"To revitalize our common endeavour is to renew our faith not only in the UN's programmes and purposes but also in each other. We should demand more of ourselves as well as our organization."

Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations

Model United Nations (also Model UN or MUN) 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.

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Click here to download the Conference Handbook.

Click here to download the Model Resolution.

Click here to download the Rules of Procedure.

For further queries contact:

Techfest

Techfest is the annual technical festival of Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India. Born in 1998 with the motto of promoting technology, scientific thinking and innovation, Techfest today is well established as Asia’s largest science and technology festival and is patronized by UNESCO. Techfest 2012 saw a footfall of more than 92,000 students with over 25,000 students from India and abroad participating in various events.

Techfest has diversified into an organisation that apart from showcasing the pinnacle of technical advancement, also strives for the betterment of society with unique initiatives. Be it a campaign focussed at promotion of futuristic and eco-friendly technologies or technical innovations aimed at eradicating problems faced by the common man, these initiatives to address social and environmental causes have set Techfest apart from any other college festival and added a whole new dimension to this organisation working on a non-profit basis.

Techfest is entirely managed by students of IIT Bombay with a three-tier team structure. The core committee consists of 23 members comprising of 1 Overall Coordinator at the helm and 22 Managers who overlook all the aspects and activities of Techfest. A team of over 1000 Coordinators and Organisers along with their respective managers toil for over 8 months to execute and implement the splendid spectacle called Techfest.

Disarmament and International Security Committee

As stated in the UN Charter, the DISEC Committee is actually called upon to "consider the general principles of co-operation in the maintenance of international peace and security" (Chapter IV, Article 11).The DISEC committee was established by the United Nations to serve as a forum for representatives from all UN member countries to debate issues of disarmament and security in an environment of equality. This committee takes measures necessary for the prevention or the reduction of international hostilities and conflict on matters that are not discussed by the United Nations Security Council.However, unlike the Security Council, DISEC does not have the power to impose sanctions or to authorize armed interventions. As a preliminary organ, DISEC serves as the first level of discussion for most recent issues in the disarmament and security sphere, thus setting programmatic directions and giving more freedom to states to fully develop their positions.

Engaged in the DISEC Committee consultations, you will have a unique opportunity to actively participate in formulating the global security agenda, contributing to better understanding and providing recommendations and solutions to various forms of international conflicts, disarmament and other security policy related matters.

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Click here to download the Study Guide for DISEC.

Click here to download the Conference Handbook.

Click here to download the Model Resolution.

Click here to download the Rules of Procedure.

Topics:

Steps to be taken for cyber-security in the wake of modern cyber-warfare

Dear Delegates,

Conflict has existed for as long as boundaries between nations have. The purpose of the United Nations has always been to ease tensions between nations as far as possible and to come to solutions which please (or displease) both parties as equally as we can. To this effect, we use several measures including but not limited to dispatching peace-keeping forces or recommend ceasefires in cases of armed conflict. However, a different type of threat to world peace has presented itself in the recent past. Cyberwarfare is Internet-based conflict involving politically motivated attacks on information and information systems. Such attacks can disable official websites and networks, disrupt or disable essential services, steal or alter classified data, and cripple financial systems -- among many other possibilities. Any country can wage cyberwar on any other country, irrespective of resources, because most military forces are network-centric and connected to the Internet, which is not secure. For the same reason, non-governmental groups and individuals can also launch cyber-warfare attacks.Today, such attacks are few and far between. Yet, their potency in the future is unquestionable. For these reasons, delegates, we need to clearly define cyber security and cyber warfare and work on attributing and responding to malicious attacks and the function or lack thereof of international alliances when it comes to cyber security.

Global actions against naval piracy

Dear Delegates,

Pirates (of the traditional kind) are sea robbers who prey on other ships and rob them of their goods and sometimes capture the ship itself for their own purposes. For over ten years, piracy off the Somali coast has been a constant threat to international shipping. The perpetrators are generally young Somali fishermen who are responding to the dumping of toxic and nuclear waste by private companies which in turn has led to an erosion of their fish stock. In the past, Somali envoys have claimed that these acts are fuelled purely by interests of individuals and companies and that any such acts aren’t Government-endorsed. The direct costs to international shipping has been dropping in the past few years, but this is primarily due to a rise in the indirect costs which include but are not limited to those incurred in insurance, naval support, legal proceedings, rerouting of slower ships, and individual protective steps taken by ship-owners which cumulatively are estimated to be in billions of US Dollars. What makes this issue unique is the fact that these acts of violence occur in international waters, lying outside the jurisdiction of any particular state. If a permanent solution is to be found, it has to be one that appeases not only innocent passengers but also the dissatisfied group of people who’ve resorted to violence to express their frustration, in order to prevent its recurrence.

