Chemnitz Delegation at the United Nations receives the highest award

During the world’s largest and most professional simulation of the United Nations (UN) the team from TU Chemnitz won four of the coveted awards, including the “Outstanding Delegation Award"

The delegation of TU Chemnitz successfully gained four awards and was among the best teams that participated in the National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference from March 20th to 24th, 2016. In competing with numerous universities, many of which are renowned ones, the team impressed, just like in the years before, with an astonishing high level of competence. Every year about 5,500 students from more than 400 universities from 57 countries participate in the realistic conference that takes place in New York City.
During the four-day conference, the delegates from Chemnitz represented the positions of the Central African State of Chad, delivering speeches in English, the conference language, negotiating compromises and writing as well as voting on resolutions. For their committed and genuine representation of “their” country and their excellent participation during the UN simulation, the delegation of TU Chemnitz received the highest commendation, the “Outstanding Delegation Award”. Among the 16 participating German universities, Chemnitz scored 2nd place in the overall ranking and is, for the 13th time in a row, the only Saxon university that took part in the conference.
For their exceptional performance and commitment in the UN Security Council and the General Assembly Fourth Committee, which focuses on special political questions and decolonization, two “Outstanding Delegates in Committee Awards” being bestowed to the group from Chemnitz. Another success was the “Outstanding Position Paper Award”, which the team of the General Assembly First Committee received for their excellent preparation on the positions and political aims of the country represented, regarding the topics of the simulation.

To be well prepared for NMUN, the team from Chemnitz had weekly meetings, each lasting several hours, from October 2015 on. During those sessions, the delegates did not only get to know the Rules of Procedure of the United Nations, but also accomplished intensive research about Chad. Yet before heading to New York, the newly acquired knowledge had to be ensured during two conferences in Hamburg and Chemnitz to test if the skills learnt during training could be applied in practice.

Preparing for the journey to the UNs headquarter, the delegation went to the capital of the United States where they went to put a final touch to their skills. During their stay in Washington D.C. the team visited the Chadian and the German Embassies, the World Bank, international office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and multiple renowned Think Tanks, among them Brookings, United States Institute of Peace and the American Institute for German Contemporary Studies. The highlights of the official appointments were the meetings with the Permanent Missions to the United Nations of Germany and Chad during the stay in New York.

What is the idea behind the UN simulation „National Model United Nations?

The National Model United Nations-Simulation, also known as NMUN, is a simulation and it is nearly as old as the UN itself. The so-called „Model United Nations“(MUN) are being held in high schools and universities in more than 40 countries around the world. Among these many MUN conferences, NMUN is the largest and most professional one. In addition to that, the participants of the NMUN conference are allowed to hold sessions in the tradition-steeped General Assembly Hall of the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The simulations aim to teach an unbiased and open stance towards other countries and different cultures, to get a grasp of the complex connections between international circumstances and negotiations, but also to prove negotiation skills and diplomatic tact.

Delegations from Chemnitz have been participating in NMUN since 2004 and have already won numerous awards. TU Chemnitz is the only Saxon university that rises to that challenge every year. In the past, our delegations represented the following countries: Macedonia, Georgia, Estonia, Vietnam, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Namibia, Ukraine, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Libya and Mali.

Our students are sharing their experiences from New York and Washington D.C. in a travel journal for "Uni aktuell": https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/uk/pressestelle/aktuell/1/7216

Homepage of the Chemnitz NMUN-Team: http://www.tu-chemnitz.de/nmun

Further information can be inquired from Magdalena Oertel, E-Mail magdalena.oertel@phil.tu-chemnitz.de.

Katharina Thehos
25.03.2016

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