WorldMUN 2022

Dear delegates and faculty,

WorldMUN is no longer hosting an in-person conference.

I am reaching out today with unfortunate news. It deeply saddens me to inform you that the upcoming edition of Harvard World Model United Nations scheduled for March 13-18, 2022 will now be held entirely virtually. This difficult decision comes after recent developments in the COVID-19 public health crisis, including increased restrictions on travel being implemented worldwide. Specifically, likely quarantine requirements in Japan combined with high possibility for increasingly infectious variants make it difficult to proceed with an in-person conference in Tokyo. We will continue to monitor the spread of the virus over time, but we believe that a virtual event is the safest option for delegates and our staffers at this time. I hope that you can understand the unfortunate nature of these developments that are out of our hands, and in placing the health, security, and travel of the WorldMUN community above all else, it is not possible for us to meet in-person this upcoming March.

I understand that many of you will have questions about the next steps. In particular, we recognize that many of you will be wondering about refunds and credit transfer policies. 

• You can receive refunds for already paid delegate fees for our 2022 conference through myMUN. If interested, please fill out this form by December 31, 2021 — we will not be considering applications after this deadline. We will be offering refunds to all delegates who have already paid for their registration fees on myMUN and will only be issuing refunds through myMUN. Unfortunately, we are unable to reimburse travel expenses and other accumulated expenses. Once again, if you are interested in receiving a refund for your registration fees, please fill out this form.

• If you are interested in rolling over your application to the Virtual WorldMUN Conference, please register here. We will be working hard to replicate the in-person conference experience and hope to see you there.

• Given the unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic, we will not be offering rollovers for our 2023 conference.

We do not take this situation lightly and understand the stress and inconvenience that this may cause many of you. We know that your delegations have put in hours of hard work and enthusiasm, and it sincerely saddens us to know that your efforts will not be met with the running of an excellent conference that you all so clearly deserve. Our Chairs, the Host Team, and Secretariat have also put in countless hours of work on the logistics, committees, and delegate experience, and our spirits have been shattered knowing that our vision for an in-person conference will not come to fruition. For many delegates as well as for one-third of our chairs, this was set to be the last WorldMUN and last Model UN conference they will ever experience, making this decision all the more stinging. Speaking personally, WorldMUN has been the core of my extracurricular and social life for the past four years, and it pains me to know that I will not be able to implement our vision for conference this year.

As someone set to graduate this year, I have accepted that I will not be able to attend my final WorldMUN. However, I know that my love for this conference—the WorldMUN spirit that we always speak of—will live on in my successors and in all of you, the delegates who make this conference possible. 

The disappointment of not being able to meet with you all in-person is immense. However, we are excited to announce our virtual conference scheduled for the same time. We feel that a virtual setting will not only allow us to continue to have a positive impact upon young people from around the world by bringing diverse ideologies, cultures, and interests together and will help us stay safe during this unprecedented time. The success of last year’s virtual conference also promises an educational, enjoyable, and connective experience. 

Thank you for keeping the WorldMUN spirit alive and persevering as ever. 

Yours,

Hope Kudo

Secretary-General

Harvard World Model United Nations