Security Council

Under the UN Charter, the Security Council has the responsibility of keeping international peace. It is the most powerful body of the United Nations; while other committees can only make recommendations, the Security Council makes decisions that countries have to follow. The Security Council meets throughout the year to address the most serious security issues facing the UN and the world.The Council is made up of 15 nations: five are permanent members and the remaining 10 seats rotate every 2 years among the nations in the UN.

The Security Council may deal with international conflict in many ways. When fighting breaks out, the Council’s first goal is usually to call for a ceasefire, or an end to violence. It may also send peacekeeping forces to protect citizens and ensure that any UN decisions are carried out. The Security Council can use more forceful measures too, such as economic sanctions, which prevent a country from receiving money or trade. In the most serious situations, the Security Council can order the use of military force.

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Click here to download the Study Guide for UNSC.

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Click here to download the Model Resolution.

Click here to download the Rules of Procedure.

Topics:

Planning the course of action for improvement in the Afghanistan region.

Dear Delegates,

It’s been a little more than a decade since the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001 and the U.S. continues to battle a widespread Taliban insurgency. Meanwhile, the war has expanded into the tribal area of neighbouring Pakistan. On December 1, 2009 President Obama first set a withdrawal date for the year 2014. On May 21, 2012, NATO endorsed a plan to end the Afghanistan war and to remove the NATO-led ISAF Forces by the end of December 2014. What remains to be decided, however, is a concrete plan for the recuperation of one of the most hostile regions in the world. The world can afford to take no more risks when it comes to instability in this part of the world. Even if we assume that the threat of the Taliban will be removed come 2014, scars left by decades of war will take collaborative effort to heal. Rebuilding a nation is not an easy task, especially when the concerned state is as poor in security as it is rich in economic frailty, political turbulence and social injustice. The wrongs the world has wrought upon this nation must be undone. Delegates, it is your duty to bring peace to this region and revitalization to its people.

Considering the terms for the nuclear disarmament of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Dear Delegates,

Of all the threats that have plagued our species, the nuclear ones have probably been the most likely to wipe us out. It is precisely for this reason that the UN treats matters of nuclear disarmament with the earnestness they deserve. The DPRK’s nuclear programs, and efforts to acquire nuclear weapons and long-range missiles have been the source of concern and arms control efforts for more than a decade. While unclassified estimates are to some extent sophisticated guesswork, Pyongyang may have obtained enough plutonium from its power reactors to have 4 to 13 nuclear weapons. Multilateral talks have been attempted often in the past but seem to have broken down nearly every time after initially showing promise. Delegates, it is high time we made one more attempt at disarmament before matters take a turn for the worse, as they usually do whenever nuclear stockpiling is involved.

Human Rights Council

The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them. It may make suggestions to the Security Council, but is otherwise advised by unpaid reporters that are recognized globally as experts in various fields of human rights. Commissions take one of two forms: country-specific commissions that examine the entirety of a nation’s abuses (which is growing nearly obsolete after many complaints at the hands of offending nations) and thematic commissions, which deal with global problems such as the preservation of core rights and the fighting of slavery and the modern slave trade.

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Click here to download the Study Guide for UNHRC.

Click here to download the Conference Handbook.

Click here to download the Model Resolution.

Click here to download the Rules of Procedure.

Topics:

Solutions for post-war humanitarian problems

Dear Delegates,

It’s often been said that the indirect damage caused by war often surpasses the loss of life on the battlefield. Lack of food and shelter, unchecked spread of diseases, unstable economies are but few of the problems a country has to face once the threat of war fades. Irrespective of the victorious side, civilians have to bear the brunt of decisions made by authorities that they have little or no control over. Often, external powers come to the aid of these citizens, but not even a semblance of a centralised, pre-defined mechanism or agreement exists which can provide relief to these victims. Moreover, anyone volunteering to help would be putting themselves in the warzone, a duty few will willingly accept. However, it is the weakest members of society that require the most help, and few are more desperate than civilians in war zones. It has been, since time immemorial, an unspoken rule of war not to harm civilians as far as possible. Yet, (presumably) peace-loving residents find themselves losing their lives more often than the armed men who signed up for it. It is time for change and you must be the ones to bring it.

Suppression of Civil Uprisings.

Dear Delegates,

Not every country is blessed with a capable, stable government. While the plight of Egyptian, Syrian and to an extent, Tunisian citizens were heeded due to decent coverage by the media, civil unrest often eats at states from within, with little confirmation of facts available to the rest of the world. In some cases, the paramount importance given to the ‘stability of the region’ enables petty dictators to stay in power. More often than not, people have to resort to violence before they’re heeded. There are several problems in interfering in intra-state matters. What’s glaringly obvious is that it impinges upon the sovereignty of the concerned State. Any external parties deciding the fate of a state would have a hard time concealing their vested interests. A subtler question here is how one would decide what action to take (if any). Does an external agent really have the authority to quench civil uprisings in Afghanistan and support those in Egypt based on information that may not be accurate? When you consider the influence external troops have in determining the outcome of a civil uprising, you really have to ask yourself: Are we really doing what’s best for the nation?

