Greetings from the AMUN Secretariat. As many have suspected, due to COVID19, AMUN will not be holding an in-person conference in 2020. We will however be hosting a virtual conference online for 2020. We will post all of our updates here, in addition to emailing our schools and posting information on the AMUN website. This first post is lengthy, but contains much of the information you need to know about our online conference. In this email we will discuss conference dates, changes to registration fees, how to confirm or change your country assignment, changes to the 2020 simulation lineup, policies on position papers and delegation size, and more. It also includes an updated calendar of significant AMUN events and deadlines.

Conference Dates and Fees

To accommodate many college and university decisions to accelerate the fall semester calendar, the AMUN Online Conference will be held from Thursday 22 October to Sunday 25 October. Thursday 22 October will consist of optional introductory sessions (including an Opening Plenary Session and keynote address) during the late afternoon and evening. Simulations will begin on Friday 23 October and end on Sunday 25 October. We will provide approximately 20 hours of simulation time.

The 2020 Delegate Fee has not changed and remains $58.00 per delegate. The 2020 Delegation Fee has changed to $35.00 per country. As in the past, students who participate independently as a Justice on the International Court of Justice, a Commissioner on the Commission of Inquiry, or a Reporter on the International Press Delegation will be $58.00 per student. More information about Conference Fees is online.

Participation Limitations

Unlike previous conferences, all simulations at AMUN 2020 will be limited to one representative per delegation for each simulation. This is a hard limit, and no exceptions will be made. Each delegation may still designate a floating Permanent Representative. The lower country fee accounts for reduced Conference overhead as well as the fact that the maximum delegation size for the online conference is smaller, which may require some schools to pick up additional countries in 2020. Schools will also be limited to one faculty advisor per school at no charge. Additional faculty advisors may register at a cost of $35 each. Observers may participate at $35.00 each.

Changes to the 2020 Simulation Lineup

• In order to maximize meaningful participation in the 2020 Conference, we have modified our simulation list from what we previously announced. The full list of 2020 Topics and Simulations is available on our website. We will host the following simulations for the 2020 Online Conference:
• General Assembly First Committee
• General Assembly Second Committee
• General Assembly Third Committee
• Human Rights Council
• World Health Organization Executive Board
• General Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization
• United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization Executive Board
• Commission on Narcotic Drugs
• Security Council
• Historical Security Council of 1967
• Historical Security Council of 1990
• Historical Commission of Inquiry: Non-Aligned States in Cold War Context
• International Court of Justice
• International Press Delegation

Country Assignments and Available Countries

If you participated in the 2020 Country Lottery or signed up for countries prior to 1 July, your countries are reserved for you until noon CT on 22 July. You must positively confirm that you wish to keep your country assignment(s) for the 2020 Conference by noon CT on 22 July. If you do not confirm your country assignment, your countries will be released for other schools to select. You may also choose to release your current country assignment and submit a wish list for a new country assignment. These assignments will be made between 23-26 July 2020, based on the 2019 Lottery order and registration date. On 27 July at 12:00 noon CT, AMUN will release a list of all available countries; these will be assigned on a first-come-first-served basis.

More information on the 2020 Country Assignment process is available on the AMUN website. You can also pull an updated country report and information about minimum/maximum delegation size on our website.

Please fill out this Google Form to confirm or release your current country assignments and to fill out your lottery wish list. You may also email Shannon (mail@amun.org) with this information. We must receive this information in writing no later than 12:00 noon CT on 22 July 2020.

If you elect to not participate in the AMUN 2020 conference, you can still participate in the 2021 AMUN Delegation Lottery. More information about the 2021 lottery will follow..

2020 Position Paper Deadline

In 2020, your delegation’s position papers are due on 1 October by 11:59:59 p.m. CT. Only papers received by the 1 October deadline will be eligible for Position Paper awards. AMUN will accept Position Papers until 7 October at 11:59:59 p.m. CT, however those papers will not be eligible for Position Paper Awards.

Key Changes to Note

• You MUST confirm your 2020 country assignment by 22 July to retain your current delegation(s).
• All GA and ECOSOC simulations will write resolutions; there are no report-writing simulations in 2020.
• Security Council simulations will have set topics in 2020. We will announce those topics at a later date. Security Council and Historical Security Council simulations remain crisis simulations, although the “crisis” will be during regularly scheduled hours (i.e., there is no overnight crisis session).
• All simulations are limited to one representative per delegation. Delegations may still have a floating permanent representative.
• Schools are limited to one Faculty Advisor at no charge.
• The minimum delegation size is three (GA1, GA2, GA3); the maximum delegation size for each country is listed online.
• The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization will simulate the Executive Board as a defined-membership body. There is no optional universal-membership special committee.
• There will not be Combined ECOSOC or General Assembly Plenary sessions at the end of Conference.
• Position Papers are due on 1 October at 11:59:59 p.m. CT.

More Information to Come

As you can imagine, changing to an online format is a lot of work. We will make regular updates about the state of the conference, new features, structural changes, and more in the coming weeks and months. We recognize that this email has probably not answered all of your questions. Please be patient with us as we disseminate additional information in the upcoming months. Rest assured, the entire AMUN Secretariat is working hard to create an online experience that delivers the educational value and the enjoyment of an in-person conference.

Your 2020 AMUN Calendar

The following calendar reflects currently-decided dates and times. We will identify more dates and times as we make those decisions. Please note that the times listed for the 2020 AMUN Conference identify anticipated start and end times. We will provide breaks during simulation days and will provide a more detailed agenda at a later date.

Questions, Comments, or Concerns?

If you have any questions about this email, please contact us directly at mail@amun.org and we will be happy to help. As always, if you are no longer the primary contact for your school’s model UN club or class, please contact us at mail@amun.org with updated contact information or fill out our Change of Address/Contact form online.