Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Model UN?
A MUN is a simulation of the workings of the real United Nations with its six General Assembly Committees, the Security Council, and the several agencies which form part of the UN family. Participating students, known as ‘delegates’, assume the role of an assigned UN member state in order to debate two current issues on the committee’s agenda.
The role of the Delegate
Delegates must assimilate the ideologies and policy goals of their adopted state, deliver speeches conveying these viewpoints and projected goals, form bloc alliances and draft resolution documents, pitch their proposals to adversaries and attempt to win them over, and generally resolve existing conflict. All of this must be done in accordance with the committee- specific rules of procedure and in the interests of mobilizing international cooperation.
Prior to the conference, delegates will usually carry out intensive research on their committee’s competences, the issue at large, the key players whose interests must be reckoned with, and finally, the needs, goals, and foreign policies of the country they will be representing. The depth of delegates’ researches into the geo-politics, economics, and history of the topics at hand in turn contributes to an authentic simulation of the way the international community acts on its immediate concerns.
The role of a Chair
Committees are chaired by experienced Committee Directors, themselves usually MUN alumni. A Director or main Chair is generally aided in the running of the committee by one or two co-Chairs (depending on the size of the committee which may range from some twenty to a hundred delegates). Together, they ensure that delegates maintain proper decorum, abide by the rules of the procedure, and faithfully convey their state’s attitudes and goals. Chairs usually refrain from giving their input vis-à-vis the content of the debate but it is within their remit to prompt the debate whenever it seems to be waivering, as well as to call out any delegates who are not being faithful to their states’ overall stance.
Ensuring that they are qualified to carry out both these duties, the Chairs are tasked with compiling ‘study guides’ prior to the conference. A study guide is a delegate resource which lays out pertinent avenues for discussion and possible solutions to the issue which delegates may wish to pursue. The more useful guides also include a breakdown of regional blocs’, or even key players’, tendencies regarding the issue (eg., whether they are amenable to resolution or whether they have consistently put spanners in the works) which delegates may find useful when deciding which states to approach, lobby, and negotiate with.
MaltMUN 2019
MaltMUN 2019 will take place on Friday 13th, Saturday 14th, and Sunday 15th September 2019. Delegates should be available all day throughout the three-day MUN.
The MUN will be hosted in Malta’s capital city, Valletta. Venues for the Committee sessions are to be confirmed at a later date.
The overall theme of the MUN will be Ego Vs. Leadership: Restoring the Balance, centering around the issues faced by politicians and decision makers in this modern age, where striking the balance between personal gain and the greater good is not so simple.
More details about this year's theme may be found here.
The five committees that will be simulated during MaltMUN 2019 are:
- UNSC (United Nations Security Council);
- UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees);
- DISEC (Disarmament and International Security Committee);
- UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme);
- ECOFIN (Economic and Financial Committee)
Each committee will debate two topics which in turn have a bearing on the main theme of the conference.
More information on topics can be found here.
Applications and Delegate Fees
The MaltMUN 2019 Conference is aimed at youths who are currently enrolled in high-school or university. The Organising Committee will not accept any applications from any persons under 16 years of age or over 30 years of age.
Only delegates who are over 17 years of age will be allowed to purchase Social Packs. Anyone who is under the age of 17 and purchases a social pack will be refunded the social pack fee and will be denied entry to the social events. ID cards must be presented at the entrance of our venues. Applicants who are 17 years of age must send in a signed waiver form from a parent or guardian to be granted access to the social events. The waiver form will be provided to these applicants at a later date.
Applicants who are 16 years of age must send in a signed waiver form from a parent or guardian to be granted access to the committee rooms within the conference. The waiver form will be provided to these applicants at a later date. These applicants are not allowed entry to the social events.
Expression of Interest Registration closes on the 14th of July 2019.
Formal Registration closes on the 1st of September 2019.
Applying as a delegation will be possible at MaltMUN 2019 for all those travelling from abroad and must be done here.
The minimum size of delegation catered for should consist of 2 people. A delegation must have at least 2 participating members, including Head Delegate.
Locals are encouraged to apply as individual delegates using this form.
The MaltMUN Society is currently working towards acquiring funds for the Conference. Therefore, as of yet, the delegate fee is not fixed as we are working towards reducing this fee as much as possible for all who attend.
