MUNA 2015 Awards

Team Germany from Kotara High School, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Charlestown, were judged the premier debating team at MUNA 2015. They received the Excellent Achievement award. This team will be sponsored by District 9670 to attend the MUNA Nationals in Canberra in August 2015.

District Governor, Gerard McMillan and Yvonne Palmer with Jake Rexter and Lena Payne of Kotara High School


Team Italy from Mount View High School, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Cessnock, were awarded the Peace Prize for their advocating issues related to world peace.

District Governor, Gerard McMillan and Yvonne Palmer with Marnie Bullen and Cameron Abbott of Mount View High School

MUNA is this month!

District 9670 MUNA is three weeks away. Team members, make sure you do some solid research ranging from what the United Nations is and does, about your allocated country and its bloc relationships plus the big issues on the world scene.

Nineteen teams have nominated from schools in the Hunter Valley area and the coastal portions of the Rotary District.
They are: Bulahdelah Central School, Dungog High School, Hunter River High School, Hunter School Performing Arts, Kotara High School, Lambton High School, Merewether High School, Merriwa Central School, Mount View High School, *Muswellbrook High School, Newcastle High School, Scone Grammar School, Singleton High School, St Joseph's High School Aberdeen, St Paul's High School Booragul, Warner's Bay High School and *West Wallsend High School.
* Two teams.

2015 Registration Update

2 March 2015: A supplementary Email message will be sent to all schools with the 2015 List of Countries and the 2015 Behaviour Code. These documents are also available for download on the 2015 Resources for Download tab on this site.

District 9670 Rotary Clubs will also receive their MUNA sponsorship information package for 2015.

District 9670 MUNA 2015 Registration

Wednesday 11 February: The Registration Packages have been sent to all secondary schools in Rotary District 9670. Please advise MUNA asap if your school is confident of fielding a MUNA team in 2015. Your response will allow MUNA to assist with identifying a potential sponsoring Rotary club at the earliest opportunity.

MUNA 2014 Nationals

The MUNA Nationals event was held at the Museum of Australian Democracy in Canberra in Canberra on Friday 15 to Sunday 17 August 2014.

The winners of the District 9670 MUNA, Alessandra Buxton and Dylan Sullivan from the Hunter School of Performing Arts were nominated to attend the MUNA Nationals. The teams nominated for the nationals may take a third debater and Arlo Alexander-Meylan from the HSPA's second team was selected to attend. 

The National Model United Nations Assembly in Canberra saw 64 students in 24 teams debating six issues of global importance: 

• the return of cultural property to countries of origin; 
• the situation in Syria; 
• the permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people; 
• the territorial integrity of the Ukraine; 
• protection of human rights and the fight against terrorism; and 
• treatment of asylum seekers and refugees.

The District 9670 team 'represented' the nation of Cuba in Canberra and after an excellent competition were chosen winners of MUNA Nationals event.  Well done and congratulations to Arlo Alexander-Meylan, Alessandra Buxton and Dylan Sullivan (pictured left to right below).

Images sourced from MUNA National Facebook page.

MUNA 2014 - A Great Day

Eighteen teams participated in our District 9670 Model United Nations Assembly.  Thank you to Muswellbrook Shire Council for use of the Council Chambers, a perfect venue, and to the Rotary Club of Muswellbrook for their organisation and hospitality.  

To the adjudicators and the observing Rotarians it became obvious that some excellent research had been undertaken in the lead up to the event.

Congratulations to the winning teams: 

Excellent Achievement award, and will represent District 9670 at the National MUNA, at Old Parliament House, in August awarded to Hunter School of Performing Arts, Broadmeadow team (HSPA Team 1).

Peace Prize for a significant contribution to the promotion of peace at the Rotary District 9670 MUNA, awarded to the St Mary's High School, Gateshead team.

MUNA 2014 - Session 1

The MUNA teams with their counsellors and the Rotary visitors were hosted at the MUNA Dinner function at the John Hunter Motel, Muswellbrook on Friday 23 May 2014.

