“The idea of networking resembles diplomacy”

Attending and organising MUN Conferences while being a full-time student requires several skills that MUNers have acquired over the years. I couldn't help but wonder how they managed to be present while purchasing a degree. When opening this amazing new blog section, I thought about what to name it. Several ideas popped up in my mind, the best being MUN Stars. I will define these people as those you see at almost every conference, either as chairs or delegates, even as organisers! A one-on-one informal conversation to learn their tricks and experience in MUN would be a good idea. 

I met Nazan in May 2023, when I had the opportunity to chair UN Women in ErasMUN 2023. We talked a bit during the whole conference. He won an award in the scariest UNSC committee.  

Nazan is from Egypt. He studies Politics and Public Administration at the University of Konstanz and will soon study abroad at Leiden University in The Hague. Like half of the people who do MUNs, Nazan told me he started his MUN journey in high school five years ago. 

His first MUN conference was at the American University in Cairo. The current MUN generation experienced a pause during the COVID-19 year. But, when he moved to Germany in 2022, he attended MAMUN 2023 in Mannheim and didn´t stop then. “So far, I have participated in 12 MUN conferences”.

With that many conferences, I wanted to know his favourite role: delegate or chair. He confessed to me that he prefers to be the chair. “I enjoy guiding delegates towards productive debates, especially in beginner committees.” And we have something in common: he loves the excitement of the first-timers and watches them grow in their skills during the debates. He enjoyed chairing the US House of Representatives at a later conference with another of our MUN Stars, Egan Paquay. Although he is not a big fan of being a delegate, he commented: 

He had five experiences as a UNSC delegate and loves not being a P5 member. But whether it is a delegate or a chair position, he considers MUN Command comprehensive software. “It’s a lovely platform that has become essential for us.” He pointed out the fantastic overview of delegates' speaking time and the chairs' cool statics section. 

Nazan is a member of the United Nations Association Konstanz. “It has been the best part of my student life”, he points out. Describing an association as cozy, he considers it the perfect place for him: 

Not all of you know, but he was the Secretary-General of the first edition of LakeMUN 2024. They used mymun to run all their applications and help to round them out smoothly. In his opinion: “mymun is the best tool available, it connects organisers with delegates and chairs efficiently”.

Talking with him, he concluded that the most challenging aspects of organising a MUN conference are accommodation, finances and managing a team. “Since we are all students doing this out of passion, people sometimes lose motivation”. He told me that the most important part is gaining the team's trust, as well as trusting them. 

As an experienced delegate, Nazan had several tips he didn't hesitate to tell me. For first-time delegates, he told me, as he defined it, the most cliché advice: “Don´t be scared of making mistakes”. “It is normal to freeze, but there aren´t any real consequences” His slogan was: 

Moreover, for chairs, his advice was: “Make sure to know what you are signing up for and don´t stress too much during the interview”. I couldn´t agree more! I can´t forget when he said, “Never undermine your co-chairs.” Normally, in MUNs, you chair with other people, and disagreements sometimes arise. Nazan explained that discussing them privately, not in front of the delegates, is better because it may affect their respect for you. Also, he commented that the chair job may not be glamorous, with the writing of the study guide or the review of position papers. “Divide responsibilities and set internal deadlines” is key in Nazan´s relationships with his co-chairs. Regarding position papers, he confessed to me that he tends to review the last minute, in his words, “to keep them fresh in my mind”.

In this new digital era, AI is, unfortunately, increasing in MUN. Nazan, instead of being disappointed with the delegate for using it, recommends “to be understanding and expand on the permission points they present”. 

On the fun side, he loves the real-time memes that capture the moment. Who doesn´t? Moreover, he remembers that during LakeMUN 2024, the university was renovating, and the delegates created fun memes about an ugly building. To put the cherry on top, he stated:

At that moment, I thought about the UN resolution about MUN and that you would probably read an article soon in our blog. Nazan continued, “Building relationships with conferences and societies is valuable”. He also confessed to me that the best part is organising a MUN. In his words: 

From a career perspective, he wants to be a diplomat. “MUN helps me understand the political world on a smaller scale, teaching me to achieve my goals while remaining civilised.” This is truly inspiring, and I didn´t hesitate to wish him the best. 

It was a truly inspiring conversation, and it was so nice to catch up with Nazan. As he continues to navigate the world of diplomacy, both in MUN and beyond, one thing is certain—his passion, dedication, and the friendships he's formed along the way will be the true diplomats guiding his path to success.