Harvard World Model United Nations

The Harvard World Model United Nations (WorldMUN) is an annual traveling Model United Nations conference that is run by Harvard University and a local university team from a host city. WorldMUN moves to a new city each year and is one of the largest international MUN conferences today. The Conference was first held in 1992. The Conference targets college students from all over the world who have a passion and interest to become a diplomat in future.

Harvard World Model United Nations
AbbreviationWorldMUN
Formation1992
TypeNGO
PurposeEducation
Location
  • Cambridge, Massachusetts
Official language
English
Secretary General
Anirudh Suresh [1]
Main organ
Organizing Committee
Websitewww.worldmun.org

General information and history

WorldMUN uses a competitive bidding process to select locations for each conference, with prospective host teams, usually consisting of the MUN societies of large universities, applying.

The conference is generally held in March.

WorldMUN uses the American style of Model United Nations, with almost all delegates paired with another from their delegation (in dual delegations), with discussions occurring both inside and outside the rooms simultaneously.

Committees have in the past included committees of the United Nations General Assembly, the Security Council, the subcommittees of ECOSOC, regional bodies (such as the African Union or European Union), specialized agencies of the United Nations, crisis simulation committees and uniquely, simulations of the entire general assembly.

As most other conferences, there are also workshops, social events showcasing local culture and a global village, where participant teams can share delicacies and traditions from their home countries. In addition, WorldMUN has had many distinguished guest speakers over the years, notably Pope Francis in Rome and King Felipe VI in Madrid.

From 2016 onwards, the conference began giving out WorldMUN spirit awards to teams, for showing exceptional adherence to the spirit of WorldMUN and the United Nations. The team from Andrés Bello Catholic University (Venezuela) were the first recipients of this award.

The organization works closely with a social impact-oriented group, the Resolution Project, aimed at fostering global youth leadership. The Resolution Project was founded by WorldMUN Secretariat alumni.

The 29th edition of the conference was scheduled for Tokyo in March 2020, but it was cancelled and initially rescheduled to 2021. However, with the continued health safety concerns and the pandemic's prevailing impact on global travel, the Tokyo 2021 conference was rescheduled again to 2022. The 2021 conference will happen virtually over Zoom.

Conference Activities

Committee sessions

Participants are assigned to represent countries, organizations, or leaders in order to debate pressing international issues in a simulated session of an intergovernmental organization (IGO). WorldMUN divides all its committees into three organs:

Social Venture challenge

The social venture challenge allows interested participants to compete for grants to implement their creative solutions for healthcare, education, human rights, technology, water, and other areas. This is through WorldMUN's partnership with the Resolution Project, a U.S. 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2007 by WorldMUN alumni, dedicated to empowering young leaders around the world through collaborative social entrepreneurship.

In-conference activities

These include in-conference trips and workshops. The trips give conference participants a change to explore the host city and its culture whereas the workshops allow participants to interact with diplomats, politicians and academics to discuss a variety of .

Social events

WorldMUN also organizes social events, most of which look like the following:

  • Night Zero: Before the conference kicks off, delegates and staff gather for a night out to inaugurate the conference.
  • Global Village: Every year, WorldMUN starts off its social agenda with Global Village. This is the first opportunity for delegates to meet each other in a social setting. Delegations host a booth where they share traditions, delicacies, and more from their home countries.
  • Featured night 1: An event for participants to experience the host city's local culture.
  • Cabaret: Delegates showcase their talents on stage in the Cabaret on the third night.
  • Featured night 2: Another event for participants to experience the host city's local culture.
  • Farewell Party: Traditionally, WorldMUN closes with this final social event.

