Being part of the Delegation means being trained with a group of approximately 30 bright and inspired students. You will learn how to convince others, speak in public and lobby effectively while reflecting upon your own development. Furthermore, you will receive academic lectures in all relevant aspects of international diplomacy; visit prestigious institutions; participate in Oxford International Model United Nations (OxIMUN); receive an intensive training week in New York; and participate in the Harvard National Model United Nations (HNMUN). Every year in February, Harvard University hosts the oldest, largest, and arguably, most respected Model United Nations conference in the world. Together with your fellow delegates of the United Netherlands Delegation, you will go to Boston to negotiate the best possible resolution for the country which the Delegation is representing during four intense days at the HNMUN conference.

What can you expect?
The Delegation prepares you to compete against the best students at Harvard National Model United Nations (HNMUN) via an intense preparatory track. The sessions in the Netherlands offer a unique introduction to the theory and practice of international diplomacy and are tailored to prepare you for HNMUN in particular. In addition to academic lectures, you will receive thorough training in public speaking, negotiation and lobbying from experienced student-trainers. The combination of academia, practical skills training and personal training allows you to develop yourself in no-time and ensures that you gain skills useful far beyond HNMUN.
From September onwards, you are expected to be present every Friday to develop a broad range of skills and improve your knowledge of various international issues and the field of diplomacy. Owing to these intense training days you will quickly improve on all aspects of your personal performance and are ready in November to test your progress for the first time at Oxford International Model United Nations (OxIMUN). Here you will compete with 600 students from over 60 countries in simulations of several United Nations committees. After coming back to the Netherlands, your upward journey will continue by reflecting on your performance as well as setting clear goals for what you want to achieve during the final months of the program. This preparatory track in the Netherlands all leads up to the Delegation’s trip to the USA, where delegates experience a training week in New York before participating in the most prestigious MUN conference in the world: Harvard National Model United Nations, here more than 3000 international students participate from over 70 countries worldwide! By this time you will be prepared to debate, negotiate, and lobby for four intensive days. Here you will have the opportunity to show that you are among the world’s finest future diplomats!
The preparatory track consisting of both academic and practical training, OxIMUN, the New York Training Week, and HNMUN together form the unique course United Nations and Multilateral Diplomacy: Theory and Practice (UNMD). The course is equivalent to a BA-3 course and completion of the course is awarded with 10 ECTS. Delegates are expected to hand in academic assignments and pass an academic exam, allowing them to possibly use these 10 ECTS as an elective in their own program. All delegates thus also receive a grade and certificate for completing the course. During the whole track, you will receive intensive training, coaching, and feedback from the United Netherlands Board, who carry the responsibility for The Delegation. They are highly experienced students who have committed themselves to teach the Delegation for a year to ensure you get the most out of this experience.
What do we expect from you?
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 |
Costs
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.
Why MUN ?
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.
Oxford International Model United Nations
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.
New York Training Week
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!
Harvard National Model United Nations

Senior Board of Studies
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