Model UN

[Heady]

Since this is XKCD after all, I imagine a few of you must be involved in a Model United Nations club at your school/uni. Feel free to use this as a place to share interesting simulations, debates, things that happened at conferences, and the like.

I'm somewhat new to the Model UN 'universe', so I'm prepping for my first conference, which takes place next Thursday on nuclear proliferation. I've been assigned the UK, which proved to be a fun position paper to write. Loads of stuff on their nuclear policies can be found on the web.

Regards,
Heady

[Internetmeme]

Alrighty: the one that I was at wasn't at all that strict. Just don't make that much of an ass of yourself and you're fine.

There were all of 5 guys in the whole of the social/humanitarian committee. And one of them (russia) wasn't there the second day. The girls were all allying to block our efforts to pass ANY ammendments to ANY bill. So, we decided to do some awesome stuff, namely all cracking open some coke right when their leader got up to speak. Taking a loud, slurping sip at the beginning of her speeches. She didn't even raegquaat, so that was a huge plus! She came up later on and asked us for a truce, which we accepted.

Just get the strait-up facts for your resolutions, since chances are the other guy didn't research them. If the resolution refers to any other resolution (I had one referring to the Convention of the Rights of the Child), print that resolution out and keep it in a binder.

Just have fun with it!

[Bearboy]

Keep an eye on speech time limits. I had one repping Chile and a 1 minute speech on Microchipping all children to moniter their health. Most people claimed all these wonderful points and had their stance well written. They got told to shut up an sit down every time after 1 minute so my team decided to scrap our pre written speech and just go with a "We disagree" and sit straight back down to. Best cheer of the whole day.

[LaserGuy]

I did a model UN on child labour in high school. Very casual, just a couple local schools involved, with each school having delegations from multiple countries. I got stuck with United States, which, for a summit on child labour held in Canada, pretty much made us the resident pinata. It was pretty fun though. I agree with internetmeme--do your homework and be familiar with a lot of the relevant facts and conventions, and the positions of various important countries on them. Even if knowing the facts doesn't actually help you win any of the debates, well, it doesn't in the real UN either but it makes a good impression. Most importantly, don't take it too seriously, just have fun.

[markop2003]

I don't think it exists here. Though i'ld just have the temptation to play the role of North Korea by staying completely silent except for randomly threatening to nuke other nations.

[Internetmeme]

Model UN is entirely about making the other side look like they don't know what they are talking about while faking your knowledge of the facts.
...just like real politics.

[Heady]

The conference went quite well. I won best delegate, in the Security Council, after Austria. The powers that be also decided to throw us a curveball in terms of a nuclear Iran threatening to destroy Israel, and somehow, nothing got passed. China didn't agree with Anti-Ballistic Missiles, it seems.
All in all, good fun.

[Jahoclave]

Model UN is entirely about making the other side look like they don't know what they are talking about while faking your knowledge of the facts.
...just like real politics.

Except there doesn't seem to be enough storming out in protest and crazy speeches.

[Internetmeme]

Model UN is entirely about making the other side look like they don't know what they are talking about while faking your knowledge of the facts.
...just like real politics.

Except there doesn't seem to be enough storming out in protest and crazy speeches.

Actually, we (the guys) debated walking out when one of the girls started a speech. But we deemed it a bit too rude.
Then we settled for just all declaring war on Somalia (their leader's country), but didn't feel like being kicked out, so we didn't. We had the entire speech ready and everything, actually.

[Jahoclave]

Model UN is entirely about making the other side look like they don't know what they are talking about while faking your knowledge of the facts.
...just like real politics.

Except there doesn't seem to be enough storming out in protest and crazy speeches.

Actually, we (the guys) debated walking out when one of the girls started a speech. But we deemed it a bit too rude.
Then we settled for just all declaring war on Somalia (their leader's country), but didn't feel like being kicked out, so we didn't. We had the entire speech ready and everything, actually.

Well, you know, were you the U.S. delegation, and/or the Brits, completely ignoring what everybody else says would have been completely acceptable. And, you know, wouldn't Somalia actually have to have a government to start with?

[Miro]

Will anyone be attending the Chicago Conference in November?

I'll be representing General Assembly Third Committee.

[Internetmeme]

Model UN is entirely about making the other side look like they don't know what they are talking about while faking your knowledge of the facts.
...just like real politics.

Except there doesn't seem to be enough storming out in protest and crazy speeches.

Actually, we (the guys) debated walking out when one of the girls started a speech. But we deemed it a bit too rude.
Then we settled for just all declaring war on Somalia (their leader's country), but didn't feel like being kicked out, so we didn't. We had the entire speech ready and everything, actually.

Well, you know, were you the U.S. delegation, and/or the Brits, completely ignoring what everybody else says would have been completely acceptable. And, you know, wouldn't Somalia actually have to have a government to start with?

I was the US, and the other guys were Japan and China

[Ostrich_Option]

Will anyone be attending the Chicago Conference in November?

I'll be representing General Assembly Third Committee.

Yeah, in fact I just joined Model UN here a couple of weeks ago. I'm in the General Assembly Plenary.

[Jahoclave]

Will anyone be attending the Chicago Conference in November?

I'll be representing General Assembly Third Committee.

Yeah, in fact I just joined Model UN here a couple of weeks ago. I'm in the General Assembly Plenary.

I joined the young republicans: we will be representing the old gogers in motor scooters paid for by medicare and protesting the existence of your organization as illegal, unconstitutional, and a communist plot for one world gubberment.

[Internetmeme]

Will anyone be attending the Chicago Conference in November?

I'll be representing General Assembly Third Committee.

Yeah, in fact I just joined Model UN here a couple of weeks ago. I'm in the General Assembly Plenary.

I joined the young republicans: we will be representing the old gogers in motor scooters paid for by medicare and protesting the existence of your organization as illegal, unconstitutional, and a communist plot for one world gubberment.

Communism, comrade?

[Jahoclave]

Will anyone be attending the Chicago Conference in November?

I'll be representing General Assembly Third Committee.

Yeah, in fact I just joined Model UN here a couple of weeks ago. I'm in the General Assembly Plenary.

I joined the young republicans: we will be representing the old gogers in motor scooters paid for by medicare and protesting the existence of your organization as illegal, unconstitutional, and a communist plot for one world gubberment.

Communism, comrade?

Da! Nyet. No! I mean, death to the commies!

[PhatPhungus]

I did MUN in high school, that was a lot of fun. Did North Korea a few times, which was really the easiest possible country cause all you do is antagonize. Iran was also fun. I also got to chair a conference, and that was a lot of fun, especially because we got to read the notes people passed, and some people were hilariously out of touch with policy.

[Heady]

Is anyone from here gonna be at the Brown Conference?

[nolispe]

I was at one of these a long time ago. That was fun - we were the UK, and we eventually stuffed up in something with canada so badly that we really couldn't build a logical defense. So we got up and declared that british airplanes would be dropping nuclear bombs on montreal if they didn't give in immediately. That was fun. There was just this sort of stunned silence in the room...