Who can apply to attend NOVOMUN?

The conference is aimed at high-school students, and applications are handled through the mymun platform linked from the event page. Delegations and individual applicants from outside Portugal are typically welcome alongside local schools.

Where is the conference held?

NOVOMUN takes place in Maia, a city in the Porto metropolitan area in northern Portugal, making it accessible via Porto's international airport for travelling delegations.

What experience level is expected?

Because it is a high-school conference, NOVOMUN accommodates a range of experience levels, from first-time delegates to students who have already attended several conferences on the European circuit.

What language is used in committee?

As with the wider Portuguese MUN circuit, sessions are run in English, so delegates should be prepared to debate, draft resolutions, and negotiate informally in English throughout the conference.

How should a delegate begin preparing?

Start with the UN's own Model UN guidance to understand procedure, then research the assigned country's recent positions at the United Nations on the specific committee topics once allocations are released.

Part of the NOVOMUN series

NOVOMUN

Name: NOVOMUN
Start: 2027-04-07T00:00:00Z
End: 2027-04-09T00:00:00Z
Location: Maia

Maia, Portugal · high-school

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Dates: Apr 7–2027 (day: 9)
Fee: TBD
Reg deadline: TBD
Delegates: TBD
Language: English
Format: In-person

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Summary

NOVOMUN is a high-school Model United Nations conference convened in Maia, in the northern Portuguese metropolitan belt around Porto. The gathering brings secondary-school delegates together for a multi-day simulation cycle in the spring, organised through the mymun platform and aimed at students who want a structured European venue to practise multilateral debate. The conference sits within the broader ecosystem of Iberian high-school MUNs that have matured over the past decade, offering a compact format that travelling delegations can fold into a single trip. For first-time chairs and delegates, NOVOMUN functions as an accessible entry point into the Portuguese circuit without the scale or selectivity of the largest European conferences.

Why this edition matters in 2027

Portugal has quietly become one of the more interesting Model UN destinations in Western Europe. Lisbon and Porto host a growing cluster of conferences, and satellite events in cities like Maia matter because they distribute the experience beyond the capital and give regional schools a reason to invest in MUN programmes. NOVOMUN is part of that distribution. For delegates, the relevance is practical. A high-school-level conference in a mid-sized Portuguese city tends to attract a mix of local students and travelling delegations from across Iberia and the wider European circuit. That blend produces committee rooms where procedural fluency varies, which is exactly the environment in which newer delegates learn fastest and experienced delegates sharpen their chairing and mentoring instincts. It also matters for faculty advisors weighing where to send a team. A spring conference in northern Portugal slots into the academic calendar at a point when most delegations have already cycled through autumn and winter events, giving students a venue to apply lessons learned earlier in the year before exam season closes the door on extracurricular travel.

How to prepare

Preparation for NOVOMUN should start with the basics of UN procedure rather than exotic crisis mechanics. Because the conference is pitched at the high-school level, committees are likely to lean on standard General Assembly and ECOSOC-style rules of procedure, and delegates who arrive comfortable with moderated caucuses, working paper drafting, and amendment cycles will outperform those chasing flashier tactics. Research should begin from the assigned country's published positions at the United Nations. The UN's own Model UN guidance is the most reliable starting point for understanding how real delegations frame their interventions, and delegates should mirror that discipline: read the latest General Assembly statements from the country they represent, identify two or three consistent themes, and build position papers around those rather than around personal opinions. For travelling delegations, the logistical preparation matters as much as the substantive work. Maia is well connected to Porto's airport, but advisors should confirm transport, accommodation, and chaperone arrangements early, since spring travel windows in Portugal fill quickly with school groups and tourists alike. Finally, delegates should practise speaking in English under time pressure. Portuguese MUNs are conducted in English, and high-school delegates from non-anglophone backgrounds often find that their substantive preparation is strong but their delivery suffers when the speakers' list moves quickly. Mock sessions before departure are the single highest-return investment a delegation can make.

Eligibility deep-dive

Level: high-school
Age: —
Team size: —
Country quota: Open

Schedule & deadlines

Conference
Apr 7, 2027 – Apr 9, 2027

Frequently asked questions

Who can apply to attend NOVOMUN?
The conference is aimed at high-school students, and applications are handled through the mymun platform linked from the event page. Delegations and individual applicants from outside Portugal are typically welcome alongside local schools.
Where is the conference held?
NOVOMUN takes place in Maia, a city in the Porto metropolitan area in northern Portugal, making it accessible via Porto's international airport for travelling delegations.
What experience level is expected?
Because it is a high-school conference, NOVOMUN accommodates a range of experience levels, from first-time delegates to students who have already attended several conferences on the European circuit.
What language is used in committee?
As with the wider Portuguese MUN circuit, sessions are run in English, so delegates should be prepared to debate, draft resolutions, and negotiate informally in English throughout the conference.
How should a delegate begin preparing?
Start with the UN's own Model UN guidance to understand procedure, then research the assigned country's recent positions at the United Nations on the specific committee topics once allocations are released.

Last verified May 27, 2026 · Source: mymun.com

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