Welcome to our next edition of conference recap articles about Best Delegate’s VMUNC conferences! This past fall, Best Delegate launched the Virtual Model United Nations Conference (VMUNC) initiative. With training conferences and advanced invitationals scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year, VMUNC is a way for students to continue participating in Model UN conferences virtually during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic that has rendered in-person conferences impossible this year.
On December 12th, Best Delegate hosted more than 170 students at the West Coast MUN Invitational (WCMUNI), a conference for intermediate to advanced delegates primarily on the West Coast of the United States. And on December 13th, Best Delegate hosted more than 350 middle school and high school students at the December Training Conference – the perfect venue for newer Model UN delegates to hone their skills and get more confident about their public speaking skills. Read on to learn more about students’ experiences at these conferences!
December TRAINING CONFERENCE
The VMUNC December Training Conference had ten committees mainly focused on humanitarian topics for delegates to discuss. Like the November Training Conference, larger committees like UNICEF, UNEP, and UN Women were split into smaller committees to give beginner delegates a less intimidating environment.
According to conference staff, the December Training Conference was a huge success, with delegates learning a lot about Model UN and gaining skills they can use in future conferences. Delegates attended from all over the United States and the world, including the countries of Ghana, Turkey, Honduras, Indonesia, Guatemala, and Hungary.
We are so proud of the students that participated in the December Training Conference! Here is what some of the participants had to say:
“The UNICEF Middle School committee was active, creative, and passionate. Each delegate contributed to the debate and three strong, comprehensive resolutions were written. After a great Q&A session, each resolutions passed – demonstrating the successes of the delegates!”
– Jill, UNICEF Committee Chair
“Everyone in the committee was so nice and respectful of each other, which made it so much more fun! I really loved the respectful debate format.”
– Middle School UNICEF Delegate
West Coast MUN Invitational (WCMUNI)
As an invitational conference, WCMUNI was geared towards intermediate and advanced MUN delegates. Unique committees included the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), a United States Cabinet committee focused on US-China Relations, and ECOSOC focusing on the topic of Encouraging Entrepreneurship. Overall, WCMUNI was a great opportunity for more advanced delegates to further hone their Model UN skills and level up their strategic thinking.
The WCMUNI staff were impressed with the level of debate in each committee, especially given the challenging topics and crisis situations. Delegates were all constantly encouraging others to listen to their peers, and were active in summarizing the needs and requests of their fellow delegates.
Amazing job to all participants at WCMUNI – your dedication to honing your Model UN skills is admirable, and we hope to see you again soon. Here’s a message from one of the conference chairs:
My favorite moment from WCMUNI was simply listening to my delegates passionately debating the merits of their policies. It was interesting to engage with the different worldviews of every delegate and seeing them compromise to pass resolutions. Delegates engaged in serious, yet respectful debate during unmoderated caucuses. The delegates of UNODC should be proud of the accomplishment and I sincerely hope to see them in future debates!
– Richard, UNODC Committee Chair
WCMUNI Awards List
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Best Delegate: Rwanda
Outstanding Delegates: Indonesia, Egypt
Honorable Mentions: China, United States
Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM)
Best Delegate: United Arab Emirates
Outstanding Delegates: Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Madagascar
Honorable Mentions: Italy, Panama, Brazil, Morocco
UN Oceans
Best Delegate: Indonesia
Outstanding Delegates: Bahamas, Chile
Honorable Mentions: Mexico, Philippines, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, South Africa
UN Office on Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
Best Delegate: United States
Outstanding Delegate: France, India
Honorable Mentions: Turkey, Ukraine
UN Security Council (UNSC)
Best Delegate: China
Outstanding Delegates: Indonesia
Honorable Mentions: South Africa, Estonia
United States Cabinet
Best Delegate: US Trade Representative
Outstanding Delegate: Vice President
Honourable Mentions: Treasury Secretary, Attorney General
