United Netherlands (UNL) is an educational student-led organization that focuses on the theory and practice of international relations and diplomacy. It is based at the

Radboud University Radboud University (abbreviated as RU, , formerly ) is a public research university located in Nijmegen, Netherlands. RU has seven faculties and more than 24,000 students. Established in 1923, Radboud University has consistently been included in ...

Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...

, the Netherlands. UNL organizes various student activities related to personal development, including its Public Speaking Program, High School Program. Furthermore, it offers the accredited United Nationds and Multilateral Diplomacy: Theory and Practice (UNMD) course, and its corresponding Delegation to

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

and

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. In the past, UNL has organized various student activities related to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, including the Radboud international Model United Nations (RiMUN), the Month of the United Nations (MotUN), and WorldMUN 2009.

History

In 2003 two students from the Netherlands, David Vermijs and Tjeerd Tim, organized the first ever Dutch delegation to participate in the Harvard National Model United Nations (HNMUN) at Harvard University in the United States of America. After attending this international event it was agreed that students in the Netherlands would benefit from an organized preparatory track. The second Dutch delegation in 2004 was the first to receive lectures in international law, economics, politics, United Nations

rules of procedure Parliamentary procedures are the accepted rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings of an assembly or organization. Their object is to allow orderly deliberation upon questions of interest to the organization and thus to arrive at the sense ...

and public speaking trainings. The United Netherlands organization was officially founded in 2004 during the aforementioned events. Due to strong interest in the United Netherlands Delegation it was decided to broaden the scope of the activities by organizing additional events, open to all students. Among the first events to take place where a symposium in 2005 and the first

Model United Nations Model United Nations, also known as Model UN (MUN), is an educational simulation of the United Nations, which teaches students about diplomacy, international relations, global issues, and how the United Nations is run. During a model UN confe ...

ever organized in

in 2006: the Radboud intra-university Model United Nations (later renamed to Radboud international Model United Nations). Furthermore, the preparatory track for HNMUN was intensified and more attention was given to team-building, paper writing, debating and negotiation. The following year the 2005 - 2006 Delegation came back from HNMUN with eight individual awards and the ''Best International Delegation'' award, a feat no European delegation had been able to accomplish in at least five years.

2006 - 2007

During OxIMUN 2006 (taking place at Oxford University) awards were won in 7 out of 8 committees. Following this success, in 2007 the United Netherlands Delegation to HNMUN won both the prizes for ''Best Large Delegation'' and ''Best International Delegation'', succeeding in something no other European delegation had achieved in the history of the conference. Furthermore, delegates received 22 individual awards. In the same year two new United Netherlands activities were launched: the Month of the UN, a month-long preparatory course for RiMUN, and a pilot version of the United Netherlands High School Program (HSP), a programme specifically designed for high school students. Four high schools participated in the very first edition of the High School Program. Furthermore, the United Netherlands alumni association A''MUN''li was brought into existence and an agreement on structural cooperation was reached between United Netherlands and the

Radboud University Nijmegen Radboud University (abbreviated as RU, , formerly ) is a public university, public research university located in Nijmegen, Netherlands. RU has seven faculties and more than 24,000 students. Established in 1923, Radboud University has consistentl ...

. With over 250 students participating and 22 nationalities attending, both RiMUN conferences organized during 2006 and 2007 were a success. The following year it was decided to reduce the number of RiMUN conferences to one per academic year.

2007 - 2008

The ''United Nations and Multilateral Diplomacy'' course was continued and successfully concluded with the ''Outstanding Delegation'' award at HNMUN 2008. The United Netherlands Delegation had been chosen to represent

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

during the conference. The RiMUN conference took place in April 2008 and grew in participant numbers to over two hundred. The affiliated MotUN program had its third and fourth edition in November 2007 and April 2008, the latter preceding the RiMUN conference. The High School Program witnessed its second pilot year to ready it for professional implementation in the consecutive year. Finally, the United Netherlands board of 2007-2008 succeeded in winning the bid to host the

Harvard World Model United Nations The Harvard World Model United Nations (WorldMUN) is an annual traveling model United Nations conference that is run by the Harvard International Relations Council. WorldMUN moves to a new city each year and is regarded as one of the most prestig ...

conference in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

in 2009.