After the welcomes an enjoyable meal each team gave a short introduction to themselves and their team.

Our MUNA event started at 8:30am on Saturday 24 May.

A special thank you to Banlaw Pty Ltd at Gateshead for assistance with the printing of the main programme booklet. Much appreciated Bill and Bucko.

The MUNA Nationals

Claire Windeyer, of Mudgee High School

HSIE Teacher, Year Adviser, ESL Teacher

At the MUNA District 9760 Dinner in Muswellbrook, NSW on Friday 24 May 2013, Claire shared her thoughts and experiences in taking a team from Mudgee to the National MUNA in Canberra in 2011.

"This is the 12^th district MUNA I have brought teams to from Mudgee High School. In 2011 one of my teams was selected to represent district 9670 at the National MUNA in Canberra.

The team chose to represent the State of Israel at both the district and the national MUNA.

National MUNA provided the students with an outstanding opportunity to further develop their international diplomacy skills, building on the experience they had here at district MUNA.

Upon arrival on the Friday night all the teams met each other at the accommodation site, which was a Sport and Rec facility with large scale accommodation. After dinner we met with two representatives from the United States Embassy. They spoke about their jobs, international law and relations and the very delicate process of international diplomacy. Students were able to ask questions and open discussions were had between the students and the embassy representatives.

On the Saturday and Sunday we went to Old Parliament House where the MUNA was to be held. The teams set themselves up in the old House of Representatives, sitting in the places where our Australian politicians sat from 1927 to 1988. Sitting on those big old green bench seats and speaking across the room to everyone, stepping into the footsteps of politicians of the past was such an interesting experience to witness. To think that it was in that room that the Australian laws were passed for 60 years!

The resolutions that were up for discussion were of a similar nature to what you will be discussing tomorrow. Resolutions on Human Rights, Global Security and the Environment.

On the Saturday night we attended a large conference dinner at Australian National University. This dinner was attended by all the participants at national MUNA, the two US embassy representatives that we had met the night before, as well as a number of other embassy representatives from other countries. We did not get the opportunity to meet anyone from the Israeli embassy, however that certainly would have been a significant highlight!

Going to national MUNA was certainly a buzz for the students and for Mudgee High School. However, there can only be one team chosen for that position from the district MUNA each year. So you need to make the most out of this opportunity here at the district level, enjoy every moment, learn from everyone around you.

I think the biggest thing I have learnt from watching students participate in MUNA over the past 12 years is that international diplomacy requires a few key virtues, if you want it to work:

• Patience – take the time to let others speak and put forward their point of view, don’t be a hurry to tell everyone what you think before you know your audience.
• Respect – take care to demonstrate respect towards other people, opinions, ideas and cultures. You do this by listening and consulting, not by arguing. You may not agree with someone else’s opinion, but you certainly should not be rude or insulting about your disagreement.
• Genuine care – if you have a genuine care for an issue it will show when you speak about it. This alone can be quite persuasive. International diplomacy is not about jamming your opinion at everyone else, it is about gently and gradually persuading others to see things from your side. In the process you may actually discover that there is a totally different side which none of you had believed was possible.
• Consultation – this is a way of speaking which allows you to stay open to thought, growth and positive influence. You may like to change your mind about your standpoint on an issue. Be open to this. If we all stayed firmly on our standpoint in our own little corner, change and growth would never happen.

 So be prepared to change your mind, be prepared to think, be prepared to learn."

MUNA 2013 Excellence Award

Newcastle High's Team was selected for the excellence award at MUNA 2013.  Pictured with Rotary Governor (District 9670) Peter Raynor are Pakistan team members George Diplarou and Lydia Corcoran.  Congratulations are also extended to team counsellor, Mrs. Oswald.

MUNA 2013 Rotary District 9670

Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) will be held on 24-25 May 2013 in Rotary District 9670  in Muswellbrook, NSW. 

Steve Jackson, from Rotary Club of Cessnock will be the new Secretary- General. 

Thanks to MUNA committee Chair, Megan Valentine from Rotary Club of Newcastle Sunrise and her team for a most successful MUNA 2012. Looking forward to next year. 

