United Nations Association

University College London United Nations Association (UCLUNA) is the official branch of UNA United Kingdom at UCL, raising awareness for the work of the United Nations system as well as providing opportunities for the UCL community to engage with it. UCLUNA also provides skills development courses in public speaking, policy, and negotiations skills, organises delegations to prestigious MUN conferences in the UK and beyond, and works with local secondary schools to teach key professional skills to young students. UCLUNA is also a founding member of the United Nations Association Youth Platform of the United Kingdom, a national federation of UNAs and MUN societies.As one of UCL’s most exciting and dynamic societies, we welcome students of all degree programmes, interests, backgrounds and experience levels to join our community. At UCLUNA, our main focus is on raising awareness of the United Nations and the work of the UN System. We aim to bring the UCL community closer to the work of the UN, giving them opportunities to understand and engage with it.You don't need prior MUN experience or knowledge about the UN to join us! So long as you are interested in the United Nations, want to learn more about how diplomacy and international negotiations work, want to learn key professional skills, or engage with the UN System, this is the society for you.This is what we are planning for this year:Skills TrainingEvery week (usually on a Tuesday from 18:30 to 20:00), we hold training sessions where our highly experienced, award-winning training officers run seminars and activities to help develop your skills. These sessions are designed with a focus on Model United Nations (MUN) in mind, but also work on skills that are crucial for everything from your studies to your job applications.This year, the Covid-19 pandemic has jeopardised our plans to send delegates to prestigious MUN conferences across the world, including at Cambridge, Tokyo, Paris, and New York City. However, we will still be organising online training sessions where you will have the opportunity to learn and practice skills pertaining to public speaking, international policymaking, and negotiations.Don't feel any obligation to prepare before our sessions, just turn up and join in! All the details are posted on our Facebook page (click here).EventsThroughout the year, we hold a variety of events for both members and non-members alike. In particular, we are planning to host several networking events throughout the year, as well as looking to welcome external speakers to discuss important topics with our members. MUN societies and discussions have traditionally focused on security and politics-related topics. However, this year, we are expanding our range to include more discussions on topics within social issues, science and technology. If you have any suggestions on topics you would like to have discussed with experts, drop us a message and we'll try to accommodate it!VolunteeringAdditionally, we have exciting plans regarding our outreach and volunteering programs, which is focused through two main avenues. The first will be a continuation of our volunteering program with schools in the local community; done through the UCL Student-Led Volunteering Program. Through this programme, we will work with secondary schools across London to teach MUN and speaking skills to young students. We are working closely with the Student Union on online volunteering plans in light of the pandemic.UN75Our new avenue of outreach this year is engaging with the Secretary General's UN75 campaign to mark the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations. Through various UNA Networks and by working with consultants at the Secretary General's office, we're developing a series of Dialogues and engagement opportunities as part of the campaign.More details will be available soon, so keep an eye out for those on our social media!UNA Youth Platform of the UKUCLUNA is pleased to be a founding partner of the United Nations Association Youth Platform of the United Kingdom, a federation of UNAs and MUN societies across the UK that aims to be a representative body for British youth in the international sphere. Among other goals, the UNA-YP UK aims to establish a Youth Delegate Programme in collaboration with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, ensuring that our voices are heard at the General Assembly.What else?MUN ConferencesTraditionally, a huge part of our society has been attending conferences hosted across the UK and Europe, and we offer lots of chances to travel with the UCL delegation to conferences in cities such as Cambridge, Edinburgh, Paris and many more. These conferences are a great opportunity to see new places, meet new people, hone your skills and win awards for the society!Further, we have hosted our very own MUN conference, UCLMUN, for the last 10 years. However, we do not expect conferences to be held in person in Term 1, or even this academic year. As a result, we are working closely with our colleagues at other societies across the UK to organise innovative, interesting online debates with the opportunities that online platforms present to us. Join Us!This is a challenging year for students, but UCLUNA aims to make full use of our skills, experiences, and opportunities to ensure that we are able to build a strong community, and give society members the opportunity to engage with people from across the world.We look forward to meeting you soon!