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YIRAYale International Relations Association, home

About the association

Founded in 1969, and still run by undergraduates.

After the political turbulence of the 1960s, a group of Yale students came together seeking to promote a better understanding of global affairs. As a result, the Yale International Relations Association was founded in 1969.

YIRA strives to foster conversation about international relations on campus and beyond through conferences, classes, travel, publications, and speaker and social events. We aim to create an inclusive, diverse, and accessible educational space for students, providing resources that enrich public speaking, leadership, critical analysis, and problem-solving abilities so members may best apply their passion for international relations and give back to the world.

How to become a memberOur Programs

Executive board

YIRA's Leadership

Twenty-five undergraduates hold the association's offices and lead its conferences, publications, and operations. Each address below reaches the student holding that seat.

Officers

Conference leadership

Programs and publications

Operations

Since 1969

How YIRA got here.

YIRA was founded by undergraduates trying to make sense of a turbulent decade.

Harkness Tower rising above the trees on Yale's campus in New Haven.
Harkness Tower, New HavenYale University / Andrew Hurley

  1. Founding

    1969

    YIRA is founded at Yale.

    Undergraduates establish the association after the political turbulence of the 1960s, seeking to promote a better understanding of global affairs.

    yira.org; Yale Connect

  2. Incorporation

    1975

    The first Yale Model United Nations, and a tax-exempt association.

    The inaugural YMUN convenes in New Haven, and YIRA is granted federal tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3).

    IRS ruling date Feb 1975 (EIN 23-7403870); Yale News dates Jan 2015 as the 41st annual YMUN and ymun50.org dates the 50th to Jan 2024; both back-count to 1975

  3. Outreach

    Early 1990s

    Hemispheres begins teaching in New Haven.

    Founded as the Yale International Education Program, it brings public high-school students onto campus for weekly classes in international relations.

    Yale News

  4. Publications

    2011

    The Yale Review of International Studies publishes Volume 1.

    YRIS launches as YIRA's undergraduate journal of global affairs, and has published continuously since.

    ISSN Portal record 2765-916X: Vol. 1, Iss. 1, Spring 2011

  5. Global

    2012

    The association goes abroad, and opens a summer institute.

    YMUN Korea becomes the first YMUN conference held outside New Haven; YMUNI, later renamed YIRLI, runs the first Model UN summer program hosted by a college MUN club; and Yale begins hosting the World Scholar's Cup Tournament of Champions.

    All-American MUN ("Yale MUN Korea has operated since 2012"); Best Delegate, summer 2012; yira.org/partnerships ("Since 2012")

  6. Global

    2014

    The inaugural YMUN Taiwan.

    The first session convenes in Taipei, widening the association's footprint across East Asia.

    Best Delegate, contemporaneous coverage of the May 2014 session

  7. Equity

    2021

    Yale Model African Union is founded.

    YMAU becomes the first Model African Union conference hosted by an American university on the African continent.

    Yale News; yalemodelau.org

  8. Scale

    2024

    The fiftieth Yale Model United Nations.

    YMUN 50 convenes in New Haven, half a century after the first conference.

    ymun50.org: 18–21 January 2024

  9. Today

    2026

    Twelve conferences, two dozen students running them.

    The association runs YMUN and SECSY in New Haven and ten conferences abroad, alongside MUNTY, Hemispheres, YRIS, and YIRLI.

    YIRA Constitution 2026-2027, Art. II §1; yira.org/executive-board

Documents and policies

Documents and policies.

The constitution, the annual policies, and the board minutes are available to the membership and to anyone else who wants them. Minutes are posted regularly during the academic year.

Money

Financial aid, reimbursements, tax status, and the association’s Form 990 filings are on the Finances page. Sponsorships and payments go to the treasurer at treasurer@yira.org.

Partnerships

Who we work with.

YIRA works alongside partners on campus and internationally. If you are interested in working with YIRA on a program, are seeking partnership for an event, or wish to sponsor one of our programs, please contact the treasurer.

Featured partnership

World Scholar's Cup Tournament of Champions

Since 2012, YIRA has hosted the annual Tournament of Champions at Yale, a gathering of scholars from over 70 countries. The 2019 tournament, the largest to date, brought together more than 3,200 students. The event includes a scavenger hunt across Yale's campus and the surrounding city, and ends, as it should, with alpacas.