Study Guide [N.]

Definition:
A written document to facilitate learning and work preparation.

The goal of a MUN conference is to produce a document to solve the selected issue in your committee. Study Guides on the committee topics are released early before the MUN conference. They provide crucial information and guidance for delegation preparation ahead of the conference.

These study guides follow a general structure:

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Roll Call [N.]

Definition:
The reading aloud of a list of names of people, as in a classroom or military post, to determine who is present or absent; a voting process, esp. in the U.S. Congress, in which legislators are called on by name and allowed either to cast their vote or to abstain.

A Model UN conference begins with a roll call, during which staff of the Dais reads aloud the names of each member state in the committee. When a delegate's country's name is called, he or she may respond "present" or "present and voting." A delegate responding "present and voting" may not abstain on a substantive vote. Taking the roll call is important for calcuation of the required votes for different procedures.

Derivatives:

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Page [N.]


Definition:
An attendant or employee, usually in uniform, who carries messages, ushers guests, runs errands, etc.; a person employed by a legislature to carry messages and run errands for the members, as in the U.S. Congress.

During a MUN conference, pages(some call them "ushers") help pass messages between delegates within a committee, as well as send messages to delegates in other committees. As introduced in the previous word, delegates may ask pages to help pass notes to the dais to be put on the speaker's list. In the United Nations, this is especially helpful when a delegate in a committee wants to get information to their ambassador in the General Assembly regarding

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Dais [N.]


Definition:
A stage, especially at one end of a room, on which people stand to make speeches to an audience；the group of people, usually high school or college students, in charge of a Model UN committee.

Officially, the Dais is the table upfront behind which the Chair sits. Practically,

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Placard[N.]

Definition:
A large written or printed notice that is put in a public place or carried on a stick in a march.

In MUN, rather than representing their homeland, delegates are assigned to represent a random country on the given issue. Everyone could be about just any country on the list. The placard is a piece of card with the assigned country's name on it that a delegate raises in the air to signal to the Chair that he or she wishes to speak.

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Gavel [N.]

Definition:
A small hammer used by a person in charge of a meeting or an auction, or by a judge in a court of law, in order to get people's attention.


A gavel is a respected tool in a MUN conference. The little hammer, either made of vintage wood or modern plastic, has the greatest say in the conference. It is used by the Chair to call for order and make announcements. One of the most exciting moments of a conference is when the Chair officially announces the floor open or closed with a solemn bang.

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Floor [N.]

Definition:
The part of a legislative chamber, meeting room, etc., where the members sit, and from which they speak; the right of one member to speak from such a place in preference to other members

The common meaning of the word "floor" is the surface of a room that we walk on. In a conference room, "the floor" means more than that layer of the building. In MUN, the floor is largely occupied by delegation seats and the podium where the Chair presides.
Having the floor all to yours is an expression of having the right to speak. Only one speaker may speak at a time, the rest quietly listening until his or her turn.

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Rules of Procedures (ROP) [N.]

Definition：
Set of rules adopted by a meeting to govern the work and decision making of its formal settings.

Every conference has its rules. MUN conferences that focus on international issues are no exception. In MUN, we abide by the Rules of Procedure(ROP), an adopted version of the Rules of Procedure the United Nations truly follows. These rules are self-sufficient, except for rules modified by the Secretariat or Chairs. No other rules are applicable. ROPs may slightly differ according to different customs, but they are all simple and clear. After an introduction to ROP prior to the event, you will see how such a set of rules benefits the large conference and keeps it in shape.

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Social Event [N.]

(photo of WorldMUN2009, The Hague, link here)

(photo of WorldMUN2007, Switzerland)


Definition：
An event of social entertainment, mostly at night; exciting activities where people gather and meet, often accompanied by music and dances and filled with laughter.


