Conference Directory · Dubai, UAE & the Gulf
The Gulf has become one of the busiest Model UN regions outside North America, and Dubai sits at its center. DIAMUN at Dubai International Academy is the largest THIMUN-affiliated conference in the Middle East, Harvard students fly in each January to run HMUN Dubai, and the American University of Sharjah has hosted school and university delegations side by side since 2007.
Qatar adds a full circuit of its own around THIMUN Qatar at the Qatar National Convention Centre, including a dedicated middle school conference and a skills-focused leadership event. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Saudi Arabia each run established school-hosted conferences, so a Gulf delegate can build a season without long-haul travel.
One practical note for UAE students: the two procedural systems coexist here. DIAMUN and the THIMUN Qatar circuit use THIMUN consensus procedure, while HMUN Dubai runs North American parliamentary procedure with competitive awards. Delegates who compete across both should prepare for the switch.
16 conferences listed · Last verified July 2026
Dubai International Academy · Dubai, UAE
The largest THIMUN-affiliated conference in the MENA region: student-led, running THIMUN procedure across more than 15 committees, and a realistic first big conference for UAE delegates.
Harvard University students · Dubai, UAE
A four-day Harvard-run simulation using North American procedure, with General Assemblies, ECOSOCs, and specialized committees. The Gulf’s main taste of the US-style competitive circuit.
American University of Sharjah · Sharjah, UAE
A university-hosted conference running since 2007 that admits high school delegations alongside university teams, with faculty-supervised committees drawing more than 40 schools and universities.
GEMS World Academy, Dubai · Dubai, UAE
GEMS Education’s flagship school-hosted conference, drawing delegates from dozens of UAE schools. Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon serves as MUN ambassador across GEMS schools and has attended in person.
American University in Dubai · Dubai, UAE
A university-hosted conference organized by AUD students that admits both school and university delegates across multiple committees.
Abu Dhabi University · Al Ain, UAE
A new university-hosted conference, first held in 2026, bringing together high school and university students from across the UAE for UN-style debate.
THIMUN Qatar and Qatar Foundation · Doha, Qatar
The Gulf’s THIMUN flagship, held at the Qatar National Convention Centre with lobbying-first, resolution-based debate under a THIMUN-style secretariat.
Georgetown University in Qatar · Doha, Qatar
A university-hosted program built specifically for high school delegations in Education City, with committees chaired by Georgetown Qatar students.
THIMUN Qatar · Doha, Qatar
Not a debate simulation but a student-led leadership and MUN-skills training event with more than 70 workshops. A common on-ramp into the THIMUN Qatar circuit for newer delegates.
THIMUN Qatar, at Qatar Academy Senior School · Doha, Qatar
THIMUN Qatar’s dedicated middle school conference, using simplified THIMUN-style procedure as an entry point for younger delegates.
Doha College · Doha, Qatar
A THIMUN-affiliated school-hosted conference following THIMUN procedure, part of Doha’s packed fall calendar.
Bahrain Bayan School · Isa Town, Bahrain
Bahrain’s first THIMUN-affiliated conference, running since 2014 with seventeen councils, including Arabic-language councils, under THIMUN procedure.
St Christopher’s School · Isa Town, Bahrain
A student-led school-hosted conference drawing delegations from across Bahrain.
American International School of Kuwait · Salmiya, Kuwait
A three-day school-hosted conference, one of several active school circuits in Kuwait.
The American International School of Muscat · Muscat, Oman
Oman’s longest-running annual school-hosted Model UN, drawing delegations from schools across greater Muscat.
Advanced Generations International School · Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
A school-hosted conference open to students from other schools, part of Saudi Arabia’s growing school Model UN scene.
Start with your school: most UAE international schools run an MUN club, and conferences like DIAMUN, GWAMUN, and AUSMUN register delegates through school delegations. If your school has no club, AUDMUN and AUSMUN have historically been open to a broad range of schools, and some conferences accept individual applications. Delegate Academy also coaches UAE students online year-round, including students preparing for their first conference.
DIAMUN, hosted by Dubai International Academy, with around 800 participants and more than 15 committees. It is the largest THIMUN-affiliated conference in the MENA region. AUSMUN in Sharjah reports even larger combined numbers, over 1,100 delegates and advisors, but that figure spans both school and university delegations.
The core season runs November through April, built around the cooler months: DCMUN and QLC in November, AIS Kuwait in December, then a packed January and February with HMUN Dubai, THIMUN Qatar, BayMUN, CHRISMUN, AUSMUN, GQMUN, and TAISM, followed by DIAMUN and GWAMUN toward March and MSMUNQ in April.
Both, which is unusual. The THIMUN-affiliated events, DIAMUN, THIMUN Qatar, DCMUN, and BayMUN among them, use consensus-based THIMUN procedure with lobbying before debate. HMUN Dubai brings North American parliamentary procedure and competitive awards. Check which system a conference uses before you prepare, because speech strategy and resolution work differ substantially between the two.
Start with the two-week first-conference prep plan, print the first-conference checklist, and draft your paper with the position paper template. The guide to how awards actually work explains what chairs score once you get there.