Theme Rationale

Model United Nations San Antonio (MUNSA) is a conference that emphasizes authentic debate, giving delegates the experience of collaborating to reach constructive, effective solutions for the most pertinent global issues.

With the commencement of the thirty-first conference, Uplift is more than just a theme, and it goes far past MUNSA. Our world today is filled with division, conflict, and hate. Everywhere, there are harmful narratives with the goal of alienating and hurting already vulnerable groups. With the start of this conference, we want to change that narrative. We hope you all will embody the word ‘uplift’, during and beyond these two days. Our goal is for MUNSA XXXI to be a platform for collaboration and a model for how problems should be approached: with diplomacy, empathy, and consideration as the most prominent qualities. Uplift is the manifestation of those qualities and the result that will come from them. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Uplift is the light in the darkness that shines as a symbol of kindness, dignity, and cooperation. MUNSA XXXI will be a space where varying viewpoints can thrive together and work toward solutions without being silenced or hindered by bias.

Uplift serves as a remembrance of the last thirty years, while also illuminating the path ahead. Our aspiration is that MUNSA XXXI is seen as a time of connection, unity, and empowerment of often ignored voices by the generations ahead of us, and that it serves as a worthy example for what MUNSA stands for. Uplift will be a strong representation of what the world and our society so urgently need today. As Bryan Stevenson said, “you ultimately judge the civility of a society not by how it treats the rich, the powerful, the protected and the highly esteemed, but by how it treats the poor, the disfavored and the disadvantaged.”