Model Arab League


Model Arab League, also known as MAL, is a multi-regional model competition in which high school and university students from across the world learn about and compete as representatives from Member States of the Arab League. Participants are encouraged to use the experience to hone their skills in public speaking and diplomacy, in addition to the primary goal of learning about the politics and history of the Arab world. In the United States, the competitions are administered by The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. Outside the United States, the University of Peloponnese hosts the and the American University in Cairo hosts the . In the UK, the longest running Model Arab League Conference in Europe has been run by the University of Birmingham UN Society, a UNA Youth UK Branch since 2004.

Structure

Model Arab League is a debate simulation of the Arab League. This format is similar to Model United Nations which challenges students to accurately represent the needs and interests of United Nations member countries. One of the biggest differences in structure between Model UN and Model Arab League is that the latter is made up of only 22 member countries in contrast to Model UN's 193. This difference in size allows for more focused and in-depth debating, but with a purview restricted to the Arab world.
Model Arab League is administered centrally from Washington, DC by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations which works with local hosts to coordinate and run conferences across the United States. The National Council also updates debate topics and research guides yearly by utilizing nationally appointed student leaders who also act as secretariat for the .

Conference Administration

MAL conferences are primarily run by regional coordinators, who are supported by a team of MAL students. The regional host is responsible for conducting outreach, recruiting new participants, scheduling conference space, and staffing the conference. Additional oversight is provided by a National Council representative who travels to each conference to provide assistance in regards to interacting with students, ensuring standardization across conferences, and being the final say when enforcing parliamentary procedure.
The rest of the conference is led by pre-selected student leaders divided into upper and lower secretariat, and headed by a Secretary General. The SG reviews draft resolutions created in council and checks for proper formatting and accurate policy simulation. SGs also enforce parliamentary procedure when necessary and are often supported by an Assistant Secretary General and Chief of Staff. The Upper Secretariat will include additional positions for larger conferences, such as ASG-2, and ASG of Information.
The Lower Secretariat consists of Council Chairman who moderate debate in each council. These positions are usually filled several months ahead of time at the discretion of the local host and National Council representative. Chairs are supported by a Vice-Chair, Rapporteur, and Parliamentarian, all of whom are voted on by members of each council. Vice-Chairs support the Chair in reviewing resolutions, and will often chair for short periods to gain additional experience. Vice-Chairs regularly become full Council Chairs at the next regional conference. Lastly, Rapporteurs maintain lists of countries wishing to be heard in debate, while Parliamentarians may be called on at any time to clarify parliamentary procedure.

Conferences

fall into three categories: College, High School and International. In the United States, the college competitions consist of a series of regional conferences and as well as several National conferences held in Washington, DC. As of 2020, the College regional and national conferences include:
The Southeast and the Northeast conferences are both the oldest and largest regional conferences and draw in several hundred participants every year.

Councils and Topics

Model Arab League conferences are divided into councils that each focus on a specific area of Arab League policy. Although the councils offered by international conferences such as the Cairo International MAL tend to fluctuate, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations assures that most simulations within the US share common councils and structure from year to year.
The NCUSAR-sponsored council list consists of eight councils, though not all of the councils are simulated at all models.
*Although Syria has been suspended from the Arab League since 2011, the Syrian National Coalition is given representation and is modeled on the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces
**Observer states are offered at larger conferences, or if specially requested. Observer states have the same rights as other member states, but are not allowed to vote on resolutions. This puts more pressure on observers to form alliances and encourage member states to vote in accordance with the interests of the observer.