One of OxfordMUN Canada’s key priorities is to strike a balance between substance, style, and engagement. We believe that Model UN’s full academic value is only realized when students are fully involved in discussion and debate, and we don’t believe that’s possible without all three of these characteristics.

For example, delegates that draft speeches in a silo, no matter how well spoken or how well researched, will not be rewarded at OxfordMUN Canada, if they aren’t engaging in the debate and responding to other delegates. Simultaneously, delegates that are incredibly well spoken and engaging that don’t present new information, will not be rewarded either.

Simply put, we’re looking for delegates who are responsive, tactical, passionate, and incredibly well read. It’s the balance and mastery of all these characteristics that we value the most in our delegates.

OxfordMUN Canada is proud to be a technology-free conference where all delegates will use pen and paper only throughout the debate. Students will write notes and draft documents on paper and pen, and no technology (including laptops, cell phones, and smart watches) will be allowed during committee sessions.

We strongly believe that Model UN is at it’s best when all students are fully immersed in the conversation. A technology free conference, although logistically challenging to organize, is the best way to ensure all students are fully focused on the conversation. This policy also has the added benefit that it prevents the use of AI or unapproved resources during committee session.

Recently, many Model UN conferences have struggled to enforced anti-cheating and anti-collusion policies in Model UN conferences. In order to combat what we see as the deterioration of Model UN’s academic integrity, we will be implementing a series of polices to protect the competitive aspect of MUN.

In addition to rigorously training all of our staff on spotting and dealing with policy violations, OxfordMUN Canada will keep extensive track of how working papers/resolutions are being drafted to avoid instances of plagiarism.

Finally, OxfordMUN Canada will provide extensive clarity around what is and is not considered pre-writing, and all faculty advisors will be provided with clear instructions to ensure their delegations remain compliant.

In line with OxfordMUN’s Model UN tradition, OxfordMUN Canada will adopt the OxfordMUN Rules of Procedure, which upholds stricter regulations with regard to speaking time and representation within committees.

The General Speaker’s List (GSL) will be featured on the first day of debate, where all delegates are encouraged to share their perspectives and form blocs through cooperation. Delegates are highly encouraged to ensure equity and form political groups through small gestures such as yielding your time to other delegates. These approaches constructively embody OxfordMUN’s approach to Model UN.

Please refer to the OxfordMUN Canada Rules of Procedure guide if you have any further questions.

In the North American tradition, to sponsor a resolution is to place the weight and full backing of your delegation behind it. It represents a sign of individual strength and might in the committee room, and a symbol of political decisiveness.

While such a tradition lends credence to a strong political environment, it can often leave out the nuanced interactions of the real world, how diplomacy is actually done, and genuine cooperation the United Nations hopes to foster.

At OxfordMUN Canada, sponsorship does not represent political might, but a political seal of approval. To succeed is no longer to simply present, but to foster genuine dialogue, peacemaking, cooperation, and open invitations to criticism. It is time to rethink sponsorship, and it starts here.

Model UN is truly unique in that it allows anyone—truly anyone— to set foot in the shoes of a policymaker and experience the gravity of the multiple multilateral issues faced by world leaders and citizens alike on a daily basis.

In order to uphold this vast and unique experience for all delegates, OxfordMUN Canada will expect all delegates to fulfil their true foreign policy stances with regard to the other delegates in the room. Not only does this aim to build a more accurate debating environment, but it helps cultivate delegates who see the world through the same lens as the policymakers, delegations, and individuals they represent.