What do Singapore, Portugal and Chicago have to do with the University of Minnesota? Quite a lot for the University’s Model United Nations (UMN MUN).
The UMN MUN will be portraying the two United Nations member states of Portugal and Singapore at the American Model United Nations International’s (AMUN) 2024 conference in Chicago from Saturday to Tuesday.
AMUN aims to create the most realistic United Nations simulations possible with the most up-to-date information while also ensuring student delegates learn, according to the AMUN website.
The UMN MUN team will participate in the simulation of several United Nations committees as well as simulating membership in the General Assembly, Security Council and World Health Association, according to the team’s Vice President Nicole Schultz.
“When you first get to committee, it’s this huge open room where over 100 kids are sitting,” Schultz said. “All of their little placards with their country names on it. Once you start debate, it’s like pedal to the metal, everyone lobbies for their own interests.”
Schultz said the majority of the team’s work will be in forming coalitions with other teams, drafting policies beneficial to the team’s interests and publicly defending those policies on the floor of the General Assembly.
“Having to defend (policy) later on the floor is a super cool, rounded experience,” Schultz said. “You get to learn all facets of policy, research and writing as well as future implementation practices.”
Team president Connor Pernice said policy development has been one of the team’s main focuses this semester.
“Really just getting your hands dirty and figuring out the nitty-gritty details that go into policies,” Pernice said. “You can write all sorts of stuff on paper but nothing translates right unless you actually know what you’re doing.”
Pernice said other areas of focus this semester included community advocacy, which was highlighted by the group’s Human Rights Gala, hosted Friday.
Schultz, Pernice and the team’s General Secretary Soham Gupta said they had high hopes for the team’s performance at this year’s conference.
“We have some really great delegates going,” Gupta said. “These are all people who have the potential to win if they put in the work.”
Pernice said the team has performed well in previous years, highlighting the team’s public speaking and resolution writing ability.
“Some attend this conference because it’s part of their class,” Pernice said. “We’re going here for fun and to hone our own skills, and we perform wonderfully.”
Schultz said some of the team’s goals for this year’s conference would be winning committee awards and developing connections with teams from other attending colleges and universities.
The conference will be hosted at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk Hotel from Saturday to Tuesday with committee meetings and events starting at 8:30 a.m. and the latest meeting ending at 3 a.m., according to the AMUN website.
