After a two-year hiatus of attending Model UN conferences in person, I visited the Harvard National Model United Nations Conference (HNMUN) last month, hosted at the Marriott Copley in Boston, Massachusetts, from February 10-13, 2022.

Harvard National Model United Nations 2022 Secretariat, Led by Secretary-General Andrew Kim

I was looking forward to the conference, firstly because it is Harvard; I have fond memories attending as an undergrad and blogging for BD, when the conference was held at the Boston Park Plaza. I was also curious to learn more about their COVID policies and procedures. But I was really eager to see the Model UN community coming back in person, and I want to see this generation of MUNers and student leaders in action.

Hosting a Major Model UN Conference in the COVID Era

On the Friday afternoon of the conference, I met with HNMUN Secretary-General Andrew Kim. As we toured various committees, I asked him about HNMUN’s COVID policies, procedures, and precautions, and what it was like to host a major college conference in the COVID era.

Ryan with Harvard National Model United Nations 2022 Secretary-General Andrew Kim

HNMUN Secretary-General Andrew Kim

I admired Andrew and his Secretariat’s commitment to organizing a conference during the COVID era. I realize this is a challenge that many colleges and schools have faced in the past year.

Observing the Futuristic General Assembly On Digital Security

Of the committees I observed on Friday, my favorite was the Futuristic General Assembly on Digital Security, led by Director Nancy Hu. I started to get into crypto recently, and I really do think blockchain technologies, particularly the fields of decentralized finance (DeFi) and web3, will change how we all do business and interact online. So it was cool to see a committee dedicated to the topic of cryptocurrency, NFTs, and digital security, exploring the opportunities but more importantly the risks.

Futuristic General Assembly on Digital Security, Led by Director Nancy Hu

Besides my personal interest in the topic, I think it’s valuable for Model UN conferences to give students the opportunity to explore topics that will be relevant to their careers.

Model UN Delegates Working on Resolutions on Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Technology

From Attending the MUN Institute to Becoming Harvard's Head Delegate

I had a wonderful moment meeting a former student, Oscar Berry, HNMUN’s Under-Secretary-General of Specialized Agencies and incoming Head Delegate of Harvard’s Model UN team. Oscar attended the Model United Nations Institute in 2014 and 2015, at our middle school programs hosted at Harvard Law School.

Harvard National Model UN Crisis Staff, Led by USG Specialized Agencies Oscar Berry

It’s very rewarding to see students who have gone through Best Delegate programs continue to cultivate their passion for global issues and become leaders of their school’s Model UN programs.

Harvard Head Delegate Oscar Berry

Best Delegate Staff Meet Up

In addition to meeting MUN Institute alumni, I had the opportunity to meet several members of Best Delegate’s staff in person. We’ve been working together virtually over the past two years on our monthly Model UN conferences, our semester-long Model UN Teams, and virtual Model UN summer camps. It was great to see them in person, representing their assigned countries and their schools, and finally put faces (and masks!) to Zoom screens.

Ryan with Best Delegate Staff: Sadie Testa-Secca, Alex Sutton, Julia Masterman, Jasmine Ortiz, and Ashley Weathers

Closing Ceremonies and Delegation Awards

I returned on Sunday for HNMUN’s Closing Ceremonies. COVID may have forced conferences to make changes to their policies but it has not diminished the energy and enthusiasm of MUN students during Closing Ceremonies!

Harvard National Model UN and the Resolution Project

Before getting into the awards, I will say that HNMUN does a good job recognizing delegates in ways that are not about competition in committee. Closing Ceremonies featured the conference’s partnership with the Resolution Project, which is a social venture competition (started by a past HNMUN Secretary-General and Director-General) that provides students with mentorship and seed funding for their projects. I felt there was as much pride and energy for getting these projects funded, as there was for winning Best Delegate.

As awards were being called out, I stayed at the back of the closing ceremonies room, both to take in the moment and also to watch other delegations. It was funny to me to see how the various head delegates taking notes on Google Sheets on who is winning awards, as a way of forecasting which school is going to win delegation awards (and presumably also tracking their performance for Best Delegate Rankings). It’s funny to me because we did the same thing when I was in university — except it was on pad and paper! And we didn’t have Rankings yet. Now I’m feeling my age.

And the delegation awards went to…

Best Large Delegation: Georgetown University
Outstanding Large Delegation: Universidad Metrpolitana
Best International Delegation: Universidad Catolica Andres Bello
Best Small Delegation: Boston University
Outstanding Small Delegation: United States Military Academy at West Point

Georgetown was particularly excited to win their first delegation award at Harvard. In recent years (ever since I started visiting MUN conferences), Georgetown’s high school Model UN conference, NAIMUN, was always on the same Valentine’s Day weekend as HNMUN, so Georgetown never sent a delegation to Harvard, until this year.

Thank You HNMUN!

I know COVID has made everything more challenging for the leaders of Model UN conference and the students who attend them. At Best Delegate, we’re going through this challenge ourselves as we gear up to return in person for our summer camps. We are taking COVID precautions very seriously and it’s taken a lot of time and energy to create policies and procedures that will ensure a safe and fun student experience, and it’s worth it. So I’ve got to admire the Model UN conferences who decide to go back in person and take their COVID precautions seriously.

Thank you Andrew Kim and the HNMUN Secretariat for having me visit my first in-person Model UN conference in two years! Congratulations on a wonderful conference, and whether it’s virtual or in person, I hope to see you again on the circuit soon!

Bringing Back the Model UN Community, Safely: Highlights from the 2022 Harvard National Model United Nations Conference (HNMUN)