Want to be a member of the UN?

08 / 02 / 2017 | Jasmijn Kol

Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a member of the United Nations and to find diplomatic solutions to large societal problems? Then the Model United Nations (MUN) in May might be something for you.

UT Nieuws talked to Elise de Groote (19, AT), Varun Sudhakar (18, AT) and Sevim Aktas (19, AT), three of the organizers of the event which will take place from the 12^th until the 14^th of May at the University of Twente.

First of all, what is the MUN?

Varun: ‘In its essence, it is a simulation of the United Nations. As a participant, you represent a country in a certain committee. For example, I can represent India and, on a certain topic, I have to represent my country’s values and interests, debate the topic with the other involved countries and find solutions to the given problem.’

Elise: ‘There are many things you can learn from participating in the event, for example how to find solutions to certain societal problems, but also how to increase your debating skills and your ability to convince others, how to lobby and how to improve your public speaking skills. Those are all important traits for any university student.’

Sevim: ‘It is also a great opportunity to get in contact with students from different backgrounds, because it is a very interdisciplinary and multicultural experience.’

What makes the UT a good setting for the MUN?

Elise: ‘Our personal approach is that politics should be a representation of society and as a technical student you are often not involved in politics or are regarded as an outsider in political debates. However, technology is a very important part of society, which is why we want students to get more involved in the political debate through the platform of the MUN.’

Varun: ‘We want to show that the technical conversation can be part of the general debate. This differs from the MUN’s that take place around the world, because they usually don’t get into the more technological topics, while we want to highlight them during this event.’

Enrollment for the event will start on the 13^th of March and any UT student is welcome to enroll. To do so, a short motivation letter is required. Selected participants will be placed within a certain committee and country based on their experience and personal preference. For more information, please check out the Facebook page of the MUN or send an e-mail to [email protected] .