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About us
Welcome to UNSOC!
The United Nations is one of the largest and most operationally diverse societies at the LSE. At our core, we proudly represent the UN’s values, both through academic conferences and through other mediums such as volunteering, speaker events, career support and transferable skills development. In addition to this, we act as the conduit between global perspectives and grassroots student initiatives, with our dedication to success clearly reflected by our standing as a Gold Star winning society. Consequently, at UNSOC our members seek the best, and only the best, from the opportunities available to them.
What We Do:
Model United Nations: TeamLSE represents the LSE at Model UN conferences around the world, performing as one of the best delegations in the country (based on awards won and overall delegation awards) against other universities and professional teams. Through rigorous weekly training sessions, our members develop high levels of competency in public speaking, negotiation, research and policy-writing, and this is reflected in our success at conferences. We have won over 115 awards in the past three academic years, which is significant considering the reduction in available conferences during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. We also host two of our own annual conferences, LSEMUN and LSEMUN High School!
Outreach: The division fosters awareness, fundraising and volunteering for the issues our members care about. In the past year, Outreach organised a range of events including multiple speaker panels, fundraising stalls, as well as a hugely successful International Music Day and International Food Day. We empower members to discover and engage in volunteering by working closely with the LSE Volunteer Centre, providing opportunities and expertise directly to members. Every year, we select a pressing global issue on which to raise awareness and host an ambitious week-long event. Last year, the topic was ‘International Human Rights' and we hosted a week full of events uncovering freedom of movement, right of legal representation and humanitarian help against violation of human rights. This year, our topic was on 'International Security and Peace', which allowed us to work with a wide variety of speakers on various issues such as Nuclear Non-Proliferation in the Korean Peninsula, Security Careers in the United Nations, the Changing Nature of Peace Operations (with the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations: Jean-Pierre Lacroix) and more!
Careers: The division of the society which empowers students to engage with a network of organisations and individuals from the world of international diplomacy. The division holds events such as career panels, symposiums and networking events for students to gain insight into the world of international development and the United Nations. Engaging with the core values of the UN, our careers events involve a variety of organisations and firms in the fields of international development, arbitration, political consultancy and the United Nations itself. Our landmark event this year was the UNSOC Alumni Fair, where we hosted 10 different LSE students and alumni speakers representing 10 different United Nations agencies.
Why Join:
From enthralling career panels on how to enhance your skill set to fundraising for issues that matter to you, to debating issues of world importance at MUN conferences, we cater to a variety of different interests. UNSOC isn’t just a unique community within campus– it is a family, composed of ambitious, welcoming and passionate individuals.
Our commitment to high quality events is reflected in our distinction of Best Society of the Year in 2019 and Runner-Up Best Society of the Year in 2020. We also won Best Creative in the 2020 Initiative for our Sustainable Arts and Crafts Fair and in 2021 for our Awareness Week. Furthermore, we have also won Best Conference for YouthMUN 2020 and 2023, Best Trip for our 2020 MUN Trip Series, and Best Collaboration for Diplomacy Ball 2020 and 2021, and for our Ukraine Vigil in 2022.
Membership
Purchasing a membership to our society will grant you access to all of the events that are organized by our three divisions, including our Careers Panels, Weekly MUN Trainings, MUN Conference trips in the UK and abroad, Awareness Week initiatives and our regular socials.
You’ll also be added to our mailing list, which will ensure that you get weekly updates on the activities of the society and any opportunities you can get involved in.
Your membership goes towards funding the operations of all three divisions, including any costs related to organizing panel events and society-wide socials. As a UNSOC member, you’ll meet like-minded, passionate and friendly people with whom you will forge great friendships.
Events and Activities
Autumn Term:
- UNSOC Week - Held in the first week of term, we hold a series of introductory events so members can learn more about what each division does. Includes a BAFUNCS Panel, a Outreach Partner Charity Showcase, a MUN AT Bootcamp and a Crisis Bootcamp.
- Weekly MUN Trainings and Biweekly Crisis Trainings followed by Socials
- MUN Trip Series: ULMUN, HultMUN, BathMUN
- Outreach Workshops Series - talks by professionals working in different sectors (NGOs, IOs, etc) followed by case studies to solve in groups
- UNSOC Family Scheme
- Trip to local NGOs and think tanks
- UNSOC Volunteer Scheme
- Professional Paths Talks Series
Winter Term:
- Diplomacy Ball
- Alumni Fair
- Awareness Week
- LSEMUN High School
- LSEMUN
- MUN WT Bootcamp
- Weekly MUN Trainings and Biweekly Crisis Trainings followed by Socials
- MUN Trip series: QMUN, LSEMUN, LIMUN, ScotMUN, LSEMUN High School
- Careers Mentorship Scheme
- Panel on Careers in Diplomacy and Development
Contact Us
UNSOC would love to get in touch with its new members! To facilitate communication directly with our Executive Committee we have put together a UNSOC WhatsApp group chat. This page will receive updates about our upcoming events for UNSOC Week, so make sure you join to stay updated! There will also be an opportunity to meet fellow UNSOC members.
You can also find us at the LSESU Welcome Fair on the 19th of September from 11am to 4pm at the Marshall Building Sports Hall! Come visit our stall and learn more about what we have planned for this year! Feel free to ask us any questions regarding UNSOC or life at LSE in general!