The Basics of Model UN
An overview of the United Nations, MUN Customs,
Position Papers, Research, and Parliamentary
Procedure
The United Nations

Founded in 1945 following the San
Francisco Conference
◦ Purpose of UN is “to maintain international
peace and security” (U.N. Charter preamble)
◦ 50 members states in 1945 and today 193
member states
◦ Not a “World Government” by any means,
national sovereignty is enshrined in the UN
Charter Article 2 Clauses 7 and 1
Organization of the United Nations

General Assembly
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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Disarmament and International Security
Economic and Finance (ECOFIN)
Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian (SOCHUM)
Special Political and Humanitarian (SPECPOL)
Administrative and Budgetary
Legal
Security Council
ECOSOC
Secretariat
International Court of Justice
Trusteeship Council
Five Work Areas of the U.N.
Disarmament and International Security
 Development
 Rights (Human rights, self determination,
etc)
 Humanitarian Aid
 International Law

“Western Business Attire”

Ten Rules on Dressing for MUN (Men)
1. Thou shalt have a well fitted suit (either dark navy or grey,
NO BLACK) that is pressed, dry cleaned, and ready to go.
2. Thy suit shalt have a notch lapel, peak lapels died out with bell
bottoms.
3. Thy dress shirt (dress shirt, not oxford) should be tucked into
thy pants and creaseless.
4. Thy tie should be properly knotted (either windsor or half
windsor) and end right above the belt buckle.
5. Thy tie should ALWAYS be darker than thy shirt (wear a
white dress shirt if you can’t tell).
6. Thy tie should be of a conservative nature, NO NOVELTY
TIES.
7. Thou shalt wear dress shoes of the same color leather as thy
belt.
8. Thy shoes should be always kept in good condition, a shoe
shining kit goes a long way.
9. Thou shalt NEVER wear white socks, ALWAYS wear dress
socks.
RULE NUMBER TEN
THOU SHALT NEVER
MATCH WITH THE
SECRETARY
GENERAL
“Western Business Attire” Cont.
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Guidelines for Women
1. Don’t over accessorize.
2. Dress conservatively (would Michelle
Obama wear it?).
3. If you’re going to wear those heels, make
sure you can wear them for 8 hours.
Committee Etiquette

You’re a diplomat, act like one.
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Be polite
Shake hands
Smile
Try to be as approachable as possible!
DO NOT SUCK UP TO THE CHAIR
Be as diplomatic as possible!
◦ Be ready to compromise
◦ Be the leaders of consensus
◦ Attack policies and ideas, not people
Position Paper

What is a position paper?
◦ A paper detailing the country’s position on a
topic.

Why write one?
◦ Usually required to win an award and sometimes
a separate award for best paper.

Elements to a good position paper…
◦ Topic Background (25%)
◦ Past International Action (especially your
country) (25%)
◦ Country Policy and Possible Solutions (50%)
Research
1.
◦
2.
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3.
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4.
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Topic Background
Google, Wikipedia, UN Website, news websites,
academic papers, think tanks, etc.
Past Actions
Resolutions, treaties/conventions, UN/NGO
programs, UN Charter, declarations, etc.
Country Background/Policy
FM/UN Mission website, government website,
national programs, speeches/statements/press
releases, voting record, CIA World Factbook, etc.
Possible Solutions
Education is not the only solution, expand an
existing program, thing tanks, blog websites, etc.
Parliamentary Procedure

What is it?
◦ A set of rules which govern how the committee
session is run.
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Where can you find them?
◦ Each conference has their own set of parliamentary
procedure, check its delegate guide.
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Should I go home and memorize them tonight?
◦ NO, parliamentary procedure is something that can
learned very quickly and is better to be learned
through experience

Can I use it for my advantage in committee?
◦ Yes, we’ll talk about that later.
Flow of Debate and Related
Parliamentary Procedure
Beginning
(Introductions)
Middle
(Debate)
End
(Voting)
• Motion to Open Session
• Motion to Open Speakers List
• Motion for a Moderated Caucus (will ask for length, speakers time,
and reason)
• Motion for an Unmoderated Caucus
• Motion to Adjourn Meeting (Lunch Break)
• Motion to Close Debate (move into voting procedure)