Currently celebrating its 51st year, the National High School Model United Nations (NHSMUN) Conference has established itself as the premier conference on the high school Model UN circuit. NHSMUN prides itself on having the largest and most diverse attendee base in the world, and the conference has hosted participants from more than 130 countries throughout its history. NHSMUN is known for its talented, prestigious attendees, world-class staff, proven substantive excellence, and accurate, engaging committee simulations. The conference exposes students to high-profile, relevant United Nations figures, including the possibility of visiting the ambassadors or representatives of the Permanent Mission of the countries they are representing. During recent conferences, NHSMUN has welcomed speakers ranging from UN, government, and international affairs experts like US-UN Ambassadors Susan Rice, Samantha Power, Jonathan Cohen, Christopher Lu, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, President of the UN General Assembly Csaba Kőrösi, President of the UN General Assembly Dennis Francis, FAO Director Guangzhou Qu, UN Development Programme Administrator Achim Steiner, US Secretary of State John Kerry, US Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General Jeffrey Sachs, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass, NYC Commissioner Penny Abeywardena, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Ret. General Stanley McChrystal, and Ret. General David Petraeus to UN humanitarian programme directors or celebrity advocates like Rainn Wilson, Mandy Patinkin, Joe Manganiello, Demi Lovato, and President & CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF Caryl Stern. We take pride in the high level of debate in our committees, which provide students with an unparalleled opportunity to experience the theory and practice of international relations firsthand. Subject to availability of space at the UN, students attend opening or closing ceremonies in the UN General Assembly chamber, where actual diplomats convene every year.

Simulations such as NHSMUN are invaluable educational tools, as they teach our future leaders about the United Nations and the international community through intensively researched debate with their peers in a setting moderated by students from the most elite universities. In their committees, students are exposed to talented and inspiring speakers that come from many different relevant organizations and backgrounds — in recent years, Former US Secretary of Homeland Security Rand Beers, UN Malta Permanent Representative and Security Council President H.E. Vanessa Frazier, United Nations Military Observer Group in India & Pakistan (UNMOGIP) Chief of Mission Support Nester Odaga-Jalomayo, Director of UNEP NY Jamil Ahmad, UN-OHRLLS Under-Secretary-General Fekitamoeloa ‘Utoikamanu, Founder of Peace One Day Jeremy Gilley, President of Freedom House Michael Abramowitz, UNICEF-USA Chief Engagement, Advocacy and Global Programs Officer Anucha Browne, and leaders from the Malala Fund, Habitat for Humanity, Amnesty International, Kiva, and Médecins sans Frontières, to name a few. These speakers’ insights leave an indelible mark on our eager-to-learn students.

The goal of NHSMUN is to provide a professional and engaging conference, creating an atmosphere most conducive to learning. By utilizing engaging educational tools and resources in and out of our committee sessions, NHSMUN is committed to IMUNA’s mission of “education through simulation.” NHSMUN strives to enhance delegates’ learning experiences in an impactful and enjoyable way through its conference programming. Aside from top-quality United Nations body simulations, as part of its focus on the experiential learning experience, NHSMUN offers a robust series of educational programming to expand the delegate and faculty experience, ranging from engaging guest speakers, mission visits, and skill-building workshops, all of which use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a lens.

Our location in New York City, surrounded by offices of Permanent Missions to the United Nations as well as the United Nations Headquarters itself, provides the perfect backdrop for an incredible international affairs experience and a broadening of global issues awareness. NHSMUN presents an opportunity for students to discover their future as true global citizens. Our visiting experts program will allow delegates to understand how the contemporary global issues discussed in their committees apply to real people and situations across the world and will encourage them to take action to make a difference in their local communities after the conference. Our Committee Directors strive to connect delegate debate and solutions to real-world events and communities through a variety of multimedia and educational tools.

In addition to learning about the best ways to address global issues, NHSMUN challenges its delegates to experience the power of generosity and service in resolving problems by participating in a service learning project prior to and during the conference—uniting behind specific issues and organizations that are directly related to topics discussed in committee. These extensive programming options allow our delegates to truly engage in their role as model diplomats and global citizens.