2023/7/25

The 14th annual Japan University English Model United Nations (JUEMUN) was held from July 7th – 9th on the campus of Kobe City University of Foreign Studies (KCUFS) with over 180 student delegates and 30 student volunteers from 12 universities from Japan and Germany participating.

This year’s conference simulated UNICEF with the agenda: Realizing the Rights of all Children and Adolescents. Twenty-six students and three faculty from Kyoto University of Foreign Studies participated serving as delegates, student leaders, and members of the JUEMUN organizing committee.

KUFS, KCUFS, and Notre Dame Seishin University, Okayama (NDSU) serve as organizing universities for the conference that began in 2010 with faculty and students working for one year in both online and face-to-face meetings to organize the conference, research topic information, prepare agenda background guides, and facilitate training sessions for the JUEMUN student leaders. For this year’s conference, four KUFS students served as JUEMUN meeting chairs, and seven served as either committee or regional bloc facilitators.

JUEMUN is considered to be the first Model United Nations (MUN) conference in the world to be organized and adapted for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners and the conference has been recognized by various MUN academic communities for its adaptation of MUN rules and procedures to increase student participation and cooperation in this faculty-organized and student-led conference.

JUEMUN delegates are assigned a United Nations member state to represent and then organized into three UNICEF meetings, each with its own separate agenda topic. Each meeting has four assigned committees and subtopics. Delegates move back and forth from general meetings and committee meetings in presenting country speeches, offering proposals regarding the topics, and then negotiating with other delegates to write draft resolutions related to their assigned topics. Draft resolutions are presented to different regional blocs to incorporate regional feedback and then amendments are considered. Finally, on day 3 the draft resolutions are voted on in general meetings and the final summary is presented at the General Assembly closing ceremony.

While student delegates deliberate on the conference agenda, JUEMUN also organizes the Global Negotiation Symposium (GSN) for faculty to engage in academic presentations regarding their research and practical approaches related to Model United Nations. This year there were 9 presentations on topics such as developing an MUN specific vocabulary corpus, the relationship between MUN participation and an increase in TOEIC scores, and how to use ChatGPT in preparations for an MUN conference. In addition, Professor Thomas Weiler, Chair of the United Nations Association of Germany (UNA Germany)- North Rhine Westphalian Branch, presented on the history and current issues related to the United Nations Security Council, and Assistant Professor Yumi Matsuda from Kobe City University of Foreign Studies and a former UNICEF staff member presented on an UNICEF education project aimed at primary and secondary education in Rwanda.

The 2024 JUEMUN conference is scheduled for July on the campus of Notre Dame Seishin University, Okayama, and the 2025 JUEMUN conference will be hosted by Kyoto University of Foreign Studies. For more information regarding Model United Nations opportunities at KUFS, please contact Associate Professor Angus McGregor (Global Studies), Associate Professor Calum Adamson (British and American Studies), or Professor Ian Gibson (British and American Studies).

JUEMUN 2023 conference video

KUFS Student Leaders for JUEMUN 2023
Ayane Maekawa (Department of Global Studies) Committee Chair
Aviruth Chanitsara (Department of Global Studies) Committee Chair
Ryo Nakatsuji (Department of Global Studies) Committee Chair
Eita Shimakura (Department of British and American Studies) Committee Chair
Ken Torito (Department of Global Studies) Committee Facilitator
Ena Kambashi (Department of Global Studies) Committee Facilitator
Yurika Jalu (Department of Global Studies) Committee Facilitator
Alex Drayton (Department of Global Studies) Committee Facilitator
Adella Maureen (Department of Global Studies) Regional Bloc Facilitator
Albert Horasio (Department of Global Studies) Regional Bloc Facilitator
Boonyakida Chanikarn (Department of Global Studies) Regional Bloc Facilitator

Back