Harvard International Relations Council
Encyclopedia
The Harvard International Relations Council (HIRC) is a non-profit organization that promotes awareness of International Relations. It is composed as several semi-independent but centrally funded programs, which each promote awareness of international relations in different ways. Those programs are Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN), Harvard National Model United Nations (HNMUN), the Harvard International Review (HIR), the Harvard Program in International Education (HPIE), Harvard Intercollegiate Model United Nations (ICMUN), and the Harvard International Relations on Campus (IRoC).
HIRC is the largest student organization at Harvard College
.
It is a registered 501(c)(3) that is run entirely by undergraduate students, and it is an affiliated Non-Governmental Organization
with the United Nations
Department of Public Information.
Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN) is one of the oldest Model United Nations
simulations in the world. It was founded in 1953 when the Harvard student group that had been simulating the League of Nations since the 1920s decided to start a new simulation to reflect the new organization that had been established at the end of World War II. Every year, students from around the world attend the conference, which is currently held at the Sheraton Boston Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts.
The next session of HMUN will be the 59th session, and it will be held January 26-29, 2012.
Like many Model United Nations
simulations, HMUN offers committees in 5 categories:
Delegates represent countries or famous individuals, and must work to solve problems through debate and compromise while still promoting the interests and policies of the nation or person they represent.
undergraduates. These staff members are organized into three groups: the Secretariat, the Senior Staff, and the Junior Staff.
There are nine Secretariat members: the Secretary-General, who is responsible for the conference as a whole, the Director-General, who is the administrative head of the conference, the Comptroller, who is responsible for conference finances, and six Under-Secretaries-General in the various branches of the conference: administration, business, substantive support, and the three substantive organs, the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Councils, and the Specialized Agencies. The DG, Comptroller, Administration, and Business organs comprise the executive organs, and Substantive Support is both a substantive and an executive organ.
The Secretary-General is elected annually in March by the Board of Directors of the IRC and the outgoing staff of the previous conference.
He or she is traditionally a member of the past year's Secretariat.
The remaining Secretariat members are appointed by the Secretary-General in coordination with the Secretary-General of HNMUN.
The Secretary-General of HMUN 2012 is Hunter M. Richard '12, and his Secretariat includes Stephanie N. Oviedo '12 (Director-General), Ana Choi '13 (Administration), Ainsley Faux '13 (Business), Alexandra Harsacky '13 (Comptroller), Sofia Hou '13 (Innovation and Technology), Juliana Cherston '13 (General Assembly), Ethan Lyle '13 (Economic and Social Council), and Charlene Wong '13 (Specialized Agencies).
On the executive side, senior staff are the direct deputies of their respective USG. Each organ has several senior staff filling various responsibilities:
Director-General Organ:
The administration organ has several directors of administration who are the immediate assistants to the USG and who respond to questions about the conference and manage conference registration, and the business organ similarly has several directors of business, responsible for ad sales and conference amenities like catering. The comptroller organ has no staff.
On the substantive side, senior staff consist of committee directors, who are the substantive authorities for each committee and prepare the study guides that serve as the foundational documents for delegate preparation, and crisis directors, who coordinate crisis scenarios on continual crisis committees.
The Innovation and Technology (formerly substantive support) organ includes committee directors, directors of substantive support who handle presentations, and chargés d'affairs who are the primary point of contact for faculty advisers.
On the executive side, each organ has specialized assistant directors (ADs):
and each of these ADs assist their respective senior staff and USG with their duties.
On the substantive side:
The substantive support organ has similar assistants to the committee directors.
Unlike many conferences, HMUN does not give Verbal Commendations.
Based on the number delegates receiving awards, awards are then given to the delegations that represent the best collection of delegates. The delegation awards, as well as their recipients at HMUN 2011, are:
In 2011, HMUN China moved to Shanghai: China’s center of economic growth. A prime example of East meeting West, Shanghai provides an exciting backdrop for the conference. Delegates will have the opportunity to participate in HMUN’s top-notch substantive debate between experiencing all Shanghai has to offer.
In August of 2011, Harvard Model United Nations will further be expanding to Mumbai, India. The conference which will soon open registration is expected to gather 1200 delegates from India and across the World to the Mumbai World Trade center for 4 days of exciting debate and MUN simulation.
. HNMUN is an annual four day event held in February, composed of three thousand university students of which half tend to be international students.
The conference is held exclusively at the prestigious Boston Park Plaza Hotel in downtown Boston
. The fifty-eighth session of HNMUN will be held from February 16-19, 2012. HNMUN was first run in 1955, ten years after the formation of the United Nations
.
Awards are conferred upon individual delegates in their respective committees and to delegations in the categories of best small, best large, and best international delegation.
Delegation winners for the 2010 conference were:
Best Small Delegation United States Military Academy at West Point representing Tunisia
.