PS. The image above is the symbol adopted by Model United Nations in Finland.

MUNA 2012 Photos

Secretary - General's report in the blog post below ... scroll down please

from the Secretary General 2012

 Most people think that the Rotary District 9670 Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA)  starts on Friday night and finishes on Saturday evening.

It really starts a lot earlier in the year. In January, I begin to research and write the resolutions  and the committee begins to organise the data bases, the application forms and other details of the event.  Even earlier than that, the committee began negotiations to book the venue, the Rotary Club of Muswellbrook to cater for the event, and seek corporate sponsorship. It is no wonder that the MUNA weekend 2012 ran smoothly – all due to the early preparations and hard work of committee members, led by Megan Valentine, Rotary Club of Newcastle Sunrise.

This year, MUNA on Friday night 27 April started off with high energy and an interactive challenge conducted by Mayor of Muswellbrook, Martin Rush. Mayor Rush  conducted a “Geoffrey Robertson “ Hypothetical session, challenging the student delegates to go beyond the hypothetical and to respond as if they were really representatives of their assigned nations. This was the perfect preparation for the model general assembly. Thank goodness for wi fi , iPads and Google – much new research was conducted overnight!

The resolutions were debated vigorously and while some outcomes were surprises, the delegates tried to remain in line with their nations’ viewpoints . Not as an easy task for the average 17 year old Australian to take on the persona of a UN delegate from Afghanistan, or Israel, or even USA. I commend all participants for succeeding in such a difficult exercise. By the afternoon, it appeared that everyone was more comfortable in their roles, and I really enjoyed the debate on the effects of global financial crisis. It was one of the resolutions put on the agenda without too much notice and without too many notes, the delegates seemed to speak “from the heart” a lot more. I realise that it is quite overwhelming to be in such an assembly and feel unprepared, so dependency on notes and prepared speeches is quite understandable. However, the debate is more genuine and passionate when delegates know enough about their nations to take a  firm  “yes or no” stand on most issues on the addenda and respond to other nations’ viewpoints.

Congratulations to  all the schools who were ably represented by well prepared, enthusiastic and motivated students. Special congratulations to the Timor Leste team from Merewether High School who will in August represent the district at MUNA in Canberra. Cyprus from Newcastle High School were consistently strong throughout the assembly and deserved a highly commended award from the adjudicators. The Peace Prize went to Russia from Warners Bay High School for their efforts to resolve problems with proposed solutions on many of the issues.

Special thanks to the MUNA committee, the Rotary Club of Muswellbrook and the teachers who accompanied the teams. Your commitment to providing such an enriching educational opportunity for young people in the district is outstanding.

Wilma Simmons

Secretary- General MUNA 2012

MUNA 2012

District 9670 MUNA delegates and Secretary-General  2012

Congratulations to all delegates. 

Special Award - Timor Leste ( Merewether High School) 

Commendation - Cyprus ( Newcastle High School) 

Peace Prize : Russia (Warner Bay High School) 

Coming soon : Secretary General's report. 

New Resolution MUNA 2012

New resolution: 


That this assembly

Highlighting actions prohibited under international law, including "recruitment and use of children, killing and maiming, rape and other sexual violence, attacks on schools and/or hospitals;

Citing the primary role of governments in providing protection and relief to all children affected by armed conflicts

Concerned that there the use of child soldiers continues to be widespreadwith the  number of child soldiers  in Africa being  most critical  where children as young as nine years old are involved in armed conflicts;  

Strongly condemns the recruitment and use of child soldiers by parties to armed conflict in violation of international obligations applicable to them and all other violations and abuses committed against children in situations of armed conflict  - the  killing and maiming of children, rape and other sexual violence mostly committed against girls, abduction and forced displacement, denial of humanitarian access to children, attacks against schools and hospitals as well as trafficking, forced labour and all forms of slavery and all other violations and abuses committed against children affected by armed conflict;

Calls upon member states concerned to take decisive and immediate action against persistent perpetrators of violations and abuses committed against children in situations of armed conflict, and further call upon them to bring to justice those responsible for such violations.

