United Nations Association York is the University of York’s Model UN society. While we are unsure of just how old the society is, we have record of students being part of UNA at York for nearly 30 years! The society has hosted 11 conferences in total, with the largest taking place in 2020.
History of the Society
2022/2023
The committee attended multiple open days, the postgraduate fair, and freshers’ fair in order to promote the society and had 65 attend the first session. The society continued to have a large and supportive membership throughout the year and held multiple social events. Weekly, the society has held debates on a variety of topics and in a variety of committees. Delegates have been sent to ScotMUN 2023 and NottsMUN 2023, with Eloise Hatton winning best delegate at the latter in DISEC.
The society held their first ever Mega Mini MUN in February of 2023. Students were able to debate in either UNEP on the topic of Sustainable Fisheries Management or UNSC on Effective Counterterrorism measures. After a day of debating and voting on resolutions, we finished with a black tie formal. The committee sought to provide an affordable conference experience for students to allow them to gain confidence and experience. It received great praise from those who attended and won Best Society Event at YUSU’s Activities Awards.
In summer term, the committee hosted a Summer Formal event in order to recognise the progress made by the society and say goodbye to leaving members. With just under 80 members in total, the society has become closer to reaching pre-covid numbers. The formal was successful and was a fantastic way to celebrate our winnings’ at the YUSU Activities Awards, where we won Best Society Event for our Mega Mini MUN and our President, Eloise Hatton, won Outstanding Contributions to Societies at York.
2021/2022
The society started with very few at the beginning of the year, but was able to gain a solid group of members throughout the year. The committee held a variety of debates each week that focused on recent and relevant topics. Delegations were sent to ManMUN 2022, LIMUN 2022, and PIMUN 2022 – with Matthew Baker winning an award for Crisis at PIMUN. Our largest delegation was sent to ScotMUN 2022 where we won Best Small delegation and had multiple individual successes – Kshira Mushunuri won Best Chair in HSC, Eloise Hatton won Best Delegate in WHO, Matthew Baker won Best Delegate in Crisis, and Thomas Holderness received an Honourable Mention in EC.
Due to the progress made throughout the year, the society was shortlisted for YUSU’s Activities Awards in the Most Improved Society Category.
History of Our Conference
YorkMUN 2020 was our 10th conference, alongside our largest conference to date. The conference featured a Historical GA on the Lancaster House Conferences, and the EU Council discussing Balkan integration. Alongside this, YorkMUN 2020 had a very successful Triple-Cabinet Crisis on the War of the Roses. YorkMUN 2020 also continued the tradition of hosting excellent beginner committees such as UNDP and UNHRC.
YorkMUN 2020 had the honour of hosting Dr Dimitrios Stroikos as guest speaker. Dimitrios recently received his PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He also holds an MSc in Modern Chinese Studies (Oxford University, UK) and a Master in International Relations (University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece). Dimitrios’ research interests cover the international relations of the Asia-Pacific and Asian security, with particular reference to China and India; theories of International Relations; technology and global governance; and space security and space policy.
YorkMUN 2019 was our most innovative & international conference to date. The conference featured unique committees such as ASEAN and the International Court of Justice. Alongside this, it polished our expertise in Advanced Committees such as UNSC and a Triple-Cabinet Crisis; Britain in 1974: A Kingdom Disunited.
YorkMUN 2019 had the honour of hosting Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman as guest speaker. Professor Freedman is a professor of War Studies at King’s College London. He is described as the ‘dean of strategic studies’ and was a part of the Iraq War Inquiry in 2003. Freedman’s principal areas of interest include contemporary defence and foreign policy issues. He has written extensively on nuclear strategy and the cold war, as well as commentating regularly on contemporary security issues, and provides book reviews for Foreign Affairs.
YorkMUN 2018 proved to be successful and received widespread recognition for its excellent standard. The conference featured both a Joint-Cabinet Crisis, Security Council, DISEC, and a Brexit Negotiations Board. As well as continuing our tremendous success in both GA and Crisis committees, we offered the unique opportunity to participate in Brexit negotiations.
YorkMUN 2018 saw our most high profile guest speak to date, with Baronness Bennett providing a keynote speech. Natalie Louise Bennett, Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle is a British politician and journalist. She contributed to the Guardian, Independent and the Times newspapers. She led the Green Party of England and Wales from September 2012 to September 2016.
YorkMUN 2017 proved to build on the successes of earlier conferences and began to establish YorkMUN as a truly formidable conference in the North. The 2017 edition held a Triple Cabinet Crisis, United Nations Security Council, Arab League, and an ECOSOC committee. The wide variety of committees and the high profile chairing soon became core principles of YorkMUN, and have continued to be part of the conference ever since.
YorkMUN 2017 had the honour of hosting Dr Rob Aitken as guest speaker. Rob Aitken is a social anthropologist who studied at the London School of Economics and University College London before receiving his doctorate from Leiden University. His doctoral research focussed on political culture, local identities and state formation in Mexico.