The Conference Weekend - Getting Organized

Now it’s time to make the most of all your hard work – You’ve learned the Model UN essentials and gone through the Conference prep checklist.

Armed with your binder full of research notes, position papers, and opening speeches; You’re ready for action.

What to expect at a Model UN Conference

At a Model UN conference, you can expect to meet a number of delegates from around the world who have the same objectives as you – to represent their delegations and push for their solutions to be passed.

In general, you should expect your conference weekend to be full of informed discussion and debate. Everyone is there to learn and improve as a delegate, so don’t be afraid to reach out and talk to as many committee members as possible! The way to succeed in Model UN is through cooperation.

Staying healthy

Participating in a Model UN conference is hard work and can be quite mentally tiring – Nobody said that the life of a professional diplomat was easy!

Make sure that you do everything you can during the weekend to stay healthy. Bring food and water to the committee and try your best to get a good night’s sleep.

Having the energy to keep debating by Saturday is one of the most important things you can do.

Speeches

You should also be prepared to make a number of speeches. Speeches are important as they can help to show your involvement in-committee. It’s a useful way to quickly summarize your position on a topic to all the delegates and to your dais.

The dais will always try to give every delegate an equal amount of speaking time, but this is sometimes more difficult to manage in a larger committee. That said, always try to keep your placard up and take any opportunity to speak. If you don’t manage to speak during one Moderated Caucus, you’ll always have a chance in the next one!

If you don’t manage to get your point across when you want to, you can always bring it up with your Bloc during an Unmoderated Caucus.

Conference Priorities

You should remember that while Model UN conferences might have awards, your priority should always be to develop a diplomatic means of communicating and emulate discussions that would take place in the real UN.

For this reason, you should always make your decisions in-committee based on how it would impact your delegation and how you think a professional representative would react in that context.

Operating based on these principles can provide a structure that will help you better make choices over the course of your conference. You will be sure that you’re going to work in a bloc where you have the greatest chance for success and can make a significant impact.

What to bring with you to your conference - building your binder.

A well-prepared delegate brings a comprehensive binder to a Model UN conference. This binder will be your go-to resource throughout the event, helping you stay organized and prepared for all aspects of the conference. Here's what to include and how to organize it:

1. Background Guide

• Purpose: The background guide provided by the conference organizers contains essential information about the committee's topics, the history of the issues, and possible questions for discussion.

• How to Use It: Highlight key points, potential areas of focus, and any specific questions or directives from the guide. Use it to align your research and position paper with the committee’s expectations.

2. Copies of Your Position Paper

• Purpose: Your position paper outlines your country’s stance on the issues being discussed and proposes potential solutions.

• How to Use It: Bring multiple copies to distribute to the chair and other delegates. Refer to it during speeches and debates to ensure consistency in your positions and arguments.

3. Copy of Your Opening Speech - Annotated with the Ladder Method

• Purpose: The opening speech sets the tone for your participation in the conference. The ladder method involves breaking down your speech into key points and sub-points, allowing you to present your arguments logically and effectively.

• How to Use It: Annotate your speech with the ladder method, marking key points to emphasize and areas where you can insert examples or data. Practice delivering it confidently and clearly.

4. Research Summary

• Purpose: A research summary consolidates all the information you’ve gathered about your country’s policies, international relations, and the specific issues being discussed.

• How to Create It: Divide your research into sections:

  • Country Profile: Basic facts about your country, including political structure, economy, and key international relations.

  • Issue Overview: Detailed analysis of the issues on the agenda, including historical context and current developments.

  • Country’s Position: Specific stance and policies related to the issues.

  • Potential Allies and Opponents: Countries with similar or opposing views on the topics.

  • Relevant Data and Statistics: Figures that support your arguments.

• How to Use It: Use this summary to inform your speeches, responses, and negotiations. Having quick access to relevant facts and figures will strengthen your position.

