roles in conferences. Model UN is a sure way to build these leadership and confidence skills.
How Non-students Participate in MUN
MUN conferences take place primarily in schools from the primary to the university level. However, you can participate in Model UN even if you are not a student. You will not be identified as a club/team in this case.
MUN will register you as an individual delegate. However, you must strictly adhere to your conference’s specific rules of conduct. For example:
- If you are no longer a student, look for a school where MUN operates to identify with. You can sign up for MUN alone. It would be best if you mentioned the name of the school you once belonged to.
Also, feel free to contact your Secretary General about it.
Signing up for MUN as an individual allows your committee of choice to have only one delegate representing a single country.
- You can also sign up for MUN even if you’ve never been a student. In this case, you’ll need to find a school to identify with. MUN requires you to provide a school or teacher before signing up.
Ronald does not miss opportunities. After reading this post, he starts building his diplomatic capacity with the collective effort of the MUN skills, such as research, public speaking, teamwork, debate, and ultimately, his leadership capacity.
Frequently Asked Questions
- At what age can I join MUN?
MUN requires that applicants, whether individuals or teams, be at least 14 years old to be qualified. Anyone above 40 will not be considered qualified.
- What countries of the world allow MUN?
Most countries allow Model United Nations in their schools. Check if your country is among these second-world nations.
- Czechoslovakia
- Hungary
- India
- Mongolia
- North Korea
- Poland
- Romania
- The Soviet Union
- The German Democratic Republic.
They will likely sign you up quickly without choking you with many questions. You can also join them virtually.
- How much is MUN registration?
While some schools may charge $60 to sign up for MUN, others may charge $300, depending on the school and its faculty. You must know that your fee covers the cost of your participation, as well as your meals and accommodations.
- How do I sign up for MUN online?
To register for MUN, go online and search for a MUN application. As an applicant, the team director or your director will interview you. Expect a notification on the email you filled in your application to continue the reg.
- Can I add a MUN certificate to my resume?
Yes, of course. Model United Nations offers a prestigious, value-packed certificate that allows you to upgrade your CV with your essential MUN skills. Showcase these skills in your Curriculum vitae.
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