Social events are the important flavors of MUN. From the view of participating delegates, being bombarded with conference debates during the daytime, as is the case with real diplomats, delegates must to rest their mind at night. Social events well serve this need. At night, MUN delegates are given a taste of culture performances and decorations, delicate local cuisines, the smashing music and endless dances. Putting aside the serious issues, delegates meet fellow delegates, either allies or opponents, dressed up in the mood for entertainment. Through free talk and the exchanges of laughter, surprising undertable agreements absent in formal sessions can be easily reached. From the viewpoint of the Host Team, social events are the chances to showcase features of the Host City. In the case of WorldMUN2010, a series of events will be exquisitely designed to highlight Taipei, Taiwan.


Examples：
What’s the social event for tonight?

Maybe we should talk to the delegate of Sweden at the social event tonight. The cheerful atmosphere might help us to persuade her.

Definition:
A title for the outstanding delegates of a MUN conference.

The Diplomacy Award is awarded at the end of the MUN conference to outstanding delegates who have either contributed tremendously to conference documents or demonstrated a skill in directing the conference, establishing trust and prompting communication. A delegate as such is entitled "Best Delegate", or simply BD.

Examples:
Among the near 2,000 delegates, the two Taiwanese delegates shown in the picture above are on the list of Best Delegates in the WorldMUN2008, Puebla.

The ultimate goal of many delegates in a MUN conference is to become a BD.

Session [N.]

Definition：
A period of time that is spent doing a particular actctivity; a formal meeting or series of meetings of a court of law, a parliament, etc.; a period of time when such meetings are held.

MUN conferences are time consuming. Often the topic area of discussion is complicated and hard to solve or reach an agreement. For delegates to keep their minds sharp and clear, a MUN conference is divided into several sessions, each taking about three hours. One session can be seen as a time unit for a conference period. After continual sessions of discussion on the committee topic, delegates will have heard from all viewpoints the different dimensions of the issue. WorldMUN usually holds six sessions in each committee.

Derivatives:
rap session [N.] [Slang.] An informal discussion held especially by a group of people with similar concerns.
summer session [N.] a summer course/program
plenary session [N.] A meeting attended by everyone who has the right to attend.

Examples：
The next session will start at 14:00. If we want to have further discussion on the security problem before the session starts, we will have to finish our lunch before 13:00.

The COMEMUN program I participated in was made up of 4 three-hour sessions.

The MUN conference is now in session. / When will the conference be in session?

The Security Council met in closed session.

Chair [N.]



Definition:
The presiding officer of a meeting, organization, committee or event.

Different voices easily heats up debate. Opinions in a MUN conference can be as diverse and piercing. Let alone by themselves, delegates representing different countries is very likely to yell at one another for different aspects of the issue, letting the conference out of control. Therefore, a Chairperson (Chair), along with one or more Assistant Chairs sits in front and take full control of MUN conferences. The Chair is authorized to keep the whole committee in order, with help from Assistant Chairs.

Examples：
"Honorable Chair and my distinguished fellow delegates, the delegate of Mexico believes that the proposal made by delegate of Burkina Faso is reasonable enough and worth discussing. Thank you, Chair" the delegate stated at the beginning of his speech.

"The Chair now announces the floor officially open" is a common statement a Chair uses to begin the MUN conference.

Impromptu [Adj.]

Definition:
Done without preparation or planning.

Though delegates prepare hard before a MUN conference, you never know what is about to happen. You might have a good guess of what others have in mind on the issue, still the flow of discussion steers away easily to an unforeseen zone. Facing unexpected questions and situations, MUNers must react on the spot. Impromptu speech takes place most of the time and is a challenging yet rewarding skill. Distinguished delegates are often those apt in giving impromptu responses.

Examples:
He is a master at the craft of impromptu speeches.

Obama gave an impromptu press conference.

Agenda [N.]

Definition:
A list of items to be discussed at a meeting.

There are many topics and subtopics to be discussed during a MUN conference. It is important to organize items into a list at the beginning. That is, we set the agenda for discussion on the issue. An agenda is not limited to usage of MUN. It is a must for meetings of any scope and background. A clear agenda helps people grasp the gist of what is about to be discussed and improves efficiency. Notice how we drew the agenda at the first slide in the powerpoint below:

WorldMUN2010, Taipei Intro (Mandarin Version)

Examples:
What's on the agenda?

I would like to put topic A first on the agenda.