Best Large Delegation Yale University
representing the People's Republic of China
.
Outstanding Large Delegation University of Chicago
representing the Russian Federation.
Best International Delegation Universidad Metropolitana
representing Germany
.
Senior and Junior staff is split into two branches: an executive branch and a substantive branch. The executive branch takes care of the Administrative, Business, Finance, and Delegate Relations side of the conference. The substantive branch creates the delegates' committee experience, and is divided into the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and Regional Bodies, and the Specialized Agencies.
The Secretary-General of HNMUN 2012 is Dominik Nieszporowski '12, and his Secretariat includes Sanghyeon Park '12 (Director-General), Samuel Pokross '13 (Administration), Nora Tufano '13 (Business), Maxwell Dikkers '13 (Delegate Relations), Madhavi Duvvuri '14 (Finance), Gillian Farrell '13 (General Assembly), Giacomo Bagarella '13 (Economic and Social Council and Regional Bodies), and Serena Bai '13 (Specialized Agencies).
In the 2010-2011 academic year, the team will attend conferences at Boston University, Georgetown, Columbia, Yale, UPenn, Berkeley, and the University of Chicago.
HIRC is the largest student organization at Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
.
It is a registered 501(c)(3) that is run entirely by undergraduate students, and it is an affiliated Non-Governmental Organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
with the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Department of Public Information.
Harvard Model United Nations
Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN) is one of the oldest Model United Nations
Model United Nations
Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda....
simulations in the world. It was founded in 1953 when the Harvard student group that had been simulating the League of Nations since the 1920s decided to start a new simulation to reflect the new organization that had been established at the end of World War II. Every year, students from around the world attend the conference, which is currently held at the Sheraton Boston Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts.
The next session of HMUN will be the 59th session, and it will be held January 26-29, 2012.
Like many Model United Nations
Model United Nations
Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda....
simulations, HMUN offers committees in 5 categories:
- The General AssemblyUnited Nations General AssemblyFor two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
- The Economic and Social CouncilUnited Nations Economic and Social CouncilThe Economic and Social Council of the United Nations constitutes one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and it is responsible for the coordination of the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, its functional commissions and five regional commissions...
- Regional Bodies, like the African UnionAfrican UnionThe African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
- Specialized Agencies, which include unique standing committees like the Security Council and also include crisis committees, centered around a developing crisis.
- Substantive Support, which includes the Press Corps and the NGO program.
Delegates represent countries or famous individuals, and must work to solve problems through debate and compromise while still promoting the interests and policies of the nation or person they represent.
Staff
The 58th Session of HMUN had a staff of nearly 190 HarvardHarvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
undergraduates. These staff members are organized into three groups: the Secretariat, the Senior Staff, and the Junior Staff.
Secretariat
The Secretariat consists of the top-level officers of Harvard Model United Nations who oversee all branches and activities of the conference.There are nine Secretariat members: the Secretary-General, who is responsible for the conference as a whole, the Director-General, who is the administrative head of the conference, the Comptroller, who is responsible for conference finances, and six Under-Secretaries-General in the various branches of the conference: administration, business, substantive support, and the three substantive organs, the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Councils, and the Specialized Agencies. The DG, Comptroller, Administration, and Business organs comprise the executive organs, and Substantive Support is both a substantive and an executive organ.
The Secretary-General is elected annually in March by the Board of Directors of the IRC and the outgoing staff of the previous conference.
He or she is traditionally a member of the past year's Secretariat.
The remaining Secretariat members are appointed by the Secretary-General in coordination with the Secretary-General of HNMUN.
The Secretary-General of HMUN 2012 is Hunter M. Richard '12, and his Secretariat includes Stephanie N. Oviedo '12 (Director-General), Ana Choi '13 (Administration), Ainsley Faux '13 (Business), Alexandra Harsacky '13 (Comptroller), Sofia Hou '13 (Innovation and Technology), Juliana Cherston '13 (General Assembly), Ethan Lyle '13 (Economic and Social Council), and Charlene Wong '13 (Specialized Agencies).
Senior Staff
The senior staff, like the secretariat, can be split into executive and substantive staffers.On the executive side, senior staff are the direct deputies of their respective USG. Each organ has several senior staff filling various responsibilities:
Director-General Organ:
- Deputy-Director-General: General assistant to the DG on hotel and tech related issues. Officially in charge of the conference when the Secretariat is in meetings or otherwise unavailable.
- Senior Director of Security: Manages security staff and operations.
- Director of Technology: Manages computer labs and provides technical support.
- Director of Special Projects: Occasionally appointed to work on long term conference related projects.
The administration organ has several directors of administration who are the immediate assistants to the USG and who respond to questions about the conference and manage conference registration, and the business organ similarly has several directors of business, responsible for ad sales and conference amenities like catering. The comptroller organ has no staff.
