The document provides information about the United Nations and Model UN conferences. It explains that the UN was established after WWII to maintain international peace and security. It describes the six major bodies of the UN, including the Security Council, General Assembly, and International Court of Justice. It then explains that Model UN is a simulation where students represent countries and debate topics in UN committees, working to pass resolutions and solve global problems. It provides examples of committee topics and describes the role of researching your country position and engaging in diplomacy.

1. United Nations Washington State
Model United Nations
Model United Nations
Change the World
Legati Mundi – Global Ambassadors

2. What Is the United Nations?
 UN established at end of WWII October 24, 1945 to:
 Maintain international peace and security
 Develop friendly relations among nations
 Cooperate in solving international problems
 Have a center for harmonizing the action of nations

3. 6 Major ‘Bodies’ of the UN
 Security Council – peace & security
 General Assembly – parliament of the world – oversees
 Secretariat – Secretary-General & staff
 ECOSOC- economic, social, humanitarian, cultural
 Trusteeship Council – inactive, regions without govs
 International Court of Justice –international disputes

4. What is the Model UN?
• Realistic Simulation
• You are a UN Ambassador
• Debate Topics in Committee
• Cooperate to Pass Resolutions
• Public speaking, leadership,
world problem solving, cooperation
• MUN students become leaders
in politics, law, policy and IR,
business, and medicine

5. What’s It Look Like?

6. Strategy & Diplomacy

7. Increase Peace and Lessen Human Suffering

8. What You’ll Do
1. Assigned a Country.
2. Choose Committee.
3. Read Background booklet.
4. Research country (we can help)
5. Prepare 2 short (1-2 page ) position paper on your
committee topics (we can help)
5. At the meeting: find allies, promote resolutions your
country would support
6. Vote and Solve Global Problems!

9. WASMUN Committee
DISC, WIPO, SC, EU, OAS
 1st- Disarmament Committee – Non-Proliferation treaty and
Banning of fissile materials
 World Intellectual Property Org – Protection of global
intellectual property and Patent protection and HIV/AIDS
drugs in developing countries
 Security Council – Arab Spring and Central Africa
 European Union – European Financial Crisis and European Gas
and Oil lines
 Organization of American States – Rights of Migrant Workers,
Sustainable Energy

10. UN High Commission of Human Rights
 Comments on, debates, and proposes resolutions for
human rights – can operate in all committees
 Current UNHCHR Pillay is from South Africa, judge on
the SA High Court, Harvard Law educated –
 Priorities – discrimination, rule of law, poverty and
famine, migration, armed conflict
 Set standards, monitor, implement

11. Problem Finding
• Your Country’s Priority
• Threats to Peace, Economic Success
• Humanitarian Crisis?

12. What Can the UN Do?
 $$: Allocate money, create funds, programs
 Unite: Ask for Collective action, Censure / Condemn
 Sanctions:
Diplomatic Sanctions – isolate or remove ties
Economic Sanctions – ban trade excepting medicine
or food
Military Sanctions - military forces – peacekeepers
Symbolic Sanctions - sports events etc

13. Unproductive UN Dialogue

14. ‘Dumb Sanctions’
 All-or-None Embargoes
 US-Cuba trade embargo causes innocent people to
suffer – denied food, medicine, visits with family
members
 North Korean embargo – North Koreans suffer from
poverty and hunger

15. ‘Smart’ Sanctions
 Out-of-the-box Solutions to World Problems
 Regulating the Sources of Misery
Example – regulating diamond trade
that financed guns for African wars
 Other examples: arms embargoes,
freeze financial assets, travel bans

16. Model UN Position Paper
 Restate the Committee Problem (e.g. nuclear proliferation)
 Your country’s position on the topic
 Past UN action on the topic
 Proposed ways to solve problem
We can discuss in club and share possible solutions.

17. What We’ll Do in Our Club
 Share research re: facts of our country
 Write Position papers for your committee
 Practice 2-3 min position speech
 Practice impromptu speaking and debate – pros & cons
 Brainstorm scenarios involving our country or the world
 Practice staying ‘in character’ with the country

18. Be a Diplomat
• Represent your country, not yourself
• Have your country’s best interests at heart
• Know the UN system, Rules & Procedures
& Topics
• Act like a diplomat – professional, willing,
a leader, collegial and cooperative in
formal and in formal debate
Diplomatic Platypus

19. Study the World
 BBC: www.bbc.co.uk
 CIA Factbook:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/
 Search for press releases or statement by your
government on your committee’s topic