Philadelphia Model United Nations

Philadelphia Model United Nations is our second conference of the Model UN season. This program of the Institute for Domestic & International Affairs, Inc., started empowering students in 2007 when we chose to hold a conference outside of New Jersey. PhilMUN has grown dramatically in size since the first year, bringing many students together to discuss and address global issues.

PhilMUN is characterized by its in-depth topic briefs, well-trained staff, and small committee sizes. Backed by IDIA, all PhilMUN staffers are Rutgers undergraduate students who complete a year-long training program before running the conference. Attend to learn why PhilMUN is one of the best conferences for your delegates, novice and veteran alike.

Browse the committees available at this year’s PhilMUN conference, and start the registration process.

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As Secretary-General, I am excited to invite you to Philadelphia Model United Nations 2024! The conference will take place February 22nd-25th, 2024 at the Wyndham in Old City, Philadelphia.

I am very proud and excited to serve as Secretary-General to PhilMUN 2024. Attending IDIA conferences as a delegate was the formative experience of my time in high school and gave me confidence and passion that I carry with me today. I certainly felt the impact of IDIA’s goals: to educate, empower, and engage students, and it is my honor to pass that experience on. Our staff has been working hard to ensure that this PhilMUN is an educational, immersive, and fun experience for students and advisors alike. We hope you enjoy it! 

As always, PhilMUN will have both regional and thematic focus to help delegates gear their debate and policy initiatives towards issues in one part of the world while examining global issues through a unifying lens.

The regional focus of PhilMUN 2024 will be Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).  The LAC  is a large and diverse region encompassing Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America and accounting for over 667 million people with many unique challenges and potential for growth. The LAC’s relationship with world powers in the modern age is intimately tied to its colonial history. The United Nations has embraced self-determination as a foundational principle since its charter was drafted, and often encourages member states to take up reforms that lead to greater local governance. But questions regarding what happens during and after the process of establishing national autonomy persist throughout the region. This is why the theme of PhilMUN 2024 will center around Examining Post-Colonial Challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The remnants of colonial pasts have significant influence on many issues the LAC region faces in the present. Currency instability, limited industrialization and globalization, income inequality, drought, erosion of biodiversity, health inequities, a transnational drug trade, and corruption within democratic institutions can all be linked to issues nations face post-independence. However, as a diverse and multi-faceted bloc, the paths that individual states have traversed encompass many subsequent and interrelated issues. The theme will challenge delegates to trace these possible causes as they relate to their topics, and develop policy solutions within the remit of their committees. Our committees encompass a broad range of topics that unite under our theme, spanning from Transnational Organized Crime to Urban Planning for Disaster Preparedness. 

The United Nations plays a key role in promoting self governance and providing support for economic, social, and political development. Despite colonial legacies, nations in the LAC remain open to international collaboration. Our theme encourages delegates to find a role for the United Nations in the LAC that respects and ultimately benefits the region’s states by asking questions like these: 

What is the right kind of involvement for the international community with regards to the LAC and her member states? How can international participation be structured so that it encourages self-determination and leads to sustainable growth? How can colonial legacies be remedied? How can Latin American and Caribbean leadership be uplifted on the world stage? 

It is my hope that delegates take into account colonial histories and consider the best interests of the people most affected by them, avoiding one-size-fits-all solutions. In doing so, they will be able to ask and answer these important questions. 

If you have any questions, especially about registration or the conference itself, feel free to contact us at [email protected]. Prior to the conference, the Secretariat, along with the rest of our staff, is available to provide information or do outreach programs to help schools prepare. With that, we look forward to meeting you all in February at PhilMUN 2024!

Best, 

Neha Avadhani
Secretary-General 
PhilMUN 2024