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Example of a Letter to the UN

Here's an example of a letter to the UN. Link Full text below!  I write to you in my capacity as President of the Council of Ministers of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP), and submit herewith the conclusions of the ninth Special Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Organization on the situation in Guinea-Bissau, held today in Lisbon, I must recall the special interest of the Community in this issue, as Guinea-Bissau is one of its members, and as such, CPLP maintains an inclusive approach and reiterates its total availability and interest in being part of the solution to the crisis in Guinea-Bissau, in close cooperation with the United Nations, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as you will be able to verify in the conclusions below.  The international community strongly condemned the coup d’état in Guinea-Bissau from the very beginning, demanding the restoration of the constitutional order and th

Schedule for Saturday, Sunday

Here is the schedule (tentative!) for the rest of the committee. Saturday morning, committee session 2 9 - 10            Debating formal topic 10 - 12          Presentations, visiting committees, and working on deliverables 12 - 12:30     Debrief  Lunch Saturday afternoon / evening, committee session 3  1:30 -1:50     Prepare for panels and choose 2 additional committees where panels want to go after presentation 1:50 - 4:15    Panels 4:15 - 4:30    Debrief  Sunday morning 9:30 - 9:45    Finish off deliverables 9:45 - 12:30  Formal topic

Panel and Committee Assignments!

Panel assignments: Disaster Response Panel: UN Habitat Project Hope Save the Children BRAC CARE International Health Panel: WHO Red Cross Doctors without Borders Light for the World Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Economic Development Panel: BVC Ashoka Plan Intl. Google.org Acumen Fund Human Rights Panel - UNHRC Amnesty International Oxfam International International Stateless Persons Organisation Lakshyam NGO Sustainable Development Panel: UNESCO Food and Water Watch NRDC Heifer Intl CERES Committee assignments: Amnesty International UNHRC Doctors Without Borders CRISIS CARE International SPECPOL Oxfam International Security Council International Stateless Persons Organisation ECOFIN Plan International UNHRC Lakshyam NGO UNEP Project Hope CSTD International Committee of the Red Cross ECOFIN Ashoka BVC Natural Resources Defense Council UNEP Save the Children Security Council Light for the World UNESCO Google.org AU Bill &

Download the BMUN App!

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Hi everyone! We hope you're as excited for conference this Friday (!!!) as we are. If you want some review on BMUN procedure, tips for speaking or packing your bags for conference, a feedback form, a timeline for conference, and so much more, all on your phone, download the BMUN Guide app (for iOS only) on the App Store. Here is the link , or just look up "BMUN Guide" on the App Store. Thanks! Looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend.

Clarifications and more!

Hello NGOs! I hope all you're doing to prepare for conference is going well. I've received a couple of similar questions over email and I wanted to answer them here so everyone will be on the same page: Power-points during individual committee presentations - While this is not required, you have the option of doing so, and it will not help or hurt any evaluation of your presentations. However, please note that they should be short; going over 5 minutes will not be possible, and you should have plenty to talk about regarding your NGO, its abilities, and its relation to   the topic. If you so choose to make a powerpoint presentation, have it ready by the first committee session and email it to me (ksingh@bmun.org) For those of you who have not turned in position papers yet, please note that the deadline to turn in papers and still be eligible for any committee award is February 12th. We look forward to reading them! If you feel strongly about wanting to present during th

The Relationship between the UN and NGOs

An important aspect of the debate around restrictions placed on NGOs is their relationship to the United Nations. For example, what does the UN depend on NGOs to do? And what do NGOs expect the UN to do in order to allow them to pursue their objectives?  The official agency of the UN that deals with NGOs is the UN-NGLS, or UN Non-Governmental Liasion Service . In the words of the NGLS, it " promotes dynamic partnerships between the United Nations and civil society organisations. By providing information, advice, expertise and consulting and support service, UN-NGLS is part of the United Nations effort to strengthen multi-stakeholder dialogue and engagement in UN processes." The NGLS helps NGOs represent themselves in international discussions, such as the preparations for the Global Compact on Migration or the Paris Climate Change agreement. ECOSOC also has its own branch that deals specifically with NGOs, helping them register with the UN, become accredited, and bu

Guide to Open Agenda

Hello everyone! NGO Forum has a unique format which some of you may not have seen before. Debate time is going to be split between a more conventional debate on addressing the limits on NGOs, and open agenda where delegates will be traveling to different committees. This guide will be on what the chairs are looking for delegates to accomplish during open agenda. What is Open Agenda?  NGO Forum's open agenda is similar in format to the Press Corps committees that happen at other conferences and BMUN in past years. Delegates will be visiting different committees representing their NGOs, and will use their own knowledge of their NGO's work, mission, and goals to contribute to debate. However, just because debate isn't taking place in one room doesn't mean there's nothing to do! Delegates will be accompanied from committee to committee by chairs, and will be evaluated just like other members of their host committees. There are also a few tasks for delegates to acco