TO: High School Model United Nations Advisors
FROM: Dr. Barry J. Balleck, Georgia Southern University Model United Nations Director
DATE: August 15, 2009
RE: 2010 Georgia Southern University High School Model United Nations Conference
INVITATION
It is my pleasure to invite you to participate in Georgia Southern University’s 39th Annual High School Model United Nations conference to be held this year February 11-13, 2010. Last year’s conference was a great success and the participation of over 400 students from Georgia and South Carolina. During the conference, students participated in simulations on topics such as the
promotion of new and alternative forms of energy, managing aging populations, upholding human
rights in the fight against terrorism, preventing an arms race in outer space, and many other topics of
great importance to the international community.
Please fill out the enclosed registration form as quickly as possible so that we can assign countries to your delegation. You can also register online on our website at the following address:
http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/international/modelun/Pages/index.htm
The registration fee is $10 per country assigned with a maximum amount of $60 charged to any school, regardless of the number of delegations assigned. There are also individual registration fees assessed by the Division of Continuing Education. These fees vary according to whether or not delegates choose a meal plan while on campus. Because of late withdrawals in the past which affects our
ability to plan appropriately, we will offer full refunds of registration fees to schools who
withdraw by JANUARY 29, 2010. After this date, there will be no refund of registration fees.
Please take note of this policy and plan accordingly.
MODEL UNITED NATIONS AT
GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
Georgia Southern University’s Model United Nations program has been in existence for 39
years, making it one of the longest-standing, continuous programs in the United States. Over the
past several years, our National Model United Nations (NMUN) delegation has been recognized for
its excellence in both overall delegation preparation and position paper writing. In the past two
years, Georgia Southern University’s NMUN delegation has been recognized as an outstanding
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delegation, the highest recognition granted by the National Model United Nations Conference. In
addition, Georgia Southern has been granted outstanding distinction for its outstanding position
papers for six of the last seven years. Members of the Georgia Southern University NMUN
delegation conduct each of our Model United Nations conferences, bringing their knowledge and
experience of Model United Nations to your students. We want to emphasize that our conferences
are first, and foremost, educational experiences designed to provide your students with a greater
understanding of international events and the global community. During the course of your students’
experiences at Georgia Southern’s High School Model UN Conference, they will learn the
complexities of diplomacy – including the give and take involved in writing resolutions and securing
their passage – as well as the art of parliamentary procedure. Most, if not all, students come away
from the Model United Nations experience with a renewed appreciation for the process of peace and
cooperation. Many, if not all, come to realize that global cooperation cannot be achieved by being
passive bystanders. They must become active participants. We sincerely hope that you and your
students will avail yourselves of the wonderful experience that is Model United Nations.
COMMITTEES/PLAN OF CONFERENCE
This year, the three-day High School Model United Nations Conference will include
simulations of the United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Security Council, the
African Union (AU), and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). In addition, this
year we will be conducting a simulation of the Human Rights Council. Currently, every country in
the United Nations is undergoing an extensive review of their human rights policies over the course
of the next several years. The Human Rights Council is an integral part of this review. The reason
for choosing these organizations is to provide diversity in representation of countries, but also to
cover the range of issues represented by these organizations. Members of each committee will be
listed below.
As in the past, the conference will include one or two “crisis scenarios”– simulated world
crises testing the diplomatic skills of the students and their ability to resolve conflicts peacefully. As
always, Georgia Southern University is committed to making your experience at the High School
Model United Nations an educational and memorable event.
Because of the success which we have enjoyed in the last several years, we are again planning
this year to make the Security Council simulation more closely resemble those at other national
conferences. The Security Council this year will consider four topics (listed below). A background
guide for each topic will be provided along with material to help students in their preparation. We
are again very pleased this year to have directing our Security Council simulation Mr. Joshua Adler.
Josh is a former Georgia Southern Model UN student and has been on the staff at the National Model
UN Conference for the past several years. In 2006, Josh served as the Undersecretary for the
Security Council simulations at the National Conference in New York City. We welcome his
expertise to our conference. Because we anticipate the Security Council simulation to be
extremely in-depth, we recommend that you assign experienced students to this committee,
particularly those which may have participated in the Security Council simulation before.
The Saturday portion of the program will again bring the African Union, the Organization of
the Islamic Conference, and the Human Rights Council committees back into the General Assembly
on Saturday morning for a Plenary session. The Security Council, however, will remain in its own
session on Saturday (this will be the historic simulation). As was the case last year, we envision that
1-2 of the most pertinent and well written resolutions from each of these committees will be
considered by the General Assembly on that day. Each delegation from these committees will join
with their General Assembly counterparts to debate the resolutions which will be provided for that
day. We hope that these changes will challenge your students and add to the experiences which we
hope to provide.
I am pleased to announce that we will again have full computer services at this year’s
conference, including internet access in our computer commons area as well as printing capability.
We have secured several new computers and printers which should make your students’ ability to
produce high quality resolutions much easier.
REGISTRATION
Please fill out the enclosed registration form as quickly as possible so that we can begin assigning countries. You may also e-mail me your country requests and I will try to honor as many as possible. You can also register and submit your country requests via our website at:
http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/international/modelun/Pages/index.htm
If you have any questions, please feel free to phone me at 912-478-1398 or 912-478-5929. You may e-mail me at bballeck@georgiasouthern.edu. You may also contact Ms. Judy Hendrix-Poole at 912-478-5993
or e-mail her at jhendrix@georgiasouthern.edu. I look forward to working with you and your students.
Note: Please remember that each country assigned country should have two students representing it in the General Assembly, and one for each smaller committee to which it may be assigned.
Dr. Barry J. Balleck, Director
Georgia Southern University National Model United Nations