Commission on Science and Technology for Development

The United Nations´s Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) is a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), one of the six main organs of the United Nations.The CSTD was established to provide the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council with high-level advice on relevant issues through analysis and appropriate policy recommendations or options. This is done in order to enable those organs to guide the future work of the United Nations, develop common policies and agree on appropriate actions.

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Click here to download the Study Guide for UNCSTD.

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Topic:

Multi-national solutions towards disaster-management.

Dear Delegates,

A long time ago, every man enjoyed his success alone and dealt with his problems alone. Slowly, we’ve come to recognise the advantages of working together as a community. When a city faces a water shortage, resources of the nation are quick to bail them out. External help, however generous, is never as timely. Days, sometimes weeks, are wasted in deciding what form of help can be delivered and lives are lost in the logistical delays associated with aid attempts. Often, NGOs are able to provide as much help as (if not more help than) that offered by other members of the international community. That is simply because they are better prepared to respond to, and more pro-active in their approach in answering disasters such as those recently seen in Haiti and Japan. As a United Nations, we must offer each other the best-possible terms we can, especially in times of dire need. Delegates, it will be your duty to decide these terms in order to reach a better-ordered, more human community.

Economic and Financial Committee

The Economic and Financial Committee (ECOFIN) is the second committee of the general assembly. This committee deals with macroeconomic policy, sustainable development, globalization, and international trade and debt. ECOFIN does not have as visible a role in this arena as the World Trade Organization or G-8. However, it does serve as an important liaison between member nations and other organs of the UN. It accomplishes this primarily through creating major conferences that deal with economic and financial issues and helping to make the conclusions that are reached in the conferences move forward and gain momentum. It also helps decide the kind of economic issues the secretariat focuses, investigates, and prepares reports on.

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Click here to download the Study Guide for ECOFIN.

Click here to download the Conference Handbook.

Click here to download the Model Resolution.

Click here to download the Rules of Procedure.

Topic:

The Upcoming Oil crisis

Dear Delegates,

The term ‘Peak Oil’ is used to describe the global maximum in crude oil production which is predicted to occur in the not too distant future (if it hasn't happened already). Once this maximum has been reached global oil production will generally decline forever afterwards. It is something that will only become apparent sometime after the event has happened due to fluctuations in oil production from year to year. A crisis is imminent. There is little we can do to increase global oil supply. Nearly all large oil rigs have been tapped, and great investments need to be made to find new sources. Meanwhile, shifting to other energy resources or reducing energy usage maybe equally difficult. Most of the world’s transportation and industrial needs are met using non-renewable resources. Any country that pledges reducing usage would have to keep in mind the impact on its economy. It is primarily for this reason that no significant progress has been made in reaching a global consensus on this issue. Delegates, you have the unique opportunity of resolving possibly the greatest challenge civilisation has faced – before it even presents itself!

Legal Committee

The United Nations General Assembly Sixth Committee (Legal) is one of the main committees of the United Nations General Assembly. The Sixth Committee is the primary forum for the consideration of legal questions in the General Assembly. The UN General Assembly has an express mandate to promote the progressive development of public international law. Article 13 of the UN Charter establishes, in particular, that the “General Assembly shall initiate studies and make recommendations for the purpose of: (…) encouraging the progressive development of international law and its codification. While international law-making negotiations take place in a variety of specialized bodies of the United Nations, depending on their actual subject-matter, those negotiations related to general international law are usually held at the Sixth Committee

Click here to check your allotment.

Click here to download the Study Guide for Legal Committee.

Click here to download the Conference Handbook.

Click here to download the Model Resolution.

Click here to download the Rules of Procedure.

Topic:

Passing Internet Censorship, Online Security laws such as SOPA, PIPA and CISPA

Dear Delegates,

A lot has been said in various media platforms all over the world about attempts to curb freedom on the internet in the past few years. It is time for the international community to offer solutions to questions which no nation can handle alone. The internet is a place for all the residents of the planet, and netizens of different countries are currently held up to different standards depending on the severity of cyber-laws in their country. Clearly, the laws drafted so far by various countries have been met with discontent if not outright protests. Delegates, you’ll have to answer questions regarding copyright infringement, regulation of shared content and the very definition of “fair use” of another’s material to decide how the next generation will use mankind’s greatest invention. The world will also have to decide whether they care more for the lack of restrictions on consumers or the financial stability of the multi-national corporations that meet their demands. Possession is 9/10th of the law, and you will draft a set of brand-new laws for the most radical form of property yet.

