Currently celebrating its 52nd year, the National High School Model United Nations (NHSMUN) Conference has established itself as the premier conference on the high school Model UN circuit. NHSMUN prides itself on having the largest and most diverse attendee base in the world, and the conference has hosted participants from more than 130 countries throughout its history. NHSMUN is known for its tal
ented, prestigious attendees, world-class staff, proven substantive excellence, and accurate, engaging committee simulations. The conference exposes students to high-profile, relevant United Nations figures, including the possibility of visiting the ambassadors or representatives of the Permanent Mission of the countries they are representing. During recent conferences, NHSMUN has welcomed speakers ranging from UN, government, and international affairs experts to UN humanitarian programme directors or celebrity advocates. Recent speakers include President Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States; UN Senior Management Group Members (Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed; Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba; Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix); US-UN Ambassadors Susan Rice, Samantha Power, Jonathan Cohen, Christopher Lu, and Linda Thomas-Greenfield; President of the UN General Assembly Csaba Kőrösi; President of the UN General Assembly Dennis Francis; FAO Director Guangzhou Qu; UN Development Programme Administrator Achim Steiner; US Secretary of State John Kerry, US Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci; OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro; Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General Jeffrey Sachs; Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff; US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse; Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass; NYC Commissioner Penny Abeywardena; US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel; Ret. General David Petraeus; and actors Rainn Wilson, Mandy Patinkin, Joe Manganiello, and Demi Lovato. We take pride in the high level of debate in our committees, which provide students with an unparalleled opportunity to experience the theory and practice of international relations firsthand. Subject to availability of space at the UN, students attend opening or closing ceremonies in the UN General Assembly chamber, where actual diplomats convene every year. Simulations such as NHSMUN are invaluable educational tools, as they teach our future leaders about the United Nations and the international community through intensively researched debate with their peers in a setting moderated by students from the most elite universities. In their committees, students are exposed to talented and inspiring speakers that come from many different relevant organizations and backgrounds — in recent years, Former US Secretary of Homeland Security Rand Beers, UN Malta Permanent Representative and Security Council President H.E. Vanessa Frazier, United Nations Military Observer Group in India & Pakistan (UNMOGIP) Chief of Mission Support Nester Odaga-Jalomayo, Director of UNEP NY Jamil Ahmad, UN-OHRLLS Under-Secretary-General Fekitamoeloa ‘Utoikamanu, Founder of Peace One Day Jeremy Gilley, President of Freedom House Michael Abramowitz, UNICEF-USA Chief Engagement, Advocacy and Global Programs Officer Anucha Browne, and leaders from the Malala Fund, Habitat for Humanity, Amnesty International, Kiva, and Médecins sans Frontières, to name a few. These speakers’ insights leave an indelible mark on our eager-to-learn students.
