United Nations and European Parliament institutions to be simulated at Cluj Napoca International Model United Nations NAPOMUN

The NAPOCA FORUM Youth Association organizes between September 3-7 the third edition of NAPOMUN – Cluj-Napoca International Model United Nations conference. The conference, one of the most diverse and popular of its kind in Europe, will bring together students and young leaders from more than 20 countries worldwide. Its primary aim is the strengthening the United Nations values amongst the younger generations.

“We are very honored to receive the visit of members of the Diplomatic Corps in Romania, Their Excellencies, Mr. Pieter Andries Swanepoel, Ambassador of South Africa, and Mr. Ahmad Aquel, Ambassador of Palestine. Both will be present in Cluj-Napoca for our conference and will offer us their views on specific topics on the agenda of NAPOMUN 2012,” explained Mihnea Stoica, president of the association and co-organizer.

This year’s participants will take up the role of diplomats and will act according to the rules of procedure of the specific UN or EU body they will be part of. Apart from the academic aspect, the program of the conference will allow each participant to represent the country he or she comes from during the international dinner. They will also get acquainted with traditional Romanian cuisine and will be embarked on a trip toSibiuand Sighisoara at the end of the conference.

NAPOMUN is part of a larger campaign called “THIS is Romania!” that seeks to promote authentic Romanian values among foreigners.

For this year, NAPOMUN presents the Human Rights Council, ECOSOC, European Parliament and United Nations Security Council as simulated institutions. The official media outlet of the Cluj-Napoca International Model United Nations is the The Napomun Tribune. It aims to inform participants about the developments in councils they are not directly a part of. It also serves as a source of information to outsiders who are not part of the conference.

About the Model United Nations concept

A Model United Nations (MUN) conference is a simulation of the work in a UN committee during which the participants take on roles as foreign diplomats and represent a given country.

The Model United Nations started in 1953 at Harvard University and has since become a global phenomenon. A Model United Nations conference – also known as a “Model UN” or simply “MUN” – is a simulation of the work in a UN committee, such as the Security Council, or other regional and international organizations, such as the African Union or the WTO.

An MUN conference is structured as a scenario based simulation, meant to educate and train the participants in the fields of, for example, civics, communication and multilateral diplomacy. In a MUN, existing rules and procedures are followed to a great extent, something that aims to give the participating delegates a chance practice their knowledge while learning how the international system works.