Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sudan, Zimbabwe, …  

YOU have been assigned to use your skills, knowledge, and experience to seek creative solutions to historical and modern global conflicts and establish a secure foundation for the future of Africa in the Pine Crest Model United Nations and Model Berlin Conference.

     But how does a Model Untied Nations work? First, a Model United Nations or Berlin Conference begins with the presentation of a set of issues to be discussed. Next, delegates select a country to represent at the conference. Each delegate then prepares a document presenting the position of the assigned county on the issues, and makes an oral presentation of those issues using the established rules of debate and procedure. The delegates then attempt to come to an agreement about the issue through debate and negotiation. Once an agreement is reached by a majority of the conference, a resolution is passed representing the policy statement of the body as a whole. It’s simple: Role-playing, Research, Rules, and Resolutions.

This simulation will recreate the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885, and will allow students the opportunity to practice their research, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills in an historical setting.  The major purposes of this simulation are:

• to introduce students to the fascinating realities and complexities of international relations through simulations of international organizations

• to demonstrate the potential and limitations of the United Nations in the resolution of global conflicts and problems.

• to allow the students to participate in “living” historical situations and recognize the fact that they, too, are a part of history.

• and, of course, to meet, work with, and socialize with other students in both cooperative and competitive situations

Even through the actual Berlin Conference consisted of fourteen countries (Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden-Norway, Turkey, and the United States of America) - not one country from the continent of Africa was represented! 

For the purpose of this simulation, you are representing a delegation of a modern African country that has magically been transported back to the time of the Berlin Conference.  In fact, the only other countries that you will be working with (and against) will be from the continent of Africa.  It is up to all of you to establish new boundaries, taking into consideration the local languages, cultures, religions, physical landscapes, and so on.

The countries for THIS simulation are as follows: Algeria, Angola, The Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia.

PREPARATION:

Each Delegation will be responsible for researching and writing a short position paper and resolution on the issues involved from the point of view of the assigned country.  Both Participation and Position papers will be graded at the discretion of the teacher.