On the substantive side, senior staff consist of committee directors, who are the substantive authorities for each committee and prepare the study guides that serve as the foundational documents for delegate preparation, and crisis directors, who coordinate crisis scenarios on continual crisis committees.
The Innovation and Technology (formerly substantive support) organ includes committee directors, directors of substantive support who handle presentations, and chargés d'affairs who are the primary point of contact for faculty advisers.
Junior Staff
Again, junior staff vary from organ to organ, and can be split into executive and substantive staffers.On the executive side, each organ has specialized assistant directors (ADs):
- the DG organ has several ADs of technology and security,
- the administration organ has several ADs of administration,
- the business organ has several ADs of business,
and each of these ADs assist their respective senior staff and USG with their duties.
On the substantive side:
- moderators moderate debate and enforce the rules of procedure, and
- assistant directors prepare supplemental research and assist committee directors with running each committee
The substantive support organ has similar assistants to the committee directors.
Awards
Like most Model UN conferences, HMUN recognizes exceptional delegates and schools with awards at the end of the conference. Awards are given to the delegates who demonstrate strong preparation, excellent speaking skills, adherence to national policy, and exceptional abilities of compromise and negotiation, and they are awarded by the directors of each committee. The number of awards on a committee varies by size, but each committee gives out at least one of each of the following awards:- Best Delegate
- Outstanding Delegate
- Honorable Mention
Unlike many conferences, HMUN does not give Verbal Commendations.
Based on the number delegates receiving awards, awards are then given to the delegations that represent the best collection of delegates. The delegation awards, as well as their recipients at HMUN 2011, are:
- Best Large Delegation (more than 1 country): The Dalton SchoolThe Dalton SchoolThe Dalton School, originally called the Children's University School, is a private university-preparatory school on New York City's Upper East Side and a member of both the New York Interschooland the Ivy Preparatory School League...
- Outstanding Large Delegation: Horace Mann SchoolHorace Mann SchoolHorace Mann School is an independent college preparatory school in New York City, New York, United States founded in 1887 known for its rigorous course of studies. Horace Mann is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League, educating students from all across the New York tri-state area from...
- Best Small Delegation: Canterbury SchoolCanterbury SchoolCanterbury School may refer to:*Canterbury School , a private, co-educational college preparatory lay-Catholic boarding school in New Milford, Connecticut...
- Best International Delegation: Cathedral and John Connon SchoolCathedral and John Connon SchoolThe Cathedral and John Connon School is a co-educational, private school located in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, established in 1860.According to the Education World-C fore Survey of Schools 2010, the school has been ranked first in the all India ranking of the best schools in India.It was ranked...
International Conferences
After 57 years of successful Model UN in Boston, MA, HMUN has expanded its global reach by jumping to the East. In March 2010, with the help of WEMUN China, HMUN brought a chapter of its conference to Beijing for the first successful run of HMUN China. With over 1000 delegates and 13 committees, HMUN China brought together a newly diverse group of delegates in one of the world’s oldest cities. Entirely new perspectives were brought to the table in negotiations, and lasting international friendships were made as debate heated up throughout the four days.In 2011, HMUN China moved to Shanghai: China’s center of economic growth. A prime example of East meeting West, Shanghai provides an exciting backdrop for the conference. Delegates will have the opportunity to participate in HMUN’s top-notch substantive debate between experiencing all Shanghai has to offer.
In August of 2011, Harvard Model United Nations will further be expanding to Mumbai, India. The conference which will soon open registration is expected to gather 1200 delegates from India and across the World to the Mumbai World Trade center for 4 days of exciting debate and MUN simulation.
Harvard National Model United Nations
Harvard National Model United Nations or HNMUN is the longest running college-level Model United Nations simulation in the world and among the largest in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. HNMUN is an annual four day event held in February, composed of three thousand university students of which half tend to be international students.
The conference is held exclusively at the prestigious Boston Park Plaza Hotel in downtown Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. The fifty-eighth session of HNMUN will be held from February 16-19, 2012. HNMUN was first run in 1955, ten years after the formation of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
.
Awards are conferred upon individual delegates in their respective committees and to delegations in the categories of best small, best large, and best international delegation.
Delegation winners for the 2010 conference were:
Best Small Delegation United States Military Academy at West Point representing Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
.
Best Large Delegation Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
representing the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
Outstanding Large Delegation University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
representing the Russian Federation.
