Model United Nations (MUN) is an academic program designed to teach students about contemporary events in international relations and politics. Students participating in MUN simulate committees in the United Nations by playing the role of delegates from countries all over the world. Students are assigned to a country and are provided with topics, developed by the NHSMUN staff, prior to the conference, and they debate and discuss them with other students in an attempt to find viable solutions to the problems. The process is designed to exercise students’ ability to speak, write, research, negotiate, and think critically about the most pressing issues of today's world.

NHSMUN stands for National High School Model United Nations. NHSMUN is an annual conference, held each year in New York City, New York. It is a 4-day, 3-night conference that attracts thousands of participants from around the world. It is the largest Model UN conference in the world, and is regarded as the preeminent event of its kind. NHSMUN maintains a reputation for having the strongest substantive program on the circuit, featuring some of the best-quality debate and engagement opportunities available to students. NHSMUN is run by an all-volunteer staff of the top and most accomplished university students from the United States and around the world. Students are treated to meetings with the ambassadors and diplomats from the Permanent Missions (embassies) of the countries they are representing in their committees, as well as a number of interactive sessions with relevant, engaging United Nations and government officials. NHSMUN offers a holistic and rewarding experience for students looking to gain exposure to international affairs and foreign cultures. NHSMUN is the flagship conference of the International Model United Nations Association (IMUNA), which is a leading advocate for global issues education.

NHSMUN 2025 will consist of two sessions from which schools may choose: Friday, March 7, 2025 to Monday, March 10, 2025, and Wednesday, March 12, 2025 to Saturday, March 15, 2025. The conference takes place in New York City at the New York Hilton Midtown and the United Nations Headquarters, availability permitting (obviously, meetings of the United Nations take precedence over Model UN conferences).

Yes! Each year, NHSMUN welcomes schools and students from 70+ different countries around the world. In its 51-year history, NHSMUN has hosted students from more than 130 different countries. Schools and students from all countries are enthusiastically welcomed to NHSMUN.

Early registration will begin in June 2024, and regular registration will begin in September 2024. We expect to fill the conference to full capacity. If you plan to register, please do so early as we always have a waiting list. Registration takes place online on our website.

After completing all registration steps, delegates receive access to individualized background guides for their committees. These guides provide extensive research on both topics the committees will be discussing, as well as discussion questions to guide the student in position paper writing, a letter from the committee director introducing him/herself, information about the NHSMUN conference itself, and the set of rules of parliamentary procedure. Students also receive access to a wealth of digital resources, including the Beginner Delegate Preparation Guide, Advanced Delegate Preparation Guide, Research and Position Paper Guides, Parliamentary Procedure Guides, Country Profiles and Research Archives, and Update Briefing Papers on their topics. Faculty Advisors receive a Faculty Preparation Guide with recommendations and best practices on how to help students prepare for the conference, tips for fundraising, and how to plan the logistics of the trip. There are a number of similar resources released as well. Throughout the year, faculty are provided with detailed guidance on the various stages of preparation at the conference. All forms, guidelines, and announcements are posted and distributed regularly to registered groups.

As a general rule, NHSMUN accepts registrations up to 50 students in size. Requests for larger registrations will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and may be subject to additional supervisory requirements. We welcome groups of all sizes. Many schools send just a small handful of students, while others have larger programs and send a delegation that represents multiple countries. We invite each school to build the delegation that best suits its abilities and needs. Please contact registration.nhsmun@imuna.org with any questions.

NHSMUN and our parent organization, IMUNA, are a not-for-profit organization. Our fees are designed to offset our conference expenses so that NHSMUN can continue to be a successful, high-quality conference. We set our fees just high enough to cover our operating costs and ensure a modest profit, which gets reinvested in our programming annually. The money collected from fees goes toward securing meeting space large enough to accommodate the conference, transporting staff members into the area for the conference, printing and preparing all materials, booklets, and credentials distributed during the event, and purchasing and renting the supplies and equipment it takes to manage a conference of thousands of people.

There are numerous Model United Nations conferences across the United States and around the world. They vary in size, location, experience, cost, as well as multiple other factors. If your delegation is looking for an engaging experience that will challenge and enhance the capabilities of delegates from every skill level, then NHSMUN is the right conference for you. As the most diverse high school conference in the world, NHSMUN provides students with exposure to the world's most pressing issues, an array of top-quality and academically rigorous preparation and training materials, direct access to diplomats, ambassadors, and government officials, and the unique experience of deep immersion into the United Nations system itself. NHSMUN is a meticulously well-organized event led by a highly communicative and readily accessible team. Regardless of skill level, origin, or background, participants at the NHSMUN conference can count on a transformative and most memorable experience that will undoubtedly enhance their skills in research, negotiation, collaboration, and public speaking/debate, as well as many new friends and lifelong memories!

Yes! We have resources that are designed for schools looking to start a Model UN program. The materials range in topic from how to start a Model UN club or plan your conference(s) of attendance for a given year, to how to prepare students to participate in a Model UN conference or how to oversee students' research or public speaking practice. Please contact registration.nhsmun@imuna.org if you need help accessing these resources or with any questions you may have about starting a MUN program. We love helping new programs as they enter the world of Model UN!