About Us
Oxford University United Nations Association (OUUNA) offers students the opportunity to become more aware of international affairs, and in particular, the work of the United Nations. OUUNA is driven by a vision of the world in which humanity is spared the scourge of war, human rights are honoured, and the environment is rightfully protected. We organise debating activities, especially Model United Nations (MUN), speaker events, delegations to external conferences for our members, as well as Oxford International MUN, our very own annual MUN conference.
Debating
In the past, we have held regular MUN style debates on topical issues for all students, ranging from experienced delegates to first-timers. Recent topics have included the refugee crisis, safety of journalists and the prevention of acts of terror by ISIS. We are also working towards organising a broader range of debating events, including a Roundtable Event on the United Nations’ campaigns. More information is available on the debates page.
OxIMUN
Oxford International Model United Nations is one of the most MUN prestigious conferences in Europe, and welcomes over 600 delegates each year in Michaelmas Term. OxIMUN is organised by members of OUUNA, who are elected to be part of the secretariat. More information about the conference is available on the website.
External Conferences
OUUNA regularly send delegations to MUN conferences in Europe and beyond. In recent years, we have attended CUIMUN (Cambridge), WorldMUN (Seoul – Melbourne), LIMUN (London), WarMUN (Warwick), LVMUN (Riga) and PIMUN (Paris) amongst many other conferences. More information is available on the external conferences page.
Speaker Events
Speaker events are usually held in partnership with other university societies such as the Oxford Forum, PPE Society, IR Society and Oxford Hub. Recent speakers have included Sir Ivor Roberts (diplomat and previously ambassador to British Ambassador to Yugoslavia, Ireland, and Italy), Sir Mark Lyall Grant (recently served as Representative of the UK to the UN), Ian Martin (previously head of the UN Support Mission in Libya) and Avi Shlaim (a prominent Israeli “new historian”).
Social Events
Our regular social events offer members the opportunity to socialise in a more informal context. OUUNA traditionally has in the past, run Diplomacy & Cocktails, a black tie event in Hilary. We also typically organise termly Pub Quiz events for all our members.