Best International Delegation Universidad Metropolitana
Universidad Metropolitana
The Metropolitan University was founded in 1970 by a group of entrepreneurs led by Eugenio Mendoza Goiticoa in the terrains donated by the businessman Pius Schlageter, father of the venezuelan painter Eduardo Schlageter. It is located in the city of Caracas, Venezuela, near Petare.Today, the...
representing Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Staff
There are three levels to the HNMUN staff structure: the Secretariat (consisting of the Director General and the Under Secretaries General), which is led by the Secretary General; the Senior Staff (consisting of Directors); and the Junior Staff (consisting of Assistant Directors).Senior and Junior staff is split into two branches: an executive branch and a substantive branch. The executive branch takes care of the Administrative, Business, Finance, and Delegate Relations side of the conference. The substantive branch creates the delegates' committee experience, and is divided into the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and Regional Bodies, and the Specialized Agencies.
Secretariat
As with HMUN, the Secretariat oversees the administration of the conference. The Secretary-General is similarly elected, and appoints his or her Secretariat in coordination with the Secretary-General of HMUN. There are nine secretariat members: the Secretary-General, who is responsible for the conference as a whole, the Director-General, who is the administrative head of the conference, and seven Under-Secretaries-General in the various branches of the conference: administration, business, delegate relations, finance, and the three substantive organs, the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Councils, and the Specialized Agencies.The Secretary-General of HNMUN 2012 is Dominik Nieszporowski '12, and his Secretariat includes Sanghyeon Park '12 (Director-General), Samuel Pokross '13 (Administration), Nora Tufano '13 (Business), Maxwell Dikkers '13 (Delegate Relations), Madhavi Duvvuri '14 (Finance), Gillian Farrell '13 (General Assembly), Giacomo Bagarella '13 (Economic and Social Council and Regional Bodies), and Serena Bai '13 (Specialized Agencies).
Staff Selection
HNMUN staff is made entirely of Harvard undergraduate students. The staff selection process for one year's HNMUN conference begins immediately following the previous year's conference. First, the Secretary-General for the next conference is elected by the experienced staff members of HNMUN and HMUN. The candidates for Secretary-General are generally members of the past year's Secretariat. Once the Secretary-General has been elected, former members of the HNMUN Senior Staff apply for Secretariat positions. After Secretariat has been chosen in late March, members of the former Junior Staff are welcome to apply for about 60 Senior Staff positions. Junior Staff (Assistant Directors and Committee Moderators) is then selected in the fall. Both Senior and Junior Staffs are chosen by the Secretariat after a lengthy application and interview process. By late fall, the conference's staff is complete. The full staff reaches over 200 students.Logistics
HNMUN is host to about 3000 university students from over 35 countries and so requires a large amount of planning by the Secretariat and staff hosting the event. Planning for the following year's conference starts as soon as the current one ends. Topics for debate must be chosen early so that study guides may be prepared and delegates may research their topics. Study guides are written by directors over summer and assistant directors come on board to write updates and provide support to the directors starting in October. The Secretariat works throughout the year on aspects including delegate recruiting and conference logistical planning. The Secretariat is also responsible for long-term strategic planning for the conference.Committee Structure
Model UNs follow the general structure of the UN but for logistical and educational reasons, the structure differs somewhat. HNMUN's structure is similar to most Model UNs but there are a few important differences.- Only one resolution may be passed on each topic. This is meant to stress consensus and compromise between delegates. This is achieved by the fact that:
- Resolutions cannot be sponsored
- There are no "friendly" or "hostile" amendments, as there are no sponsors with whom to confer
NGO Program
The NGO Program is unique to HNMUN and is a fantastic opportunity for delegates to experience a wide range of issues and committees across the conference. Each NGO is allowed to visit any committee within the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, and the Regional Bodies. NGOs have the option of working in a single committee or in several committees during the conference, depending on your personal comfort level and on the relevance of your NGO to the topic areas being discussed. NGOs have no voting status, but other than that, they have the same rights as any other delegate in the committee: NGOs may make speeches, participate in caucus, and lend their expertise to formulating resolutions.Harvard Intercollegiate Model United Nations
Harvard Intercollegiate Model United Nations (ICMUN) is Harvard University's traveling Model UN team. The team is composed of about 60 Harvard undergraduates who attend conferences across the United States. The current leadership team of Harvard ICMUN is as follows:- Co-Directors: Rodolfo Diaz '13 and Christopher Lehman '13
- Chief of Staff: Frankie Wong '13
- Comptroller: Justin Lo '14
- Deputy Directors: Michael Mitchell '14, Mary Reed '14, Julia Solomon-Strauss '14, Can Soylu '14, Timothy Tsai '14
In the 2010-2011 academic year, the team will attend conferences at Boston University, Georgetown, Columbia, Yale, UPenn, Berkeley, and the University of Chicago.
International Relations on Campus (IRoC)
IRoC is the IRC branch that coordinates all of the IRC's on-campus outreach. IRoC builds links among undergraduates, Harvard's Weatherhead Center, and Harvard professors and fellows. IRoC conducts dinner discussions, study groups, and special events, and is responsible for putting on IR Week every Spring.Related
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