Attention MUST be paid!

*WWIII HAS JUST STARTED. EUROPE IS NOW IN CHAOS IN SPITE OF RUSSIAN INVASIONS.*

Don’t worry, I’m just kidding. This didn’t happen to our real world, but rather at the University of Calgary.

If you were not aware (Hopefully now you are), the University of Calgary held their annual Model UN conference for high school students this past weekend.

You might be asking, What is Model UN?

Well, literally, it is a simulation of the real United Nation Conferences. But more importantly, it gives high school students a chance to experience the importance of diplomacy.

Each school enters the draw for countries a few months prior to the conference, then once the countries are assigned, the school MUN coordinators are responsible for assigning committee members for each country. I found this slightly confusing when I first started MUN, but basically, let’s say my school got USA, well USA is a member of many UN committees such as, GA 1 DISEC, GA 2 ECOFIN, and GA 3 SOCHUM, and it’s up to the school coordinators to assign students to these committees to represent the USA. Together all delegates of the USA in each committee makes up the delegation of USA.

Committees at the UC HSMUN:

• General Assembly 1 – DISEC (Disarmament and International Security Committee)
• General Assembly 2 – ECOFIN (Economic and Financial Affairs Council)
• General Assembly 3 – SOCHUM (Social, Humanitarian & Cultural Affairs Committee)
• United Nations Security Council
• Human Rights Council
• NATO ( North Atlantic Treaty Organization) – Not a part of UN

Typically, Security Council and NATO are what we call the ‘Crisis Committees’, simply because throughout the conference, these committees start off with a prepared topic, however, the crisis directors of the committees will spontaneously bring up ‘updated’ information in regards to the actions of the committee members, and introduce new crisis to the prepared topic.

The other committees, the GAs and HRC, do not introduce new information in regards to the prepared topics. When a resolution is passed for a topic, they move on to the next, while UNSC and NATO most often stay in relations to the first topic and work on extension crisises.

Essentially, Model UN is somewhat similar to debate, but conducted in a more diplomatic matter.

If you have a MUN club at school, I definitely recommend in joining, because these annual conferences allows you to extend your social circle, and meet new people. If you’re school doesn’t, then start one yourself!

I was a first year debater this year, and a second year for MUN. Personally, the pressure and intensity in debates stressed me out a lot. But for MUN, because you work together as a collective group, people are often less hostile and more diplomatic. Also, for debate, you MUST speak, however, in MUN you’re not required to talk, but what’s the meaning in attending if you don’t contribute your ideas right?

Usually, it’s better to start off with the GAs and HRC. The GAs, because they are big committees, with over 50 members, and are less procedural than UNSC and NATO, and HRC, although a relatively small committee, but simply because the topics are often common sense, and requires less research.

If you missed the UCMUN, don’t fret because the SWCHSMUN is just around the corner! (just some shameless advertising 😛)

The third annual SWCHSMUN is going to be quite different than previous years, and significantly different from the UCMUN.

Last year as SWCHSMUN 2012, we brought to you new committees such as USNSC (United States National Secureity Council), UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, and UNICEF. Well look out for SWCHSMUN 2013, because it’s about to get better!

Introducing the committees at SWCHSMUN 2013:

• Human Rights Council (HRC)
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; this will be a crisis committee)
• United States National Security Council (USNSC) vs. the Politburo of the Communist Party of China (PCPC); these will be joint crisis committees
• GA 1 DISEC
• Futuristic Security Council (FSC) set in 2033

Here’s a sneak peek trailer for SWCHSMUN 2013!