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Model United Nations
Model United Nations is an authentic simulation of the
General Assembly of the United Na
tions
and its Committees, which transports students into the world of diplomacy
and negotiation. During this simulation the students take on the roles
of the ambassadors from the countries, which are members of the UN,
from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, in order to debate the issues which are
on the agenda. The students or "delegates", prepare speeches,
take part in debates, and plan strategies for negotiating with their
allies and their adversaries, in order to resolve conflicts, all the
time adhering to the code for parliamentary procedure laid down by the
UN.
This simulation usually takes the shape of a conference lasting several
days. Every year worldwide, 250 000 students take part in more than
400 conferences in 35 countries; the main ones, sponsored by the UN
itself, take place in the UN Buildings in New York, Geneva, Vienna and
Paris. Conferences can have as few as 30 students or as many as 2 000.
The biggest European conference takes place in The Hague. As a rule,
the language spoken at the conferences is English.
Anyone can participate in Model U.N., so long as they have the ambition
to learn something new, and to work with people to try and make a difference
in the world. Participation promotes student and teacher interest in
international relations a
nd
related subjects, increases the capacity for students to engage in problem
solving, teaches aspects of conflict resolution, research skills, and
communication skills, and creates the opportunity to meet new people
and make new friends. Educational benefits include the development of
skills useful throughout their lives, such as research, writing, public
speaking, problem solving, consensus building, conflict resolution,
compromise and cooperation.
The two conferences we went to in 2006 were in Kalmar, Sweden and in
Berlin. The first one was smaller and provided plenty of opportunities
for taking an active role in debates, and we were very pleased with
Philip being awarded the Best Speaker Award. The second one was larger
and as you may expect very efficiently organized, with a high level
of debating and lobbying skills.
Photos from the 2006 visit to a Zambian Orphanage. Click here to read more
