WHAT IS MUN ALL ABOUT?

The MUN is an authentic simulation of the United Nations: every participant or ‘delegate’ represents a member state of the United Nations in one of the committees of the UN system. At SAIMUN there are committees dealing with issues such as health, politics, disarmament and the environment. Delegates representing the same state together form a ‘delegation’. In their individual committees, delegates engage in debate on a wide range of topics, relating to issues as diverse as international peace and security, economic cooperation and development, human rights or the protection of the environment.

At all conferences students come together and share their interest for international affairs, the art of diplomacy, and the principles of the United Nations. Representing countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, they gather to discuss some of the most pressing and intriguing problems that confront the world today.  Together, they engage in lively debate, searching for solutions to the complex conundrums of contemporary international politics; and in doing so, perfect their skills of diplomacy, debate and public  speaking.

The ultimate objective of every delegate is to produce, lobby, support for, debate and ultimately have passed a resolution on one of the topic areas within their committee. A resolution is the proposed solution to a problem and forms the main focus of the debate. The delegates aim is to represent the views of their country on the issue while at the same time making it as acceptable as possible to as many member states as possible. Those resolutions passed in committees are then further discussed in the General Assembly on the final day of the conference.