An agenda should be set for all meetings and presentations.

I'm afraid there is a hidden agenda behind this new proposal.

Bloc [N.]

Definition:

A group of countries that work closely together because they have similar political interests.

Delegates often form blocs in a MUN conference. After everyone's general statement is heard, those with a similar interest will seek to work together. Delegates often write notes to countries of a similar interest or goal and support one another in their speeches. During recess it is not suprising to see a split of large blocs discussing in circles about their strategies. Forming blocs helps gain support from small or neutral countries. Allies are important on votes.

Examples:

Opposing blocs often struggle to convince one another of their points.

Iceland's application to join the EU bloc has raised some concern among EU aspirants in southern Europe that it could leapfrog them to become the next EU member, slowing reforms and fuelling discontent with their accession processes.

The terms Eastern Bloc, Communist Bloc or Soviet Bloc were used to refer to the former Communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, including the countries of the Warsaw Pact, along with Yugoslavia and Albania, which were not aligned with the Soviet Union after 1948 and 1960 respectively. [quote]

Issue

Definition:
[N.] An important topic that people are discussing or arguing about.
[V.] To make something known formally (officially)

What do MUN delegates gather for? All of these country representatives assemble to discuss on international issues: MUNers do research, discuss and debate on pressing international issues and resolve to work out a Resolution. Materials and textbooks arrive at us at school after a long period of research, editing and publishing. We live in a rapidly changing world; we must engage ourselves into international affairs to keep up with its pace. This is what MUN seeks to do: to prepare students with a sense of global citizenship.

Derivatives:
major issue
side issue

Examples:
In a MUN conference, delegates raise a controversial issue for debate and strive to resolve the problem.

Don't confuse the issue.

"The media reports of Swine Flu seem to increase even as the issue of health care reforms seems to stay solidly on the front burner." [quote]

"The World Health Organization (WHO) recently [issued] surveillance and status updates for regions where the pandemic H1N1 is just gaining a foothold, including the Mideast, Africa, and parts of Asia and the Pacific, which showed Southeast Asia as the hardest hit of those areas." [quote]

(photo link: [go])

Delegate

Definition:
[N.] A person who is chosen or elected to represent the views of a group of people and vote and make decisions for them.

[V.] To give part of your work, power or authority to somebody in a lower position than you.




Students are randomly assigned a country to represent before a MUN conference. They are recognized as country delegates. Delegates must do research, debate and vote in the conference with other fellow delegates as if they were diplomats of the country they represent.

Derivatives:
Delegation [N] A group of people who represent the views of an organization or country.

eg. Single Delegate
eg. Double Delegate => A delegation

Examples:
The MUN conference was attended by delegates from 50 countries.
I've been delegated to organize this blog.
The French delegation is in fierce debate with the delegate of USA.

Perspective [N.]


Definition:
A particular attitude towards something; a way of thinking of something;
The ability to think about problems and decisions in a reasonable way without exaggeration.

This word is one of the basic elements of MUN. Have you ever thought of why we chose to model "the UN?" Because the UN is a parliament of nations: hundreds of member states assemble to discuss on a pressing issue, each with its own interest and unique point of view. MUN seeks to cultivate the skill to penetrate through a web of conflicting interest and think independently. For students on the threshold to the complicated society, a sense of perspective is a must to survive.

Examples:
Krugman often views an issue from a historical perspective.
MUN activities are aimed to provide students with a global perspective.
Debating with others can often help to put your own problems into perspective.

MUN = Model United Nations [N.]

Definition:
A simulation of the United Nations Conferences. Model United Nations is commonly known as "Model UN" or simply "MUN." It gives students a chance to step into the shoes of diplomats and discuss on hotly debated global issues. Students not only share creative thoughts during the day, but also experience culture-oriented social events at night. MUN is highly popular around the world.

Derivatives:
MUNer [N.] One who participates in MUN activities.

Examples:
eg. This is my first MUN experience.
eg. MUN is popular at high school and university levels around the world.
eg. Follow our steps and have fun as a MUNer as we do!


Photo1: From a MUN Conference

Photo2: The United Nations Building