5. Spare Paper

• Purpose: Having spare paper on hand is crucial for taking notes, drafting amendments, and jotting down ideas during unmoderated caucuses.

• How to Use It: Use it to quickly write down important points during debates, to draft working papers, or to exchange notes with other delegates.

6. Speech Snippets

• Purpose: Speech snippets are pre-written pieces of your potential speeches. They include persuasive points, data, and quotes that you can insert into your speeches as needed.

• How to Create Them: Write snippets for various scenarios:

  • Supporting Arguments: Points that bolster your country’s stance.

  • Counter-arguments: Responses to potential opposing views.

  • Calls to Action: Persuasive closing remarks.

• How to Use Them: Integrate these snippets into your speeches during debates to maintain a coherent and impactful narrative.

7. Backup Plans

• Purpose: While you cannot pre-write clauses for resolutions, having backup plans ensures you are prepared for unexpected turns in the debate.

• How to Create Them: Develop extra solutions and strategies that align with your country’s policies but are flexible enough to incorporate input from other delegates.

  • Brainstorm Alternative Solutions: Think of various ways to address the issues at hand.

  • Identify Points of Compromise: Areas where you can be flexible to build consensus.

• How to Use Them: Use these backup plans during negotiations to adapt to the flow of debate, ensuring you remain an active and effective participant.

Organizing Your Binder

1. Tab Dividers: Use tab dividers to separate each section (Background Guide, Position Papers, Opening Speech, Research Summary, Spare Paper, Speech Snippets, Backup Plans).

2. Clear Sleeves: Place important documents like the background guide and position papers in clear sleeves for easy access.

3. Highlighting and Annotating: Use highlighters and sticky notes to mark key sections and important points in your documents.

4. Digital Backup: Keep a digital copy of all your documents on a USB drive or cloud storage as a backup in case you need to access them electronically.

Conference Weekend Itinerary

Here’s how the debate will progress each day in a typical general assembly committee:

some days are more important than others

Day 1 - Opening Day

Significance: Setting the Stage

• First Committee Session: Initial sessions are crucial for setting the groundwork. Delegates deliver their opening speeches, presenting their country’s stance on the issues. This is your first chance to make an impression.

Key Actions:

• Make sure you have all necessary documents and materials.

• Deliver a strong and confident opening speech.

• Start networking with other delegates and identifying potential allies.

Day 2 - Middle Day

Significance: Building Momentum

• Moderated and Unmoderated Caucuses: These sessions are the heart of the conference. Debates become more detailed, and delegates engage in both formal and informal discussions. It's during these sessions that alliances are formed and ideas are exchanged.

• Drafting Resolutions: Much of the work on resolutions happens on these days. Delegates collaborate to draft working papers that will evolve into draft resolutions.

Key Actions:

• Actively participate in both moderated and unmoderated caucuses.

• Work diligently on drafting, negotiating, and revising draft resolutions.

• Continue building relationships and seek consensus with other delegates.

Day 3 - Closing Day

Voting Procedures: On the final day, resolutions that have been thoroughly debated and refined are put to a vote. The outcome of these votes determines which resolutions are formally adopted by the committee.

For delegates aiming to win awards, the final day is often less critical in terms of influencing the chairs’ decisions. By this stage, decisions regarding awards are typically based on your performance throughout the conference rather than the outcome of the final resolution vote.

The key to success lies not in whether your resolution is adopted, but in how effectively you navigated the resolution drafting process. Demonstrating strong collaboration, negotiation skills, and active participation in crafting and refining resolutions with fellow delegates are what truly matter. The focus should be on your ability to work together, build consensus, and contribute meaningfully to the committee's work, rather than the final vote itself.

Rules of Procedure in Model UN

A structure is important in Model UN and so conferences rely on something called called ‘Rules of Procedure’ (RoPs). This is a system that helps to guide both delegates and the dais on how to progress through a Model UN committee. This framework is composed of a system of Points and Motions that work based on the Flow of Debate.

