“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin

Being a delegate comes with certain responsibilities. To make the Delegation experience and participation to HNMUN a success, we need delegates that are committed, participate actively, and are willing to work hard for the program.

We require you to invest both time and effort to make the most out of The Delegation, for both yourself and your fellow delegates. We thus expect from you that you can invest twelve to fifteen hours (on average) per week in The Delegation (traveling and social activities excluded). This implies that in addition to the weekly six-hour meetings on Friday, you will need time to prepare for at least six to nine hours per week. This preparation, for instance, includes (academic) readings, assignments, and research for MUN topics. The Delegation is an intense and intimate program, which can only flourish if the entire group is committed to (help each other) develop rapidly. Experience has shown that the program is more rewarding if all delegates invest sufficient time, both professionally and personally. Therefore, you may only be absent for a maximum of two Friday sessions. In special circumstances, a third session may be missed, however, in this case, you are required to make an additional assignment. Missing more than three sessions will lead to exclusion from the Delegation.

Activity	Amount	Duration (hrs)	Load (hrs)
Meetings (September – February)	18	6	108
Weekly assignments and literature	18	6	108
Research and Position Papers	4	16	64
Training Week in New York	5 days	6	30
Total			310

The fees for the United Netherlands Delegation are divided into two parts:

Participation fee: If you are accepted to the Delegation, you are required to pay a participation fee. This fee is your contribution to the preparatory track in the Netherlands and covers training locations, course materials, training, and lectures. Please note it is not used to cover any personal costs you should make on Friday sessions; such as travel expenses to Nijmegen or food expenses. In 2020-2021 the participation fee will consist of 250 euros.

Installment fee: This fee covers the standard travel and accommodation package United Netherlands offers for the international conferences. This thus includes travel to and from Oxford, the hostel in Oxford, hotels in New York and Boston, the bus transfer from New York to Boston, and conference fees/social packs for both the Oxford and Harvard conferences we attend. Please note that flight tickets to and from the United States are not included. In 2020-2021, the installment fee will be 1050 euros plus or minus a certain margin (with a maximum margin of 10%). This margin depends on currency exchange rates and variable costs. The exact margin will be communicated at the end of the year.

The installment fee will be deducted at intervals throughout the semester:

1st Participation Fee	€ 250	25 July 2020
1st installment	€ 210	26 August 2020
2nd installment	€ 210	25 September 2020
3rd installment	€ 210	25 October 2020
4th installment	€ 210	25 November 2020
5th installment	€ 210	23 December 2020

Please note that the delegates selected in the Fall Selection will follow a slightly different payment schedule.

Financial aid: Fortunately, there are good possibilities for financial aid. Foremost, most universities will give you a substantial amount. Our board can help you find the right body in your university and provide you with formats for application letters. Of course, you are free to search for any additional sources of financial support. If you start right after you have been selected to our delegation you will have ample time to acquire funds for the trip.

MUN, or Model United Nations, is a simulation of the United Nations meant to let you experience what it is like to work as a diplomat in this multilateral institution. Every delegation is assigned a country (e.g. Australia, Brazil or China), which it will represent in a particular UN committee, ranging from the Security Council (15 countries) to the General Assembly (193 countries). Your mission is to seek solutions to global problems, while also successfully looking after the interests of the country you represent. As you get assigned a county (and consequently a certain position on the topic discussed) MUN allows you to broaden your perspective and learn to frame your arguments in a convincing and diplomatic manner – no matter which country you represent.

Throughout this simulation, there is, on the one hand, a moderated debate where you can give formal speeches about your country’s position, and on the other hand, unmoderated (more informal) negotiations where you can lobby with other countries and write resolutions which can be discussed during the debate. The results of your efforts will be a written resolution, which has to be adopted by the majority of the members presents.

Owing to the dynamic interplay of international relations, diplomacy, public speaking, negotiation, and leadership; MUN is a perfect vehicle for developing and testing relevant skills! Please note that previous experience in MUN is NOT a requirement for participating in the Delegation. The program in itself will ensure that you are ready to compete at the conferences.

In November you will be ready for your first real-life MUN experience! OxIMUN at Oxford University will be your first test case where you can show how much you have advanced over just a couple of weeks. You will be assigned to individually represent a country in a particular United Nations committee and will represent this position in the debate during the three-day conference. Together with the Delegation, you will stay in a hostel, meaning that even though you are by yourself in your committee, you can easily share your experiences with your fellow delegates and trainers. Also, OxIMUN hosts fun socials in the evenings to unwind from the challenging committee sessions during the day. All in all, this experience will also be highly beneficial for your performance at Harvard.

In the week before HNMUN, the Delegation has five days of intensive final preparation in New York! The goal of this week is to get some final inspiration, as well as time to prepare (together with your partner). In HNMUN most (but not all) committees are double delegate, meaning that you will represent a country in a committee together with a fellow delegate. This teamwork requires some extra preparation and expectation management, for which the training week also allows time! The program consists of final training relevant to HNMUN as well as visits to inspiring institutions in New York, such as the United Nations Headquarters and Council on Foreign Relations. During the evening, the board also provides an optional social program. After the intensive week, you will also get a few days off before HNMUN to relax and explore New York!

When you enter the conference arena in Boston, you will find yourself optimally prepared for the 66th edition of the Harvard National Model United Nations. This is the oldest, largest and arguably the most prestigious Model United Nations (MUN) in the world. Meeting high level delegations from all over the world, is both a cultural experience as well as an individual challenge. Over four days, you and your committee will have a debate with the goal to pass a favorable resolution. While some committees consist of double delegations, others are single and as each committee simulates a different United Nations body the committee sizes can thus vary between 15-120 students! Participating in HNMUN is a once in a life-time experience and nothing like any other MUN in the world. Students taking part are over all highly dedicated students who attend prestigious American universities such as Yale University, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania as well as many international universities. It is truly an opportunity to measure yourself with the best and realize how much you have learned over the course of the Delegation, because we will make sure you are ready to compete with them!

The Senior Board of Studies is responsible for safeguarding the academic quality of the ‘United Nations Multilateral Diplomacy: Theory and Practice’ course. The academic content of this track includes lectures, research papers, the academic exam and other assignments. The Senior Board of Studies works in close conjunction with the United Netherlands Board to set up the academic program. Prof. Dr. H. Bak. – American Literature & American Studies (Chairman) Dr. B. Bomert – Centre for International Conflict Analysis and Management Rosa Möhrlein – LLM International Law Dr. T. Eimer – International Relations & International Political Economy Drs. J. van den Broek – Faculty of Science