National Model United Nations

National Model United Nations, or NMUN, is an international, college-level Model United Nations conference run by the National Collegiate Conference Association, a small non-profit based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The conference is globally the largest and among the most prestigious collegiate United Nations simulations.

NMUN is an experiential learning program in which participants work in cooperation to discuss and brainstorm solutions to issues facing the globe as model diplomats in the United Nations. Each delegation consists of students from a university or college who are assigned a country, whose role and position they take on in committees. Before the conference, students are expected to research that Member State’s history and its current perspective on international issues, and then represent that state in their assigned committee. The official language of the conference is English.

NMUN became a registered Non-Profit in 1968. Since then, it has grown substantially. Together over 5,973 students participated in NMUN conferences in fall of 2010 through spring 2011. These students came from 397 colleges and universities, and over 3,400 of the students came from outside of the United States.

The National Collegiate Conference Association’s seeks to advance understanding of the United Nations System and contemporary global issues through quality educational programs that emphasize collaboration and cooperative conflict resolution and prepare participants for active global citizenship.

The NMUN volunteer staff produces a background guide for each committee that is being simulated. These background guides encompass basic information on position papers, the long form of the committee's rules of procedure, and a thorough introduction to each of the three topics on the agenda as well as a committee history that explains the history and other basic facts about the committee. The materials are produced by the volunteer staff over a period of several months and undergo an internal review process to ensure a consistent quality of information across all topics and committees. Background guides are accompanied by an extensive, partly annotated, bibliography that identifies the most important sources for delegates on which to start their research. Background guides for NMUN-NY are usually posted in November for the conference in the following year, giving attending students ample time to prepare for the topics of the committee as well as the country they represent. A few weeks prior to the conference, the staff produces a shorter update to each of the topics on the agenda.

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