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Choosing a country to represent is one of the most important decisions when attending Model United Nations (MUN). Which country you are the delegate for affects which MUN committees you attend and the topics you address, as well as how you lobby and speak. It is crucial you select the right country for MUN, but if choosing the right nation is so important, how do you actually go about choosing a country for MUN?

To choose a country for MUN there are several things to consider. These include how you will research the country, it’s relevance to MUN committees, how the country relates to agendas and topics and if it a major or smaller nation. You should also pick a country for MUN you have an understanding of and passion for.

Now you know the key factors in choosing a country for MUN, let’s breakdown in detail the best ways to select your delegate country…

First, Do Your Research

To choose a country for Model United Nations, it is important to do thorough research on the country you will be the delegate for. At MUN, delegates are expected to be able to lobby and debate for motions in-line with their countries real-world foreign policy. Therefore, selecting a country you can research and get a deep understanding of is crucial when picking a country for MUN.

To pick a country for MUN, be sure to research where countries stand on the main issues being discussed at different MUN committees. A good tip is to look through previous UN resolutions passed and to see which countries have supported or opposed resolutions related to the committees and topics to be debated at MUN.

When picking a country for MUN make sure you can get good information on how they have previously participated in the real United Nations.

When selecting which country to be the delegate for in MUN, it is also important to get strong facts about the country. Definitely pick a country that you can find supporting facts for you’re the arguments you plan to make in MUN. It is important to research for facts and avoid opinions or speculations on a country.

The amount and quality of solid research you can do on a country, their foreign policy and previous positions within the UN are crucial when choosing a country for MUN.

A great resource for researching countries for MUN is the CIA World Fact Book.

Choose a Country Relevant to the Committee

It is important when choosing a country for Model United Nations to think about how that country relates to the different committees of MUN. MUN is usually made up of a number of a committees that, like the real UN, have different functions and aims. Examples of committees at MUN include the Security Council, General Assembly, Disarmament & International Security and Economic & Financial. All these committees can and can’t do different things and when selecting a country for MUN it is important to think how relevant they are to the committees you’ll be attending.

An example of how a country’s relevance to a committee is important when choosing a country for MUN is, say, for the Security Council. 

The five permanent members of the security council – America, France, UK, Russia and China, will have the biggest roles to play in this committee, so if you want to be fully involved in this MUN committee, choosing a country such as one of these which have big parts in the committee is a good option. Visa versa, if you want a smaller role, avoid choosing a country for MUN that has a big role in the committee.

Pick a Country Related to the Agenda

As well as assessing how the country you choose for Model UN relates to the committees you will attend, it is also important to think about how your MUN country is linked to the committee’s agenda. Each committee at MUN will publish the agenda and it is important to see how the country you pick for MUN relates to this.

Less experienced delegates at MUN would be advised to choose a country less related to the agenda, whilst more experienced delegates may want to pick a country that will be heavily involved in many agenda items.

A good example of how selecting a country for MUN based on how it relates to the committee’s agenda is important could be the Disarmament & International Security committee. Choosing the small African nation of Togo at MUN to join the Disarmament & International Security would be good if you want minimum involvement and mainly to support other delegates motions.

However, if you are looking to be fully involved, perhaps choosing Russia or the UK – nations more fully involved in Disarmament & International Security, would be a good option.

Assess the Country’s Role in the Topic

When choosing a country for MUN is it good to think about how relevant your delegate country is to the actual topics that will be debated. MUN committee agendas are made up of a number of topics, and assessing how the country you want to represent is related to specific topics is crucial when selecting a country for MUN.

For newer delegates, choosing a country that perhaps relates to one or two major agenda topics is a better choice that a country that has major role to play in all agenda items.

For example, take the Security Council committee that may have an agenda item on the Israel-Palestine conflict, alongside topics on resolving the South-China Sea dispute and North Korean disarmament. In this case, choosing a country such as Israel or Jordan will mean you are heavily involved in one topic of the committee, but less-so in the others. On the other hand, choosing a MUN country such as the USA will mean you are heavily involved in all agenda topics.