2009 - 2010

Despite increasing competition at OxiMUN and HNMUN the United Netherlands Delegation continues to be a successful one. After having won several individual awards at OxiMUN 2009, the United Netherlands Delegation (representing

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

) succeeded in winning the Best International Delegation at HNMUN 2010 for the fourth time. Participation in the small-scaled MotUN program doubled, now reaching approximately forty participants. After a one-year break due to WorldMUN 2009 the Radboud international Model United Nations was organized again and concluded in April 2010, its success featured both on television and newspaper.De Gelderlander, 30 March 2010
/ref> The High School Program witnessed a shift in orientation, broadening its scope from Dutch high schools to schools outside of the Netherlands too. In April 2010, four participating schools successfully participated in the special HSP MUN closing the High School Program.

2018 - 2019

At OxIMUN, the 16th Delegation of United Netherlands managed to win the 'Best Large Delegation Award'. Additionally, 22 individual delegates have been recognized for their outstanding performance.

Organizational structure

The United Netherlands Foundation is led by the Board, including a President, a financial manager, an event manager, a relations manager, a commercial manager, an academic manager and a program manager. The members of the Board work together closely on organizational matters, training the delegation and on long-term projects. The Board is in charge of organizing all the three programs of United Netherlands: the Delegation, the High School Program and the Public Speaking Program. Altogether these teams form the essence of the United Netherlands organization. Several external Boards are concerned with the overall development and management of all of the active components within the United Netherlands framework. The Board communicates with the Supervisory Board, which is in charge of formally assisting United Netherlands in its general development now and in the future. Furthermore, an Advisory Board has been put in place to provide support and insight if necessary. Finally, United Netherlands is officially supported by its Board of Recommendation, formed by respected members

Thom de Graaf Thomas Carolus de Graaf (; born 11 June 1957) is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 (D66) party and jurist. He is the Vice-President of the Council of State (Netherlands), Vice-President of the Council of State since 1 November 2018. Early ...

, Caecilia van Peski, Diederik Laman Trip, Boris Dittrich,

Pieter Feith Pieter Cornelis Feith (born 9 February 1945) is a Dutch diplomat, formerly serving as the European Union Special Representative (EUSR) and as the International Civilian Representative in Kosovo. About Feith was born in Rotterdam, the Netherla ...

and former

Rector magnificus A rector (Latin for 'ruler') is a senior official in an educational institution, and can refer to an official in either a university or a secondary school. Outside the English-speaking world, the rector is often the most senior official in a u ...

of the Radboud University Cees Blom and Bas Kortmann.

Dries van Agt Andreas Antonius Maria "Dries" van Agt (; 2 February 1931 – 5 February 2024) was a Dutch politician, jurist and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 19 December 1977 until 4 November 1982. He was a prominent leader o ...

was a member of the United Netherlands Board of Recommendation in the past.

The United Nations and Multilateral Diplomacy (UNMD) course

The UNMD course concept, generally considered to lie at the origin of United Netherlands, has been designed to teach both the theory and practice of

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

and

diplomacy Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of State (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international syste ...

to talented students. The theoretical part of the course lasts half a year and involves lectures on international matters by renowned speakers, intensive training in

public speaking Public speaking, is the practice of delivering speeches to a live audience. Throughout history, public speaking has held significant cultural, religious, and political importance, emphasizing the necessity of effective rhetorical skills. It all ...

lobbying Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agency, regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by va ...

and

negotiation Negotiation is a dialogue between two or more parties to resolve points of difference, gain an advantage for an individual or Collective bargaining, collective, or craft outcomes to satisfy various interests. The parties aspire to agree on m ...

