What is FAUMUN?

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Since 1946, students from all over the world have the opportunity to simulate United Nations negotiations at “National Model United Nations” (NMUN). Since then more than 6,000 students from over 400 different colleges and universities have participated in the world’s largest simulation. At NMUN, each school represents the delegation of a UN Member State in different organs, specialized agencies and committees of the United Nations.

As delegates of a country, students negotiate on current issues of the global community and vote on draft resolutions in organs and committees. Since 2007, the Friedrich-Alexander-University enables its students to become part of a delegation and to discover the exciting and instructive role of a diplomat.

  • FAUMUN offers the possibility to acquire social and intercultural competences, strategies of successful negotiating, public speaking techniques, presentation skills, achieve confident appearance and effective self-management.
  • Students from all five faculties take part in the project. Interdisciplinarity is not an empty phrase but a component put into practice in the project.
  • FAUMUN is one of the most extensive and successful MUN projects worldwide and has been among the leading group of the over 400 participating international delegations at NMUN-NY since 2010 (see Erfolge). For the past ten years, with its MUN project, FAU has been part of the best 5% of all represented universities and is among the top 3 of almost 30 German universities represented (if measured by the amount of awards received in New York).

The FAUMUN preparatory seminar is demanding, participants practice diplomatic competence on various levels during hour-long weekly sessions, weekend seminars and training. Formulating a speech in English within only a few minutes and presenting it to up to 400 people, facing constructive criticism in a group, tailoring one’s appearance to the target group in an effective and appropriate manner and handling the unfamiliar situation of negotiations cleverly.

Not only do all these experiences boost professional skills, but they also demand a maximum degree of commitment, creativity, social capacity, discipline and performance from participants. During preparation, students develop suggested solutions for current issues of concern for the international community, which are of ecological and economical nature as well as related to security policy. Approaching a problem with idealistic drive whilst keeping feasibility in mind – mastering this balancing act is what we aspire to.

 

The participation in FAUMUN takes place every winter semester and consists of following aspects among others:

  • Weekly preparatory seminar (both on weekends and during the week as well as during the semester break in spring) during the winter term
  • Intensive preparation regarding the represented country, speech training, negotiation training and United Nations Rules of Procedure
  • Participation in multiple preparatory conferences (incl. accommodations and meals) in Erlangen, Munich/Erfurt and Nuremberg
  • Participation in NMUN in New York City during spring break
  • Preparatory trip to Berlin