Introduction:
NITIMUN Conference is an academic exercise where students assume the role of ambassadors of member countries of the United Nations and extensively deliberate on current global issues. It gives students the opportunity to view and understand issues from different perspectives, get acquainted with and appreciate different people and cultures, learn to proffer credible and acceptable solutions to identified national and global problems.
The conference has been designed as a forum where students work with these pressing international issues from a perspective outside of the classroom. Representing the interest of a foreign country further broadens the knowledge of the students on the difficulties and complexities of international relations. The programme brings the activities of the United Nations closer to the youth who are made to assume leadership roles through the simulation.
Students at the conference learn to face and overcome challenges, to respect the view point of rivals, to separate the person from the problem, to face disappointment with the determination to do better next time and to experience the joy of achievement. At the end of the conference, each student is changed having learnt more about himself, gained confidence from some endeavours and discovered previously unrecognized potential. The benefit to the student, Institution and society are great.
NITIMUN 2020 theme is: Youth Reshaping the Narrative on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The committee sessions will avail the students the opportunity to expand their knowledge base on various aspects of global peace and tolerance, and how they can prevent the spread of hate-motivated behaviour in the society.
How Does Model United Nations Operate:
The basic principles of Model United Nations remain the same; regardless of where the conference is taking place;
Benefits of Model United Nations to Students:
Students’ Eligibility Requirements:
How to Complete the Registration Form:
Special information on country/committee selection and assignment:
It is important to note that we cannot guarantee that each student will be assigned the country/committee of his or her choice. Certain criteria may result in a change in delegates’ choice. Some of which are:
** Students who apply to sit on the Security Council should be of academic excellence and possess good public presentation and analytical skills. Accompanying staff should please assist us in this regard.
Submission of Essays and Position Papers:
Every registration form should be submitted along with the mandatory essay on “Youth Reshaping the Narrative on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs” on or before the deadline of JUNE 3, 2020. Students are encouraged to start preparation and research as soon as they receive registration confirmation and countries/committees allocated to them.
NOTE: Delegates MUST return Completed Registration Forms with 1 passport photograph each (with names clearly written at the reverse side), Curriculum Vitae and evidence of payment of conference fee.
All accepted delegates are expected to individually submit their countries’ position papers on or before October 30, 2020. Note: that the position paper is different from the mandatory essay.
Acceptance of Application:
Students who have been accepted to participate at NITIMUN 2020 will be notified on or before JUNE 8, 2020.
Mode of Dressing:
The standard mode of dressing for delegates is corporate.
Note: Disobedience to the dress codes will attract expulsion from the conference. See Code of Conduct
attached.
Special Notice on Election into Committee Positions:
Chairpersons and Rapporteur of the NITIMUN 2020 Committees will be elected during the conference.
Student delegates interested in any of these positions should submit their typed applications on or before the arrival day, December 5, 2020 for screening by the Electoral Committee. See Conference Schedule.
Committees and Topics:
Basic Conference Information:
Requirement for Participation –
Application for participation is open to Students from Tertiary Institutions within and outside Nigeria. All applications and payments of conference fee must be received on or before JUNE 3, 2020.
Registration –
Arrival / Departure:
Special Events:
Special Intergenerational Dialogue –
Delegates at the NITIMUN Conference are not merely model for new knowledge and discovery, but they are also instruments of social change. The Special Intergenerational Dialogue affords distinguished personalities from the government and non-government sectors with the opportunity to present their views on the theme of the conference; interact and dialogue with the students and provide them with useful insights on their role in Reshaping the Narrative on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs.
World Cultural Night –
Every people and every place possess a unique culture. Experiencing different ways of life and discovering new cultural heritage have become leading motivations for people all over the world. This interaction between diverse cultures, can lead to tolerance, respect and mutual understanding among people.
The NITIMUN 2020 cultural night is to improve students’ relationships and interactions with each other. Our specific goal is to create cultural awareness and better understanding for all participating delegates, this translates to better relationships in the school environment, family and society. We should therefore recognise the role of cultural diversity for the benefit of present and future generations.
Celebrating our Cultural diversity makes life vibrant, richer and more interesting, because it allows us to interact with each other and to better appreciate our own culture. Respect for cultural diversity is the starting point for peaceful and inclusive society. It is an opportunity to unify the future generations and to celebrate all the richness and benefits we get from being such a diverse community.
Institutions wishing to perform at the World Cultural Night should notify us on or before the deadline of registration to book for a slot. The duration for each presentation is between 5 to 7 minutes. The mode of dressing for this event is: Cultural or traditional dress of Nigeria or that of the delegate’s adopted country. Improper dressing by any delegate will not be tolerated.
Guest Speakers –
NITIMUN 2020 will attract notable and dynamic personalities relevant to government, international relations, and contemporary issues to the conference. In addition, we will introduce in-committee guest speaker programme to ensure that all delegates have the opportunity to hear from real experts on their committee topics.
Gala and Awards Night –
The Gala/Awards Night, a very special event that brings the NITIMUN Conference 2020 celebration to its climax, is where we recognize outstanding students and Institutions, role models whose achievements are a source of pride and inspiration to young people. We also show our thanks to staff advisers and institutions for their continued support.
The event aims to provide delegates the opportunity to interact freely with very important personalities and diplomats in an atmosphere devoid of the usual protocol associated with the offices of these personalities.