Points & Motions

The system of Points and Motions is used to communicate ideas with your committee, Points are used to communicate more personal aspects of a committee. For example, if the committee room is too warm or you can’t hear someone’s speech.

Motions are used to help keep debate moving. You can motion for moderated or unmoderated caucuses, introduce resolutions and suggest amendments.

Understanding how to use Points and Motions effectively is important, if you can use them to your advantage you can encourage discussion on certain topics and get yourself extra speaking time.

Robert’s Rules of Order

This system of Points and Motions works based on Robert’s Rules of Order – a system created in the 1800s to add more structure to committees and meetings.

You don’t need to learn too much about Robert’s Rules, as long as you understand when and where to use Points and Motions you should be able to confidently maneuver through your next committee session.

Model UN Discourse

In Model UN there are 2 main ways to get your point across to the rest of the committee. This is done through Formal and Informal means.

A formal means of communication is one that operates through the main channels of discussion and is moderated by the Chair, delegates would also have a predetermined speaking time and a topic to discuss.

An informal means of communication is one that does adhere to the same restrictions and delegates can communicate more freely.

Here are a few examples of both types:

Formal

Moderated Caucus – A Moderated Caucus is a formal discussion on a specific aspect of the committee topic. It’s directed by the Committee Chair and can be a useful means of finding delegates to work with.

It’s useful to remember that the delegate who makes the motion for a Moderated Caucus is automatically able to speak on the topic and has the option of speaking first or last.

Speaker’s List – The speaker’s list is vital to any Model UN conference. In Regular committees, you will have two different Speaker’s lists. The Primary and Secondary Speaker’s lists.

The Primary Speakers list is used to set the agenda – i.e. determine which topic to discuss first. Delegates can make a speech to suggest the topic they’d like to discuss. This can also serve as an opportunity to make an opening speech.

Once the Primary Speakers list is closed and the topic has been selected, it’s time to start discussing solutions. This is when the Committee moves to the Secondary speaker’s list. The delegate who makes the motion to open a Speaker’s list is automatically added and may choose to speak first or last.

Informal

Unmoderated Caucus – The Unmoderated Caucus is a time when delegates can move around and speak informally with other delegates. It can also be an opportunity to assemble your bloc and work on Resolutions.

During an Unmoderated Caucus, delegates can more directly get their points across to other delegates and get things done quickly. It serves as an efficient way of progressing with debate once the formal discussion has stagnated.

Note-Passing – Passing notes is a permitted practice in Model UN committees. It allows you to communicate with delegates outside of the primary flow of debate.

Moderated Caucuses 

What is a Moderated Caucus?

 A Moderated Caucus is a structured debate where delegates are given a set speaking time to discuss a certain topic. At the beginning of the weekend, most of the Moderated Caucuses that are motioned for will be general and should allow delegates to discuss more freely .Throughout the weekend your moderated caucuses will become more niche and more related to what has been a recurring theme in your committee. If you notice debate has started to become repetitive and your chair is wanting to change it, motion for something different that you know others will be able to discuss. You always want to be perceived as the delegate who can have a positive impact on debate and will keep things moving forward.

As a general rule, when you are motioning for a Moderated Caucus you want to make sure you are choosing topics that you believe can get voted through - it provides you with a free chance to speak. So make sure you’re listening to what is being discussed, make Moderated Caucuses about that topic and spin whatever work you’ve been doing to show that you’re working effectively in that field. Whenever you get to speak during a Moderated Caucus, you want to bring up your working paper and your niche specifically so the dais knows what work is yours! 

Here are a few Moderated Caucus motion ideas:

Post-conference work - Goal Setting

A little bit of introspection is always useful at the end of a Model UN conference. You can evaluate how you did, think about ways to improve, and start planning for your next conference experience while all that Model UN knowledge is still fresh.

Try our Conference planning checklist (Coming soon!) and rate how your performance went.

Once you have all that information summarized, you can start planning for your next experience and move forward knowing that you made the most of your conference.