What Are The Stages Of MUN?

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A Model United Nations(MUN) conference is basically a simulation of the procedures of the actual United Nations.

A topic, usually relating to the issues of a country or multiple countries, is discussed and the aim is to discuss the topic, give productive ideas and solutions to finally move towards a resolution.

The MUN has 5 stages, all of which are important in their own aspects.

Whether you are attending your first MUN, have been attending it for quite a while, or are interested in arranging a MUN youth conference, knowing about these stages will help you strategize better, and hopefully, perform better at the event.

The 5 Stages Of MUN

In this blog, we do not cover the important research points and work you should put in before the conference. However, that is also extremely important and you must ensure proper research and strategies before the MUN conference starts.

Stage 1: Ideas And Opening Speech

In this stage, you basically present your ideas to your committee members. The opening speech is a great way of starting that. Social interaction is key to a successful MUN. That is the essence of it. So the idea behind opening speech and other methods of interaction is to make friends and allies, get on the floor, and tell your ideas to the world.

All of this will help you understand your fellow committee members, so by the second stage, you will have a fairly good grasp, not just on the ideas of other people, but also on who you have managed to influence or can influence, and who would not agree to you and cannot be your ally. Similarly, you could send chits to other delegates who you haven’t been able to properly communicate with.

At this time, you could also take notes of other delegates’ views to formulate your own plans and ideas accordingly. You could write a summary of your opinions, or the things you would like to say to other delegates, or make a list of your allies.

Stage 2: Coalition (MUN)

You have gathered all information and made notes of everything. Now, you need to focus on building a coalition. Which is building a friendly alliance with countries you think are receptive towards you.

All the information you gathered during stage 1 is going to come in very handy here.

A coalition of like-minded delegates is also known as a bloc. This stage is especially important if you want to become a bloc leader. It is hard to be recognized by everyone with so many delegates present, but if many people know you, your name will travel through word of mouth and people who you have never even directly met will know who you are and what you stand for.

Stage 3: Write And Introduce A Draft Resolution

This is a bit of a hectic stage. This is because drafting a resolution with the opinion of so many delegates is fairly tough. Especially when all of them are exhausted as well. It is important to keep your cool at this stage and also not backtrack.

You need to find delegates and reach a conclusion with everyone’s mutual opinions. Keep in mind that any differences at this stage need to be treated with respect and dealt with calmly and efficiently if you are to move further.

It might be beneficial if all the delegates split up and work on different clauses. Delegates need to work on coming up with structured and well-planned operative and preambulatory clauses.

These need to be edited again and again to finally come up with a proper resolution.

If the chairs then approve this resolution, it is time for the next stage.

Stage 4: Amendment

Now that the resolution is approved, your focus should be on the ideas given in it. Now, the clauses are going to be debated, and you start lobbying for your ideas. If you are the sponsor of an amendment, you will need to work harder than most. This stage could be simple or complicated, depending on the delegates.

In an amendment, you are basically going to:

Edit or alter an old clause
Add a new clause
Remove a clause

Once all this is done, you can move on to the final stage.

Stage 5: The Voting Process

Now that all the hard part is done, it is time to vote. However, that is also not as simple as it sounds. In thi stage, your reliance will be on the coalitions you formed, and on the people you tried to get on to your side.

So just be patient, lobby a little if possible and hope that your resolution is passed. And even it’s not, hey, you worked for it and that will always be most important.

Time To Partyy!

Now that it is over, go and party with the friends you made, spend some good time and make the most of your time here. MUNs are usually a memorable time of one’s youth and it is important to enjoy it, no matter what the outcome. So make the most of it. Happy MUNing folks!