The Warsaw High School Times

By Martyna Kowalczyk and Nina Kasprzak

Graphic by Sonia Bajorek

As the colder season of the year begins, we often like to curl up under a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate, and just contemplate our future. If that wondering makes you worried about the trajectory of your life after high school, and you want to secure your future, we might just have some advice for you! 

As we are members of the secretariat of the upcoming Tadeusz Czacki Model United Nations conference, we are pleased to introduce you to the world of MUNs.

MUNs, or actually Model United Nations are academic simulations of United Nations-based debates. Those debates have a set of specific rules, all written down in a document called the Rules of Procedure. It contains all of the necessary guidelines, which every member of the conference has to follow. Breaking those standards results in punishments given by the chairboard or the secretariat (don’t worry, they’re actually lots of fun). It also describes the steps of every MUN conference, which include, for example: the General Assembly at the start and end of the conference as well as Committee Sessions, during which the delegates are debating in their committees. All, even the smallest steps and requests, are organized and written down there. We are going to cover some of the basic ones below.

First of all, the MUN debating format contains three basic roles you can take on: a delegate, a chairperson and a page. Each delegate gets assigned to a country and a committee of their choice. During the conference, they must on the role of representing their country in the debate, follow its laws and policies, all while discussing a specific topic assigned to the chosen committee. 

A chairperson’s role is to monitor those debates, make sure the delegates follow the Rules of Procedure, and provide help and advice when needed. A chair has to be a little more experienced than a delegate, so we wouldn’t recommend picking that role on your Model United Nations conference. 

Then, there are the pages, who provide technical and logistical support during the whole conference. Their basic tasks are: preparing coffee breaks, providing the other participants with supplies such s water, and transferring page notes – the main means of communication between delegates during the Committee Sessions.

The goal and the final step of those Committee Sessions is writing a resolution. This document is a summary of the work and debates of the participating countries, and consists of several points in which the delegates explain the actions that the committee will take to resolve a given issue. At the start of each paper, the sponsors and signatories should be stated. The former are those that have contributed the most to the process of writing the aforementioned document. There can only exist a maximum of three sponsors per resolution. If the majority within the committee agrees with the resolution, it is then read out loud in front of the General Assembly at the end of the conference, and voted upon. If the majority of the countries decide that the points of the document agree with their country’s policy, the resolution passes and is therefore accepted by the General Assembly.

All of these rules and procedures might seem a bit overwhelming at first, but we can guarantee you that once you step foot into the conference, it will all come to you naturally. It is truly worth it to overcome the anxiety surrounding the attendance and try your hand in this field, as it comes with plenty of benefits.

There is a huge educational aspect to MUNs – not only can you learn about the functioning of international institutions, but also the policy and history of the country you represent, as well as overall relations – alliances and conflicts – between countries all around the world. It is also crucial to remember that every committee is discussing a different topic, therefore you have a variety of fields to educate yourself about – from military conflicts to women’s rights. 

MUNs allow individuals to gain confidence in public speaking and as well as in interpersonal communication. During committee sessions, you prepare and deliver speeches in the more formal form of the English language, and at coffee breaks, you can casually converse with your co-attendants and get to know new people.

In case you still have not been convinced to participate in MUNs, despite all the arguments presented so far, we might have to call back to the whole “securing your future” aspect. Attending these conferences will be an internationally recognized addition to your CV, which might be useful while applying to universities.

With all that being said, we hope to see you at the Tadeusz Czacki Model United Nations conference, which will take place from February 23rd to 25th, 2024. The delegate applications have opened on November 18th, so don’t miss this chance to gain an amazing experience and apply as soon as possible!