Model UN students around the world are constantly searching for new ways to improve their performances in committees and the quality of their research material. Some students choose to read international relations or political science journals to expand their knowledge on foreign policy and the complexities of the political world; others prefer to watch or read the news every day to keep themselves updated with everything that is happening around the world. There are certainly many ways to improve as a delegate, but those mentioned above are not the only ways to do so.
With the rise of smartphones and tablets, comes the increase in “apps” (applications) available to the average gadget-user. It is important to note that apps are not useful for simply playing games or sharing pictures with your friends. They can also be used for keeping up with breaking news, expanding your knowledge of numerous topics, improving your performance in committee session, and helping you to access information quickly outside committee sessions or during unmoderated caucuses (but always check your conference’s policy on the use of technology first!).
Below you will find a list of useful apps that will help you prepare for all aspects of any conference.
1. Model UN App
Created by Bellwether, the Model UN app is an incredible source of information to have for any Model UN student in their smartphone or tablet. The absolute best thing about this app is that it works even without the internet. This app features:
- The list of preambulatory and operative clauses
- The UN Charter
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- World Map
- The UN Systems Chart (Useful for the understanding the structure of the United Nations)
- Factbook
- UN News (Latest News Updates)
- List of NGOs completed with individual profiles
This app is very handy when you need to quickly look up UN-related information or a country’s profile, as well as when it is time to write resolutions, considering its list of relevant clauses and easily accessible NGOs.
Available through iTunes and the Google Play Store
2. TED
As a Model UN student that always wants to be in the know, you have probably already heard about TED or spend hours on the website watching videos about life changing, innovative ideas. To those who haven’t discovered this amazing website or conference yet, TED is a basically platform devoted to spreading knowledge. TED conferences and events are held daily around the world and many of the talks or presentations in those conferences can be found in the TED website and also in their app. The TED app has over 1,400 TED Talk videos. The app provides subtitles for the videos and you can also download your favorite videos and view them off line. Watching TED talks is a great way to learn about new approaches taken by scholars around the world to tackle global issues.
Available through iTunes and the Google Play Store
3. News Apps
There are numerous apps created by news stations and newspaper companies with the purpose of providing technology users with the latest breaking news. News apps are overall quite similar. They report similar news and have analogous interfaces. Based on the overall rankings of news apps in numerous websites, we recommend the NY Times, CNN, Thomson Reuters News, and Press Reader.
The CNN app is particularly good for quick and short updates for news. The app is really easy to navigate and you can access fell length articles completed with photos and videos. You can also enable push notifications to receive a notification when anything big happens around the world. For those who enjoy reading newspaper, you might like the Press Reader better. The Press Reader has over 2,300 full-content newspapers from 100+ countries and in 55+ languages. The Press Reader can come in handy when you need to find news about a country in particular.
Available through iTunes and the Google Play Store
4. Office Suite 7 for Android Users/ Document 5 for Apple Product Users
Many readings for conference preparation come in the form of Word documents or PDF files and sometimes it can be a hassle to print out everything and carry them around, especially since laptops and computers are not always readily accessible. Apps such as Office Suite 7 or Document 5 could prove useful to Model UN students. You can download the documents you want to read and easily access them in your smartphone or on your tablet. These apps also come with features that allow you to take notes while you read and highlight the parts that you would want to look back onto. This app would not only be useful for reading international relations journals or press releases but also for reading your background guide for the conference.
Other Apps that you might find helpful:
- UN CountryStats
- WDI Data Finder
- The World in Figures by the Economist
- Humanitarian Kiosk
- Apps made by Publishers such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Time Magazine, The Economist, Newsweek (Some of the publications might have to be purchased)
These are only few of the many apps that Model UN students could use to simplify their research process and to improve their performance as a delegate. Technology is a powerful tool for expanding your knowledge and Model UN students should take full advantage of it. However, always keep mind that the apps suggested above are not supposed to replace the research that you should do for every conference. They are tools that will help you through the process. Furthermore, always respect your conference’s rules for using electronic devices inside and outside committee rooms.
If you have any other apps that you have found useful as a delegate please comment below!
Images found at:
(http://www.cultofmac.com/268228/readdles-documents-5-focuses-ios-7-redesign-app-ecosystem/)
(http://samadmalik.com/officesuite-pro-7-v7-4-apk/)
(http://www.techdigest.tv/2011/05/app_of_the_day_39.html)
(http://www.modelunitednations.org/)
