Yale International Relations Association · Since 1969
Debate the world
seriously.
A student organization at Yale that runs twelve Model UN conferences a year, two of them at Yale and ten abroad, alongside a competitive team, a journal, a summer institute, and free international relations classes for New Haven high schoolers.
- 1969
- Founded at Yale, at the close of a decade that made global affairs feel urgent
- 12
- Conferences a year: Yale Model United Nations and SECSY at Yale, and ten abroad
- 1,800
- Delegates from 35 countries at Yale Model United Nations each January
- 30+
- Countries our members come from, across every course of study
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.
- New Haven
- Mexico City
- Brasília
- Addis Ababa
- Rome
- Sydney
- Bangalore
- Singapore
- Shenzhen
- Taipei
- Seoul
- Geneva
- Accra
Programs
Twelve conferences, and everything about them.
Every program below is run by Yale undergraduates: the budgets, the academic materials, the venues, and the editorial calendars.
Conferences
YMUN
New Haven · January
Yale Model United Nations
YIRA's flagship conference. A four-day international relations simulation for high-school delegates, held on Yale's campus every January.
SECSY
New Haven
Security, Economics, and Crisis Strategy at Yale
YIRA's premier Model UN conference for college delegates run by Yale's Competitive Model UN team.
The rest are held abroad:
YMUNE
Rome
YMUN Europe
A Model United Nations conference in Europe for high-school delegates.
YMUNT
Taipei
YMUN Taiwan
A Model United Nations conference in Taiwan for high-school delegates.
YMUNK
Seoul
YMUN Korea
A Model United Nations conference in Korea for high-school delegates, and the first YMUN held outside New Haven.
YMUNS
Singapore
YMUN Singapore
A Model United Nations conference in Singapore for high-school delegates.
YMUNA
Sydney
YMUN Australia
A Model United Nations conference in Australia for high-school delegates.
YMUNC
Shenzhen
YMUN China
A Model United Nations conference in China for high-school delegates.
YMUN South Asia
Bengaluru
YMUN South Asia
A Model United Nations conference in South Asia for high-school delegates.
YMUNLatAm
Mexico City
YMUN Latin America
A Model United Nations conference in Latin America for high-school delegates, offering committees in both Spanish and English.
YMUNB
Brasília
YMUN Brasil
A Model United Nations conference in Brasil for high-school delegates, and YIRA's newest conference.
YMAU
Accra
Yale Model African Union
A simulation of the African Union held on the African continent, and the first hosted there by an American university.
Academic Enrichment
MUNTY
Model United Nations Team at Yale
The team that represents Yale at intercollegiate Model UN conferences. Tryouts run in the fall.
Hemispheres
New Haven
Hemispheres
A free program in which Yale undergraduates teach weekly international relations classes to New Haven public high-school students, on campus every Friday afternoon.
YIRLI
Yale campus · Summer
Yale International Relations Leadership Institute
A one-week residential summer program on leadership, international relations, and Model UN for high-school students.
YRIS
Yale Review of International Studies
YIRA's academic journal, publishing opinion and long-form scholarship on global issues online and in print.
WSC
New Haven
World Scholar's Cup Tournament of Champions
Since 2012 YIRA has hosted the World Scholar's Cup's annual Tournament of Champions at Yale, a gathering of scholars from over 70 countries.
In the room
What a year looks like.
01 / 17
Placards up, waiting to be recognized by the chair.YMUN China · Shenzhen 
The delegation for Madagascar, at work in committee.Yale Model African Union · Accra 
YMUN Taiwan · Taipei 
A committee in session.YMUN China · Shenzhen 
A delegate takes the floor.Yale Model African Union · Accra 
Speaking at the closing ceremony.YMUN China · Shenzhen 
An unmoderated caucus.Yale Model African Union · Accra 
YMUN China · Shenzhen 
New Haven High Schoolers at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.Hemispheres · New Haven 
A YRIS discussion with special guests.YRIS 
Gavels from NYUMUNC 2025.MUNTY 
YMAU V Opening CeremonyYale Model African Union · Accra 
The YMUNE XIV Secretariat at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.YMUN Europe · Geneva 
YMUN Taiwan 
YMUN China · Shenzhen 
YMUN Taiwan · Taipei 
Yale Model African Union · Accra
Conference Spotlight
Yale Model United Nations LIII.
The 53rd Yale Model United Nations meets in New Haven from 21–24 January 2027, with 1,800 delegates from 35 countries across 53 committees.
Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow
A four-day international relations simulation for high-school students on Yale's campus. Delegates sit in one of 53 committees: ten General Assemblies, twelve Economic and Social Councils, ten regional bodies, and a slate of specialised and crisis committees. Each spends the conference negotiating a position they did not choose.
- Dates
- 21–24 January 2027
- Venue
- Yale University, New Haven
- Committees
- 53
- Who attends
- high-school students
Registration closed 3 July 2026. The waitlist is open.
Financial aid applications and deposits are due 9 October 2026.
Publications
One journal, written and edited by undergraduates.
The Yale Review of International Studies is YIRA's academic journal. It is read well beyond Yale, and it takes submissions from undergraduates who have never set foot in New Haven.
YRIS · Published since 2011
Opinion and long-form scholarship on contemporary and historical global issues.
YRIS publishes continuously online across regional columns covering Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, alongside themed print issues. Those include the Acheson Prize issue for Yale undergraduates and the Global issue for students at universities outside the United States.
- Online pieces
- 500–2,500 words, on developing events
- Print papers
- 2,000–8,000 words, long-form scholarship
- Who may submit
- Undergraduates anywhere, except the Acheson Prize issue (Yale only) and the Global issue (students outside the United States only)
- Join the staff
- yris@yira.org
A YRIS discussion with special guests. 
YRIS's editors and staff.