MUN DEBATES
Mondays at 7.30PM
CUUNA:
Society Events
The Cambridge University United Nations Association organises a wide range of society events during Cambridge Term Time, from Model UN debates, crisis simulations, speaker events, and formal dinners - there's something for everyone.
WEEKLY DEBATES:
Every Monday at 7:30pm
CUUNA debates are held every week on different international topics. These are organised in Model UN university format, meaning that everyone who comes along can participate by representing a country's stance on the issue at hand and debate from that country's perspective. These debates not only function to help inform anybody interested in the society about the international issues being discussed by the real United Nations, but also helps to train our members for upcoming MUN university conferences, which are held at world-class level.
If you previously did Model UN in high school, we will be able to show you the tweaks to debate format and procedure that are made at university level. However, even if you are completely new to MUN-style debating, our weekly debate sessions often include introductions to different areas of debate, which will help to introduce you to all the ins and outs of the MUN world!
Our Events are a wide variety and mixture of informal, educational and friendly socials at the heart of CUUNA's mission of involving and stimulating discussion and debate about the workings and activities of the United Nations. There is something for everybody, from large Model UN conferences, small crisis cabinet simulations, informal speaker events with opportunities to talk with some of the world's leading experts about world politics and international relations, and of course plenty of fun events and activities to meet like-minded people in Cambridge.
SPEAKERS
EVENTS
Several CUUNA Speaker Events are held throughout the Cambridge Terms of Michaelmas, Lent & Easter, involving experts, international representatives and scholars on various UN-related topics, from UN career advice to international warfare. These are usually organised as either a single speaker per event, or a panel of several speakers discussing an international issue.
There are opportunities for you to ask the speakers any questions you may have, either during their speech or afterwards, and if you are interested in networking or just having a friendly conversation, you can also speak 1-on-1 with them, usually accompanied by free refreshments provided by the society.
Speakers are some of our most valued events at CUUNA, and most recently we hosted Sir Richard Jolly, a leading development economist and an Assistant Secretary-General of the UN from 1982-2000.
FORMAL DINNERS
As per Cambridge tradition, CUUNA hosts several Formal Dinners at various colleges in the University throughout the year. These are a great way to get to know the Executive Committee, as well as mingle and meet like-minded internationally interested students whilst enjoying a candelit meal in one of Cambridge's college halls.
Several social events such as these are organised during termtime, though there are often restrictions on how many students can attend. In this case, it is best to keep up to date with our society newsletter to know when you can sign up for a CUUNA formal.
CUUNA also hosts informal discussion social events, which can also be found in our newsletter or on our Facebook page.
MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCES
As the leading organisation for MUN debate at Cambridge, CUUNA hosts two international conferences every year:
CUIMUN - Established in 1994 and one of the most established, historic and prestigious Conferences on the European, and indeed global, MUN circuit - this year the conference will be held in the spring of 2022.
CUIMUN HS - Established in 2015 and is organised by students from the University of Cambridge for High School students - it is held every year in September.
Throughout the year, several students and CUUNA members also attend various international MUN conferences, such as HarvardMUN, OXIMUN & WorldMUN, which are known as some of the most prestigious and challenging conferences of the global Model UN circuit. These are all great opportunities to hone your debating and negotiation skills, introducing delegates to international issues facing our world today and being able to view them from the viewpoints of countries all around the world, whilst working together to form solutions to them.
Externally, CUUNA members also attend various UN-related events globally, such as recently our Vice-President External, Rakeon Maertens, giving an opening keynote speech at the United Nations ECOSOC Youth Forum in Tejo, UAE, and three of our committee members representing CUUNA as delegates at the 2019 WFUNA European UNA and Youth Meeting. These events in particular help us to move our UN Mission forward, and represent CUUNA as an organisation on the world stage.
CRISIS SIMULATIONS
A branch of the Model UN world, Crisises are a simulation of a historical or current political event, usually one in a period of uncertainty and crisis. Instead of representing countries as in normal Model UN committees, delegates instead roleplay as characters who are part of a country's or organisation's cabinet and leadership. These can be very interesting and fun as decisions made by the delegates on how to tackle issues have a real-time impact on events that happen throughout the course of the simulation, giving delegates a degree of autonomy over what happens and their character's fate. It can also be a great opportunity to meet some like-minded politically interested people, both at Cambridge and at international MUN crisis simulations.
CUUNA hosts 2-3 crisis simulations per year, making them a great training ground for any interested MUNers or debaters to hone and practice their skills before taking part in a crisis simulation at a world-class international MUN conference. Crisis simulation events are usually annouced in our weekly society newsletter, and can also be found on our Facebook page.
CONTACT
CUUNA:
INTERNAL
SOCIETY
EVENTS
OUR CONTACT INFORMATION
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