WorldMUN Conferences
Session Year Location
City- Country- Secretary-General Host Team President Director-General Local Host Team Conference Venue Delegation Awards Ref.
1 1992 Miedzyzdroje
Poland		 Geraldine Acuña N/A N/A Vienna House Amber Baltic Miedzyzdroje [2]
2 1993 Prague
Czech Republic		 Joshua A. Saloman N/A N/A
3 1994 Luxembourg
Luxembourg		 Ankur U. Saraiya N/A N/A
4 1995 Geneva
Switzerland		 Emmeline Li N/A N/A
5 1996 Amsterdam
Netherlands		 Aram A. Schvey N/A N/A
6 1997 Budapest
Hungary		 Andras Forgacs Budapest University of Economic Sciences
7 1998 Brussels
Belgium		 Johs Pierce Vrije Universiteit Brussel
8 1999 Cambridge
United Kingdom		 Winnie Li University of Cambridge
9 2000 Athens
Greece		 James Mwangi National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
10 2001 Istanbul
Turkey		 Rohan Gulrajani
11 2002 Belo Horizonte
Brazil		 Aspasia Karalis Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais Ouro Minas Palace Hotel Best Large Delegation:
Yale University
Best Small Delegation:
12 2003 Heidelberg
Germany		 George Tsiatis University of Heidelberg University of Heidelberg - Old Town Campus Best Large Delegation:
Best Small Delegation:
West Point Military Academy
13 2004 Sharm El-Sheikh
Egypt		 George Tsiatis Modern Sciences and Arts University Maritim Jolie Ville Mövenpick Golf, Resort & Conference Center Best Large Delegation:
Best Small Delegation:
West Point Military Academy
14 2005 Edinburgh
United Kingdom		 Alex Captain University of Edinburgh University of Edinburgh Best Large Delegation:
The College of William & Mary
Best Small Delegation:
West Point Military Academy
15 2006 Beijing

China

 Victor Bicalho Peking University Peking University Best Large Delegation:
The College of William & Mary
Best Small Delegation:
West Point Military Academy
16 2007 Geneva
Switzerland		 Khalid Yasin École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Centre International de Conférences Genève Best Large Delegation: Universidad Católica Andrés Bello
Best Small Delegation:
Lahore University of Management Sciences
17 2008 Puebla
Mexico		 Joseph Kerns Manuel Rosas Vázquez Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla Puebla Convention Center Best Large Delegation:
MUN Society Belgium
Best Small Delegation:
Lahore University of Management Sciences
Outstanding Large Delegation: Universidad Central de Venezuela
18 2009 The Hague
Netherlands		 Timur Kalimov José Dominguez Alvarez United Netherlands World Forum Convention Center and the International Criminal Court Best Large Delegation:
MUN Society Belgium
Best Small Delegation:
Lahore University of Management Sciences
19 2010 Taipei
Taiwan		 Ami Nash Jason Tsung-Cheng Hou National Taiwan University Taipei International Convention Center Best Large Delegation:
MUN Society Belgium
Best Small Delegation:
Lahore University of Management Sciences
20 2011 Singapore
Singapore		 Reihan Nadarajah Jing Zhi & Sharmeen Alam National University of Singapore Suntec Singapore International Convention Centre Best Large Delegation:
MUN Society Belgium
Best Small Delegation:		 [3]
21 2012 Vancouver
Canada		 Kat Tang Kenneth Chan University of British Columbia Vancouver Convention Centre Best Large Delegation: Universidad Catolica Andres Bello
Best Small Delegation:
Claremont McKenna College
22 2013 Melbourne
Australia		 Charlene Wong Siamak Loni Monash University & RMIT University Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Best Large Delegation:
MUN Society Belgium
Best Small Delegation:
The College of William & Mary
Outstanding Large Delegation: Universidad Central de Venezuela		 [4]
23 2014 Brussels
Belgium		 Grace Y. Qi Jens Wauters Lisa Wang MUN Society Belgium Egmont Palace, European Council and The Hotel Brussels Best Large Delegation:
Peruvian Universities[5]

Outstanding Large Delegation:
Universidad Simón Bolívar[6]

Best Small Delegation:
Georgetown University[7]

 [8]
24 2015 Seoul
Republic of Korea		 Brian K. Mwarania Hyun-Joo Lee Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Korea International Exhibition Center

Best Large Delegation:
Universidad Simón Bolívar

Outstanding Large Delegation:
Universidad Católica Andrés Bello

Best Small Delegation:
Claremont McKenna College

 [9]
25 2016 Rome Italy Joseph P. Hall Riccardo Messina Daniel Dong United Network Association Sheraton Roma Hotel & Conference Center