The more topics your Model UN country is involved in, the more research, lobbying and debating you will need to do.

Select a Major Nation…

As well as choosing a country for MUN based on how it relates to the committees you will attend, their agendas and specific topics, you can also choose a nation for MUN based how much involvement it has in international diplomacy.

It can be very tempting to select, for example, one of the permanent member countries of the security council for MUN. This will give you a lot of involvement, however will also mean you need do more research across many topics in order to be a successful MUN delegate.

There are some real advantages to selecting a major nation to represent at MUN. Major nations like the permanent security council members, or important countries in international relations, such as India, Brazil, Australia, Canada or Germany. These countries at MUN are more likely to propose resolutions, or be called upon to support resolutions. They also have strong networks and positions on international issues. This means choosing a major nation to be the delegate for in MUN increases your involvement, as well as your work.

…Or Pick a Smaller Country

An alternative to choosing a major nation to represent at Model UN is to select a smaller country. Although being the delegate for one the major international players may seem appealing, there can be real advantages to choosing a lesser-known country for MUN.

One advantage is that smaller countries usually have fewer international issues that they are of critical importance too. Although this can mean your involvement in MUN can be less, it is easier to do more thorough research. Choosing a smaller country for MUN can definitely be a good option for those new to Model UN.

Another advantage to choosing a smaller country to be the delegate for at MUN is that smaller countries often have to lobby harder for their resolutions to be adopted. This can seem like a challenge; however, lobbying is a key skill to develop at MUN and therefore selecting a smaller country can help build negotiation skills. One issue with choosing a more obscure nation at MUN is that it can be harder to research these countries, especially to find their firm positions on many issues.

Choose a Country You Understand

When choosing a country for Model UN one of the most important things to consider is how well you understand the country. Remember, at MUN you debate as the delegate for a nation based on their real-world foreign policy, diplomacy and history at the UN.

Importantly, you debate in facts, and not opinions. Therefore, at MUN it is important to pick a country you not only can research well, but also that you understand the culture, history and reasons for their foreign policy positions.  

Understanding the country to choose for MUN is crucial to your success as a delegate. As well as knowing what drives the foreign policy decisions of your MUN country, and what positions it has taken in the rea world UN, it is also important to understand the alliances, and adversaries of your Model UN country. This can be more complicated for some nations in MUN as they side with different countries on different issues.

You also need to understand what international bodies, such as the EU, African Union or NATO your MUN country is part-of.

Pick a Country You are Passionate About

Another good way to pick a country to be the delegate for at MUN is to choose a country you are passionate about. Remember, not only will you be spending your time at MUN representing your chosen nation, but you all also be spending time preparing for MUN by research your country.

A country that you are passionate about its stances on major issues, and probably already have a bit of an understanding of, can definitely be a good choice of country for MUN.

If you are going to choose a country for MUN based on the nation you’re passionate about, it is important to remember other key factors that you need to be successful at MUN. Passion is great but remember you also need to be able to research their stances and previous UN voting records on issues, as well as think about how your chosen country relates to the committees, agendas and topics.

It is also important to remember that countries you may be passionate about are probably popular choices for other delegates and competition may be fierce to choose these countries for MUN.

Don’t Select a Country That’s too Difficult

When choosing a country for Model UN and assessing it against all of the above criteria, a main over-arching thought should be not to select a country that is too difficult. MUN is a great experience and a fantastic way to practically learn the workings of the United Nations.

However, it can take time to understand how MUN operates and if you are new to MUN it is advisable to select a country carefully. This continues as you attend more Model UN events and gain more experience.

The more you attend Model United Nations, the better delegate you will become. You will gain stronger skills in lobbying, negotiating, debating and getting resolutions passed. Therefore, for your first times at MUN, it is best to select a country slightly more removed from the preceding’s to help gain experience, before selecting major nations once you are more experienced in MUN.