Model UN, as any sport or activity, requires practice and talent. But don't stress if this would be your 1st conference! In preparation for an awesome experience at the conferences this year, the HSMUN team has put up a guidebook for you. Many of our delegates are new to Model UN, and this webpage and the background information are all here to assist you get started by laying the groundwork. Since you will have access to your committee directors, who will be coached to respond to queries you may have, please do not hesitate to contact any of the committee directors, other staff or Secretariat members about any queries concerning the procedure, your topic area, or even about themselves. Their email addresses are provided under their respective committees in the, 'Committees', page of this website.
Preparation
General Preparation
Delegates should also read through the provided guide of MUN language and regulations that will be sent via email once registered. Our training resources assist both veteran and first-time delegates in learning about the UN's goals, accomplishments, limitations, and powers, as well as the international systems that surround them. Thorough preparation is required to ensure that the conference is a wonderful educational experience. Pre-conference research enhances the committee experience by allowing delegates to immerse themselves in their responsibilities as high-ranking diplomats.
Topic Preparation
For starters, learn about and comprehend your committee's topic. The background materials will provide thorough information on the topic to be discussed. In fact, the background guide should be your first destination for committee material because the committee's Director has collated, arranged, and provided all information that he or she anticipates the committee to address in this document. All of our background guides offer a bibliography to help you do more research.
Country Preparation
Delegates should study as much as they can about the country they will be going to represent, both in general and in regard to the committee topic. While our background materials provide an examination of bloc viewpoints on the topic, delegates should also attempt to learn the specific positions of their respective nations - basically acting as a diplomat representing their country!
Position Papers
Prior to the session, delegates will be requested to submit position papers on respective issue areas. The broad guidelines for HSMUN position papers will be presented in the background guides for respective committees.
All delegates are expected to submit a 1-2 page position paper outlining how your assigned country views the problems at hand. Consider the historical context that your assigned country or position brings, and what it might indicate for what you (as a representative of that country or position) would strive to achieve in committee.
Your position paper should be emailed to your respective committee directors as [Name of delegate, Country representing, school]. Please submit as a .pdf file.
Committee Dynamics
Debate
Over the two days of the conference, each committee holds four sessions totaling twelve hours. The purpose of committee meetings is to keep the delegates active and on their feet. A committee director coordinates the technical parts of the committee and also functions as a moderator to lead debate according to established rules of parliamentary procedure. The first committee session is usually spent by the delegates determining the agenda by deciding which topic area to cover initially. Delegates then engage in a mix of formal discussion and caucuses in order to craft a resolution that tackles issues related to the chosen topic area. Formal debate allows delegates to address the entire committee in order to clarify their opinions.
Rules are relaxed during the unmoderated caucuses to allow for casual and informal debate: delegates have the opportunity to share their thoughts with some of the other delegates, allowing ideas to develop outside of the confines of parliamentary procedure. Delegates are challenged during the debate to find a resolution within the committee while effectively portraying their country's views.
Committee Agenda and Background Guides
Every HSMUN committee director devotes much effort to research and producing a thorough and detailed background guide. Background guides, which include a full bibliography of additional sources, are an excellent place to start when delegating research. Additional, self-directed study, on the other hand, is the basis of the delegate engagement. Delegates are advised and expected to perform further research in order to maximize their involvement in and pleasure of the committee. Delegates will be able to get background guides for their respective committees in the , 'Background guides', page of this website, under 'Preparation'. When your school is assigned a country, you will also be given a guide of MUN language, and other resources which will help you get the most out of this conference if followed correctly.
Working Papers and Resolutions
Working papers are used to gather and distribute delegate ideas. Working papers contain concepts that are discussed and finally shaped into formal texts written in the style of actual UN resolutions. Proposals are debated, revised, and voted on by the committee after a formal announcement in committee. Resolutions that have been passed reflect hours of deliberation, discussion, and compromise.
While it is wonderful to see the committee's hard work culminate in a conclusion, we strongly stress on the process of negotiation rather than the decision itself. A committee does not have to pass a resolution to be considered successful. However only one resolution on a specific issue of area can be passed in order to maximize the opportunity for cooperation and compromise amongst delegates.