A Model United Nations (or MUN) conference is a simulation of one or several committees within the plethora of United Nations bodies and agencies, that represent a particular Member State, International Organisation or NGO, and debate a pressing contemporary topic with the goal of producing a final policy document. The vast amount of issues that the United Nations cover allow for a wide array of debate topics, that can fit many tastes and fields of study. From the World Health Organisation (WHO) to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), from the General Assembly's Legal Committee (GA 6^thLEGAL) to the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), and from the Security Council (SC) to UN Women, the United Nations have a lot to offer to university-level students from all backgrounds, all cultures, and all interests.

The Aim

The purpose of a Model United Nations conference is to pass a final document containing key policy recommendations to serve as an example of good practice for United Nations Member States. These documents must be efficient, effective, holistic in their approach to each issue, comprehensive of different cultures and points of vue, and realistic enough to be implementable.

In our Model United Nations simulation, we strive to achieve the highest degree of realism, in order to make this conference a real pedagogical and practical experience of international diplomacy. For this to happen, we recruit for many diverse positions, all stakeholders with their particular importance and interests.

The Delegates

The delegates are the core of any Model United Nations conference. These are the envoys of each country, International Organisation or NGO to a particular committee. They are there to defend their interests, and promote the ideas that would be most beneficial for themselves - all in a spirit of mutual respect and diplomacy. Delegates have the difficult role of juggling between their personal convictions, their home State's needs and restrictions, and their heavy task of convincing other States of the pertinence of their position.

A good delegate will have to have a solid preparation on the topics of his committee, a developed sense of diplomacy and consensus, and visionary analytical skills, in order to assess the complexity of international relations and the innumerable ramifications that each of her/his decisions may have. Delegates perform the most work during the week, debating, writing legal documents,  amending them and voting on them.

Journalists

The press is omnipresent in modern society, especially regarding decisions taken on such a large scale. Not simulating them would mean not to simulate the pressure they put on representatives, the appeal to the “general public” and it would thus strip the International Community of a key stakeholder. The press corps puts forth non-diplomatic criticism and their own enlightened opinions. By their wide diffusion of information, the journalists of the conference newspaper make and break resolutions, submit new and innovative ideas, bypass the Member States' gag rule on their envoys and bring a whole new dimension to a Model United Nations simulation.

Ambassadors and Bloc Representatives

A State representative is never free in making his/her own choices. Aside from the pressure by other delegates and by the press, she/he also has to deal with pressure from his/her ambassador or bloc representative. These are highly experienced diplomats that have for purpose coordinating policies between committees, in order for each decision made to be coherent with other decisions within a same negotiating bloc and amongst representatives from a same country.

They function as coaches, to make sure that nobody is far off her/his State's policy, and greatly contributes to the realism of the conference.

Chairpersons and Liaison Officers

Chairpersons and Liaison Officers are the representatives of the Secretariat in each committee. Highly experienced and highly trained participants are there in order to moderate the sessions, give substantive and procedural advice on the proceedings, report to the Secretaries General on the advancement of their committees, and in general have a supervisory role to help debate move in the right direction. They have the tough position of having to juggle between their authority in giving out recommendations, and the fact that they are still at the full disposal of the representatives.

Translators and Interpreters

The United Nations is in its essence multicultural. This implies a strong diversity in terms of norms and practices, but also simply in terms of spoken language. In GIMUN we try to grasp a portion of that diversity by proposing for all official documents, and formal speeches, translation and interpretation in English and French. Being students, just like all the other participants, translators and interpretors have in MUNs a unique chance to find concrete and professional experience in the field of their future careers. This professionalism transpires in their job performance throughout the conference, giving a unique atmosphere of authenticity to the conference.

Proceedings

The realism fostered through Model United Nations conferences can not only be found in the content of the debates, the positions covered and the interpretation, but also in the manner in which sessions are conducted. The complex Rules of Procedure of the United Nations' bodies and specialised agencies are just barely simplified in order to offer participants a day in the life of a worker immersed within the vast United Nations system.

Conclusion

No words can describe the event that is a well-organised Model United Nations conference. It is not only a professional and professionalising experience, but also the perfect applied complement of academic education. It is a concentration of some of the most motivated, dedicated and educated minds of a generation. It is an eye-opening opportunity to meet young minds from around the world, acquire a universal network of contacts, share culture and ideas, socialise and have fun while putting on paper an innovative framework that will forge the International Community of tomorrow.

To conclude, the only way to fully understand what a MUN really is, to grasp the sublime life experience that lies behind this unpleasant acronym,  is to step up and take part in one.