Advertisement in Conference Brochure –
Participating Institutions are expected to take advantage of the unique nature of the NITIMUN conference and advertise their Institutions and facilities in the programme brochure. The conference brochure would be sent to other Model United Nations clubs around the world, Embassies, government agencies in Nigeria, stakeholders and the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
NITIMUN 2020 Brochure Advert rates are:
Full Page: N130, 000.00
Inner Front Cover: N170, 000.00
Inner Back Cover: N200, 000.00
Advertisers should please send in their artwork (coloured) in a Flash Disk or CD Rom with photocopy of payment teller to the NigMUNS office on or before AUGUST 31, 2020.
Awards:
Participation in NITIMUN yields tremendous educational and personal rewards. Each delegate should rightly feel great pride in doing the research necessary to participate and in successfully playing the role of his/her country during the conference.
As a means of recognizing outstanding efforts in this area, we are pleased to present several awards with prizes at the conclusion of NITIMUN 2020. Twenty-six (26) Awards will be presented at the Gala and Awards Night to student delegates, Institution delegations and accompanying staff who distinguish themselves during the conference.
The Awards are:
Conference Theme:
Youth Reshaping the Narratives on The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This generation of Youth may well be the last hope for this world. The race towards the Sustainable Development Goals has 10 more years to go. Nations have fared very little in their advancement toward the achievement of these goals.
The world is still full of hungry people; inequalities; intolerance; conflict; violence; and climate change issues are yet looming large and threatening the global movement towards a world that’s free to live and thrive. The question of how nations can achieve 17 goals and 169 targets may very well rest in the hands, mouths and movements engineered by the Youth.
The youth are the generation more likely to be intimate with the problems of hunger, unemployment, gender inequalities, conflict, violence, and climate change. This is the world they have been born into. This is the world they live in. This is the world they know. This is the world they have been born to redesign, re-engineer, and recreate. The ability of the Youth to make, mold, remake, and create are visible in all aspects of society and across industries –the SDG scene is not left out.
This generation is the largest generation of young people ever. More and more, young Millennials and Generation are looking to be active. They are launching more startups and are gaining higher education degrees. Eventually, they will make up at least 75% of the global workforce. Young people everywhere are lending their voices, their talent, artistry, penmanship, initiative, and technology to influence society with the message of the SDGs. And, they are helping to cast a new narrative on the race to the 2030 agenda:
The Youth are not afraid to speak what they see, not afraid to seek creative solutions to age-old problems, not afraid to innovate, not afraid to use technology for the common good. The Youth are not afraid to take action. They are non-bureaucratic, apolitical, and strong willed because the lack of political will have become visible among several nations –such lack of will has become the leading cause of inaction, lip service, and passivity towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
This generation of Youth are leading the world into the future –the same future that awaits the completion of the Sustainable Development Goals. The disposition of the Youth with their zest for life, their energy, their creativity, their nativity to technology, and their affinity for action is able to change the globalization of indifference to a globalization of love.
Youth voice is so imperative to the daily movement of sustainability. Their voices should be elevated at every opportunity. Their voices and concerns are pure and unbiased laced with positive pictures of possibilities untainted by learned helplessness. They are able to see the pain and see the hope from the pain. They are able to see the hate and see the love that can be gained. They are able to see eleven years and see the strength it takes to keep going till every goal is meant.
The Youth are the last hope for this generation. And, they are speaking – not the usual empty words void of action. They are speaking the very things they are doing – changing their world one day at a time.
Objectives of NITIMUN 2020 Conference:
Through the conference, students will:
Nigeria Model United Nations Society (NigMUNS):
Nigeria Model United Nations Society (NigMUNS) is an international educational and youth development organization established in 2004. It is registered as a non-governmental and non-profit making organisation under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; recognized by the Federal Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and has a Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Our mission is to help young people discover their own voice, to find their own purpose, to make their unique contribution and release their full potential. Since the inception of our annual conference series in 2005, Nigeria Model United Nations Society has helped more than 19, 500 students prepare for the future with leadership and responsible global citizenship.
NigMUNS prides itself as the founder of the Model United Nations culture in Nigeria. Today, the organisation hosts 5 annual conferences for primary school, secondary school and tertiary institution students, namely – Junior Schools International Model United Nations (JUNSIMUN); South East Regional Secondary Schools Model United Nations (SERSSMUN); Lagos Regional Secondary Schools Model United Nations (LARSSMUN); Nigerian International Secondary Schools Model United Nations (NISSMUN); and Nigerian International Tertiary Institutions Model United Nations (NITIMUN).
Our programmes present an invaluable opportunity to curious and intelligent students to explore the world in the context of the United Nations. In doing so, the students learn to face and overcome challenges, to respect the viewpoints of rivals, to separate the person from the problem, to disappoint with the determination to do better next time and to experience the joy and exhilaration of achievement. Each student participant is completely changed, having learned more about himself or herself, gained confidence from some endeavours and discovered previously unrecognized potential.
—————CONTACT INFORMATION—————–
National Office:
Nigeria Model United Nations Society
14, Dep Street, Off Danube Street, Maitama, Abuja
Tel: +234 – (0)9 – 2903635
Hotlines: +234(0) 8022412464, 08068896000
E-mail: info@nigmuns.org, nigmuns@yahoo.com
Website: www.nigmuns.org