, and a final training week in New York. The practical aspect of the course is embodied by participation in the Oxford international Model United Nations ( OxIMUN), and ultimately the Harvard National Model United Nations in Boston, considered to be the oldest, largest and arguably most respected Model United Nations conference in the world. Approximately thirty students can participate in the course every year. Participants are drawn through a selection process which consists of three rounds and takes place twice a year. The preparation track, the training week and MUN conferences together form the United Nations and Multilateral Diplomacy: Theory and Practice course. The course is equivalent to a (Dutch) BA3 course and is academically accredited with 10 ECTS through the

. Participants are trained, coached and given feedback by two Head Delegates and MUN Trainer carrying the responsibility for the Delegation.

Radboud international Model United Nations (RiMUN)

RiMUN is a Model United Nations Conference hosted by United Netherlands. The first edition was organized in December 2005 in Nijmegen, then named Radboud intrauniversity Model United Nations. 26 different countries were represented. The theme of the conference was 'Freedom vs Liberty - in an international perspective'. In April 2006 the second edition took place in Nijmegen. This time called Radboud international Model United Nations, participation was open to students from all Dutch universities and abroad. This edition was centered on the theme of the

Millennium Development Goals In the United Nations, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were eight international development goals for the year 2015 created following the Millennium Summit, following the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration. These w ...

. Speakers in this edition were Mandeep Bains,

Ruud Lubbers Rudolphus Franciscus Marie "Ruud" Lubbers (; 7 May 1939 – 14 February 2018) was a Dutch politician, diplomat and businessman who served as prime minister of the Netherlands from 1982 to 1994, and as United Nations High Commissioner for Refug ...

and

. From November 24 to November 26, 2006, the next RiMUN took place. The theme was 'War on War - Peace and Security in the 21st century'. Speakers were, among others,

Pieter Kooijmans Pieter Hendrik "Peter" Kooijmans (; 6 July 1933 – 13 February 2013) was a Dutch politician, jurist, and diplomat. He was a member of the defunct Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP), which later merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) pa ...

, C. F. Meindersma and Maarten van Rossem. RiMUN 2007 was centered on the theme Fight 4 Freedoms: Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union revisited. Delegates re-enacted the League of Nations, discussed the limits to freedom of religion in a symposium and discussed

female circumcision Female genital mutilation (FGM) (also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision) is the cutting or removal of some or all of the vulva for non-medical reasons. FGM prevalence varies ...

. At RiMUN 2008, United Netherlands hosted

Jan Pronk Johannes Pieter "Jan" Pronk Jr. (; born 16 March 1940) is a retired Dutch politician and diplomat of the Labour Party (Netherlands), Labour Party (PvdA) and activist. Pronk studied Economics at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam School ...

and

. In 2009, United Netherlands was allowed to host the 2009 WorldMUN conference. Therefore, in 2009 no RiMUN was organized, as United Netherlands cooperated with

to host WorldMUN 2009 in

. In April 2010, RiMUN 2010 was organized, based around the theme Times of Trial, in order to discuss global challenges the world faces in the 21st century. Keynote speakers included Dries van Agt and Thom de Graaf. RiMUN 2011 took place from April 15–17, 2011 and centered on the theme Shifting Balances. Participants from over 25 different universities and coming from over 12 different countries, discussed the issues surrounding shifting global power relations, and the changing standards towards warfare, human rights violations and the environment. Other themes were rising tensions at the Korean Peninsula, the global consumption of oil, nationalist terrorism, child trafficking and the completion of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

References

External links

United Netherlands

Radboud University Nijmegen

Radboud international Model United Nations

Oxford International Model United Nations

Harvard National Model United Nations
{{DEFAULTSORT:United Netherlands (Organization) 2004 establishments in the Netherlands Organizations established in 2004 Organisations based in Gelderland Radboud University Nijmegen