Programs and activities
Overview
United Netherlands offers the following knowledge and skill-based educational programs and activities:
- The Delegation, and its corresponding, accredited UNMD preparatory track
- Radboud International Model United Nations conference (RiMUN)
- High School Program (HSP)
- Harvard WorldMUN 2009
- Symposia
- Alumni activities
This unique organization is able to offer its special programs due to the variety of academic backgrounds that it attracts and the synergy this creates. With these programs we provide young, ambitious students a platform to reflect on international affairs, seek solutions for complex global problems and stimulate them to reach their full potential.
More detailed information about our programs can be found via the menu on the left.
1. The Delegation and the UNMD preparatory track
Each year United Netherlands selects approximately 30 students from varying study backgrounds to form a delegation. The purpose: to learn about the United Nations and international diplomacy, to acquire essential skills, and to participate in two popular Model United Nations conferences, first at Oxford University (OxIMUN) and finally at Harvard University (HNMUN).
Participants receive expert lectures on fields such as international relations, international law and international political economy. But there is also a pragmatic side. Students will be trained in debating, negotiation, and public speaking. These skills will be sharpened up during an intensive training week in New York.
The lessons learned will be brought into practice during Model United Nations conferences at Oxford and Harvard. At Harvard, the oldest MUN conference in the world, United Netherlands has been winning delegation awards for six straight years.
The preparatory track is unique in its kind in the Netherlands. The quality of the program is equally guaranteed by the 10 EC accreditation from the Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen and the repeated successes of United Netherlands at HNMUN. Spanning every background, from law, social sciences to physics and civil engineering, the diversity of the delegates ensures fresh, multidisciplinary perspectives. Over the years the course has proven to be a stepping stone for delegates to take on global issues effectively.
2. Radboud international Model United Nations Conference (RiMUN)
United Netherlands organizes an international Model United Nations for university teams from all over the world. RiMUN's mission is to pursue practical knowledge of international relations among students in a competitive setting with a focus on content and reflection. By placing the topics of the conference in an ethical, philosophical, and academic context, RiMUN aims to promote reflection among the participating students. This unique feature, that aims at creating a balance between idealism and realism, sets RiMUN apart from other MUNs. For more information about previous conferences, please see the RiMUN website.
3. High School Program (HSP)
Through the High School Program, United Netherlands brings the experience and knowledge of her alumni to high school students. Over the course of three days, high school students are trained like diplomats in a program that is derived from United Netherlands' preparatory track for the Harvard National Model United Nations conference. After these days, the high school students participate in a Model United Nations conference organized by United Netherlands on the university campus of the Radboud University.
During the program, high school students will learn about international diplomacy and the United Nations, but they will also learn and improve various valuable skills such as public speaking and the ability to cooperate effectively.
United Netherlands ensures the quality of the program by only using certified trainers that have enjoyed extensive training in the skills that they will be teaching. Additionally, all the trainers have participated in renowned MUN-conferences such as OxiMUN (Oxford University) and HNMUN (Harvard University).
The program is designed to be fun and accessible, while making sure that it also challenges students and allows them to learn and develop themselves as global citizens.
4. Harvard WorldMUN 2009
In 2009, United Netherlands hosted Harvard WorldMUN 2009, one of the world's largest Model UN conferences. This large event was held in the legal capital of the world, The Hague, and attracted more than 2500 partipants from all over the world, making it the largest WorldMUN conference so far.
Dubbed the "Olympics of Model UN", WorldMUN moves to a new international city each year and attracts more than 2,000 college and graduate students from more than 60 countries, making it the largest traveling collegiate-level Model UN conference in the world. The events provide delegates with an amazing way to experience the host-country and to learn from students from around the world.
In 2009 United Netherlands was delighted to host Avishai Margalit, philosopher Oscar van den Wijngaard and Mr. Mariwan Kanie. In a discussion that centered around "Occidentalism and the Media" students were stimulated to reflect on the importance of this topic and its effect on current international relations and conflicts.
In December 2007, United Netherlands organized a symposium, in cooperation with Soeterbeeck Programme, where students discussed the new Human Rights strategy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Verhagen.
At the first United Netherlands symposium on the 26th of May 2005 former prime minister Dries van Agt and minister Alexander Pechtold spoke about the meaning of 'courage' in our modern society.
For its alumni network, United Netherlands and AMUNli, its alumni association, organize a wide range of activities. These include among others seminars, receptions, a recurring Alumni Gala event, and the World Foresight Forum 2011, where United Netherlands provided participants, moderators and rapporteurs during the event.