The list of committees of TI-MUN 2013 reflect a broad spectrum of the United Nations' scientific, economic, and political organizations. Starting in October, each committee’s webpage will feature a letter from the director, committee resources, and more information about the committee’s topics. More detailed topic area summaries for committees can be found on their respective committee webpage.

The following PDFs and links will provide you with an excellent preparation for Techfest International MUN.

DISEC Study Guide
ECOFIN Study Guide
UNCSTD Study Guide
UNHRC Study Guide
UNSC Study Guide
Legal Study Guide
Conference Handbook
Model Resolution
Rules of Procedure


"A Brief History of the United Nations"
A general introduction to United Nations Nations history.

"A Glossary of Useful Terms"
Delegates may notice a variety of new terminology as they read their Background Guides and prepare for the conference. This glossary covers some of the most frequent terms and concepts.

"A Guide to UN Symbol Documentation"
The United Nations organizes publications and other documentation using a basic format, detailed in this document.

Guide by Uday Rai Mehra: "How to help MUN Delegates become prepared"

"How to Find and Use Official Documents from the United Nations"
"Official UN Document Research Guide"
"Official Guide to UN Documents and Symbols"

UN websites and other organisations

• United Nations
• CyberSchoolBus
• United Nations Treaty Collection
• World Intellectual Property Organisation - WIPO
• United Nations Security Council
• United Nations General Assembly
• United Nations Human Rights Council
• United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
• United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs
• United Nations Economic and Financial Committee
• United Nations International Trade
• United Nations University
• United Nations Habitat

Other Websites

• CIA World Factbook : Searchable country database
• World Bank : Economic data on countries
• One World : Relevant news from around the world
• International Monetary Fund : More economic data and reports on countries

The applications for Delegate entries and Press Corps are now open!

For Delegates: After Registration fill up this form : Application form for Delegates and
mail it to : timun@techfest.org

For Press Corps: After Registration fill up this form : Application form for Press Corps and
mail it to : timun@techfest.org

Click here to check your allotment.

If you are unable to save the PDF Form then type out your answers in a Word document and send it to us.

You will be mailed about the procedure for payment of registration fees after you register. Until you pay your registration fees your registration will be considered incomplete. If unfortunately you are not selected the fees will be refunded to you.

Registered Participants who have not been alloted any committee till now please fill up the application form and send it to us. Also make the payment of the registration fees as soon as possible.

Registered Participants who have been alloted but did not make the payment please make the payment before 19th December else your allotment will be cancelled.

For any more queries please feel free to contact us at: timun@techfest.org

1. What is Model United Nations?

   Model United Nations (also Model UN or MUN) 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.

   
   
2. What is Techfest?

   Techfest is the annual technical festival of Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India. Over the years, since its inception in 1998, Techfest has earned the tag of Asia’s largest Science and Technology Festival and earned the patronization of UNESCO. Techfest 2012 saw a footfall of more than 92,000 students with over 25,000 students from India and abroad participating in various events.

   
   
3. How can I contact the organizing team of Techfest International MUN?
   You can email us at timun@techfest.org
   
   
4. What are the dates of TI-MUN?

   Techfest International MUN is a three day conference and will be held during Techfest 2013, January 3rd-5th 2013.

   
   
5. Who can register for TI-MUN?

   TI-MUN is primarily aimed at university-level students, from around the world. However, exceptional cases are sometimes made for high-school students, recent graduates, or upcoming academics. Please inform us upon registration if any delegates are under 18 years old.

   
   
6. When will the registration start for delegates?

   The delegate application will be open from first week of September.

   
   
7. What is the Dress Code for the conference?

   The dress code is traditionally Western business attire for the entire duration of the conference. However, in line with the UN’s conventions, delegates may wear the national costume of the country they are representing – as long as this is not seized as an opportunity to dress less formally.

   
   
8. When will the study guides be released?

   They will be uploaded to the Committees page prior to the announcement of committee assignments in mid-october.

   
   
9. Why are there two topics listed for some committees?

   Delegates will spend the first session deciding and voting on which topic to discuss, and will debate that issue first. If that topic is resolved before the end of the conference, the second issue will be debated too, but this cannot be guaranteed. Delegates should prepare equally well for both topics.

   
   
10. What awards will be presented at TI-MUN?

    The awards will be presented at the discretion of the chairs of each committee and will include 1 Best Delegate, and up to 5 Honorable Mentions/High Commendations.

    
    
11. What's the best way to travel ?

    Mumbai being the financial capital of India offers various modes of transport. You can find more on Wiki Travel.

    
    
12. Do I get help for my VISA application?

    If you need assistance with your Visa application, please email us a scan of your passport. Once your payment of delegate fees is complete, TI-MUN will send you an invitation letter to the conference, which should then allow you to apply for a Visa. Thus we recommend that you register to the conference and notify us that you require a Visa as early as possible.