Best Large Delegation:
MUN Society Belgium

Outstanding Large Delegation:
Peruvian Universities

Best Small Delegation:
Claremont McKenna College

WorldMUN Spirit Award:
Universidad Católica Andrés Bello

 [10][11][12]
26 2017 Montreal
Canada		 Parijat Lal Jonathan Sasson Nabig Chaudhary Dawson College Palais des congrès de Montréal

Best Large Delegation:
MUN Society Belgium

Outstanding Large Delegation:
be.boosted

Best Small Delegation:
Washington University in St. Louis

Outstanding Small Delegation:
West Point Military Academy

WorldMUN Spirit Award:
Universidad Metropolitana

 [13]
27 2018 Panama City
Panama		 Nicholas Abbott Alan Smith Catherine Brennan Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua Atlapa Convention Centre

Best Large Delegation:
Peruvian Debate Society[14] Outstanding Large Delegation:
MUN Society Belgium

Best Small Delegation:
Claremont McKenna College

Outstanding Small Delegation:
Georgetown University

WorldMUN Spirit Award:
Universidad Metropolitana

 [15][16][17]
28 2019 Madrid
Spain		 Spencer Ma Alba Gavaliugov Mendez Manav Khandelwal Spanish Alliance of Model United Nations Palacio Municipal de Congresos

Best Large Delegation:
Universidad Metropolitana

Outstanding Large Delegation:
Peruvian Debate Society

Best Small Delegation:
Claremont McKenna College

Outstanding Small Delegation:
Princeton University

WorldMUN Spirit Award:
Universidad Simón Bolívar

 [18][19]
29 2020/2021 Tokyo
Japan		 Anirudh Suresh Jiaqi Liu Esteban Flores Sophia University The Westin Hotel Tokyo

Best Large Delegation: TBD Outstanding Large Delegation: TBD

Best Small Delegation: TBD

Outstanding Small Delegation: TBD

WorldMUN Spirit Award: TBD

 Postponed due to COVID-19 Outbreak[20]

See also

References
  1. "Meet the Team". Harvard World Model United Nations. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  2. Garcia, Javier V. (6 April 1992). "Poland Hosts Harvard World Model U.N." The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
  3. "George Yeo to WorldMUN: believe in the UN" (PDF). The New Paper. 15 March 2011. p. 12. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  4. "Melbourne wins the rights to host Harvard World Model United Nations Conference in 2013". Australasian Special Events. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  5. Harvard WorldMUN [@WorldModelUN] (21 March 2014). "Best Large Delegation - Peruvian Universities" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. Harvard WorldMUN [@WorldModelUN] (21 March 2014). "Outstanding Large Delegation - Universidad Simon Bolivar" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. Harvard WorldMUN [@WorldModelUN] (21 March 2014). "Best Small Delegation - Georgetown University" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. "Didier Reynders organises conference on Belgium and the UN". Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs. 2013-10-03. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  9. "Students gather for model UN". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  10. Xiao, Derek G. (23 March 2016). "Pope Speaks at Harvard WorldMUN in Rome". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
  11. "Il Risiko alla rovescia dei ragazzi diplomatici". Archivio - la Repubblica.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  12. "Francis to Model UN participants: Listen to refugees". LaStampa.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  13. "Le WorldMUN à Montréal en 2017 - Le gouvernement du Québec soutient le prestigieux Harvard World Model United Nations 2017 - Portail Québec". www.fil-information.gouv.qc.ca. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  14. "Peruvian Debate Society: campeones del mundo". Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  15. May 2017 03.51pm, | 30. "Panamá será sede en 2018 de evento Harvard WorldMUN". Telemetro (in Spanish). Retrieved 2019-05-13.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. "Varela abre sesiones del Harvard World Model en Panamá". TVN (in Spanish). 2018-03-12. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  17. "" J'ai participé à une simulation de l'ONU, avec 2 500 étudiants du monde entier "" (in French). 2018-09-29. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  18. Portillo, Javier (2019-03-18). "La ONU de los estudiantes se reúne en Madrid". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
  19. Silió, Elisa (2019-03-22). "España aprende a hablar en público". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  20. "Harvard World Model United Nations". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
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