For now, prospective delegates and delegations are encouraged to register their interest via the Expression of Interest Applications found below. These early applicants will be guaranteed their first preference committee, on a first come first served basis, and provided that they pay their delegate fee in due course.
Expression of Interest for Delegates: click here
Expression of Interest for Delegations: click here
The Delegate Fee will cover:
1. Conference attendance
Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and three committee sessions in prestigious Valletta venues.*
2. All relevant conference materials
Delegate pack, including study guides, placards, delegate lanyards, handbook, notepaper, pen and certificates of attendance.
*NB: Lunch will not be provided during the weekend. Valletta is a vibrant metropolis and there are a variety of bars, cafés, restaurants, and fast food places to spice up your lunch hour.
You can pay your delegate fee through the Formal Registration form itself.
Kindly note that all delegate fees are non-refundable.
MaltMUN 2019’s Social Pack includes entrance to both our Friday and Saturday socials, including a food and/or drink package. More details will be provided at a later stage.
Foreign Delegates
There are many hotels and hostels suitable for a student budget throughout Malta. The Organising Committee would recommend booking accommodation around Valletta/Floriana or in theSliema/St Julian’s area in order to make commuting to the capital city easier. However, the organisers are not in a position to actively seek out accommodation for foreign delegates. It is recommended to use reputable search engines such as booking.com and airbnb.com to find a variety of accommodation choices.
More details on how to get around Malta will be provided on our website at a later stage.
The Society will send out invitation letters to those requiring a visa to come to Malta. Invitation letters will only be specifically addressed to the applicant or applicants who have applied to attend the Conference.
Invitation letters will only be sent after payment has been made. The Society is currently working on obtaining funds so as to keep the fee as low as possible. Therefore, the fee will be provided at a later stage.
Upon receipt, it is up to the applicant to make the necessary arrangements to obtain the visa*. If you wish to receive an official invite for visa purposes, please tick the box in the application form which asks if you require a visa to enter Malta. If the 'Yes' box is not ticked, it will be assumed that you do not require an invitation letter, irrespective of your state of nationality listed in your application. Such delegates must send copies of their respective visas to the Society by no later than Sunday 1st September 2019. In default of this, the respective delegate will be considered as ‘not attending’.
* The Society is not related to any Consuls or Embassies, and will therefore not be involved in the process to obtain the visa, nor will it be held responsible for any such related consequences.
Beginners
MaltMUN 2019 is suitable for all types of delegates, both beginners and veterans. Although it is recommended that you have prior experience, you are most welcome to participate in the conference even if you have never participated in MUN simulations in the past. The MaltMUN Society will be offering Delegate training prior to the conference. Date and venue for the training session are to be confirmed at a later date. The Society also aims to offer Committee Director training in the summer months, for which prospective delegates would also be welcome to attend in order to get an insight of what chairs look for in delegates when considering them for awards. Throughout the MUN weekend there will be plenty of members from the Organising Committee present to answer any questions you may have, while the Committee Directors will be asked to bear in mind that many delegates may be beginners.
The MaltMUN Society will provide a number of resources to help you prepare for the conference via the MaltMUN website. The Rules of Procedure and Study Guides* will be made available on this website in due course. The Rules of Procedure may appear intimidating to delegates who are new to MUN, but they will be clarified at the training session to be provided by the MaltMUN Society, and they are very easy to learn by observing how things work in the first committee session. The Study Guides are intended as springboards for research. After reading them, your first step should be to research the country that you have been allocated, its general ideology and foreign policy goals, as well as its approach to the topics on the agenda of your committee.
Following this, delegates will be asked to summarise their country’s stance on the two topics in two Position Papers. Any submitted Position Papers will be compiled and disseminated so that you may read those prepared by other delegates in your committee.
*Study Guides are individually tailored for each committee, tacking both of the topics to be discussed.
You should send them to your committee’s email address which will be made available on this website at a later stage.
Position Papers are due on Wednesday, 4th September 2019. No position papers which have been submitted after the stipulated closing date will be considered for this award. Position papers submitted after Wednesday, 4th September 2019 will be permitted only for purposes of including them in the collated document of all the Position Papers of the respective Committee.