Carleton Model NATO Conference

Upcoming 2011 Conference

Organizing for the upcoming 2011 Model NATO Conference will begin shortly. CSDS Model NATO Fellow Todd MacDonald is co-ordinating the conference, including delegations and international staff. If you have any enquiries, and would like to get involved, please consult the Model NATO website, on which you can find further details and contact information.

About the Carleton Model NATO

The practice of model international organization conferences has a long and varied tradition in Canada and abroad. Model North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as a relatively recent addition, is one of the most professional and academically intense opportunities available to undergraduate students worldwide. The Carleton Model NATO, now in its sixth year, is the first Canadian conference of its kind.

Model NATO has had eight tremendously successful years, and is hosted by CSDS in partnership with the Department of Political Science and Arthur Kroeger College. The conference has been progressively gaining support from Carleton University, the NATO Headquarters in Brussels, the Government of Canada, the diplomatic community in Ottawa, and other donors and organizations. We hope to continue this tradition of success and expansion.

How it works

University delegations (five to six people) from across Canada represent NATO member states and partner countries (countries are assigned on a first come, first served basis).

Delegation members sit on each of the five NATO committees chosen for this event: the North Atlantic Council; the Military Committee; the Political Committee at Senior Level; the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council.

Embassy briefing

During the second day of the conference, each delegation visits the embassy or high commission of the country it represents (for the delegation representing Canada: Department of National Defence and/or Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada). This is a very exciting highlight of the experience, seen by many students as “the best part of the trip!”

Crisis simulation

In addition to debating pre-set agenda items of concern to NATO’s members, the committees are required to respond to crises as they arise. The crises strike unexpectedly — as is their nature — and require the delegates to work together with their allies to achieve consensus on actions taken to resolve them and as a team within their delegations to represent the interests of their governments.

Social events

The Conference is held in the heart of Ottawa, within walking distance of Parliament Hill, the National Arts Centre, the National Gallery of Canada, shopping malls and the Byward Market (Ottawa’s prime entertainment area). A reception is held on the first night of the Conference, and other — less formal — social events are also scheduled.