MUNA Resolutions 2012

Rotary District 9670 MUNA  27-28 April 2012 

MUNA   - Model United Nations Assembly -  2012

RESOLUTIONS

STOP PRESS - Please note :  An additional resolution will be announced at the briefing for inclusion in the MUNA program . The image above gives a hint to the content of the "surprise" resolution. 

Human Rights and Justice

1.  That this Assembly

Expressing concern at recent deeply marked tendencies within numerous societies to characterize migration as a problem and a threat to social cohesion,

Recommends that all member States closely monitor the way in which the concept of national identity is debated within their societies, with a view to preventing it from being used as a tool to create artificial differences among some groups of the population.

2. That this Assembly

Bearing in mind the International Covenants on Human Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted at the World Conference on Human Rights on

25 June 1993,

1. Reaffirms the right of the Palestinian people to self‐determination, including the right to their independent State of Palestine;
2. Encourages all States and the specialized agencies and organizations of the United Nations system to continue to support and assist the Palestinian people in the early realisation of their right to self‐determination.
3. Urges Israel to remove the wall being constructed on Occupied Palestinian Territory and allow the Palestinian people to give effect to their right to self‐determination.

3. That this Assembly

Noting with concern several outstanding International Criminal Court warrants against international criminals including eleven suspects of crimes against humanity and genocide evading arrest warrants, (for example  Bosco Ntaganda for conscripting child soldiers, and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for genocide);  

Recognising the capacity of the International Criminal Court to bring human rights offenders to justice as in the recent landmark verdict against Congolese armed group leader Thomas Lubanga,   

Demands the UN provide all necessary resources to support the arrest of international fugitives.

4. That this assembly

Alarmed that in over 70 countries worldwide, certain sexual orientations and gender identities are considered illegal, and are regularly punishable by fines, imprisonment, life imprisonment and the death penalty,

Urges all member nations to ensure that their laws seek to protect all citizens, regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity, including the equal recognition of members of society of all sexual orientations and gender identities before the law by eradicating persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Environment

5. That this assembly

 Recalling the provisions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and

Recognizing the urgency of addressing and the seriousness of the challenge of Climate Change,

Calls upon member States to show strong political will in working cooperatively towards achieving the ultimate objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change through the urgent implementation of its provisions.

6. That this Assembly

Recognising the work of UN Joint Environmental Unit towards the improvement of   member’s states’ preparedness to respond to environmental emergencies,

Affirms that refugees and internally displaced people as a result of environment disasters are entitled to the same human rights as other people in their governments including:

a. Defining the physical safety of refugees and internally displaced people;

b. Providing them with the basic necessities of life;

c. Promoting the enjoying of their fundamental economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights.

Security

7. That this Assembly

Reiterating its grave concern at the danger to humanity posed by the possibility that nuclear weapons could be used,

Urges the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to rescind its announced withdrawal from the Treaty on the Non‐Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, to re‐establish cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and to rejoin the Six‐Party Talks, with a view to achieving the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner.

8. That this Assembly

Noting the Secretary -General‘s repeated pleas to President Bashar al-Assad  to stop killing his own people and embark on a path to greater democracy,

Calls for an immediate cessation of violence by all parties, and progress towards national dialogue that leads to a peaceful political resolution of the crisis with respect for Syria’s territorial integrity and the unity of the country’s people and

Calls for the situation in Syria to be referred to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) 

9. That this Assembly

Recognizing the growing concern about the nature of Iran’s nuclear programme, and questions of transparency surrounding the non-publication of a report by an expert panel,

Urges the Security Council “1737” Committee, created to monitor compliance with sanctions imposed on Iran, to redouble its efforts to enforce the sanctions regime on Iran, intensify its work to provide an opportunity to settle the matter by diplomatic means and guide the Panel in fulfilling its role.

10. That this Assembly

Saddened by the recent loss of civilian lives in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar,

Calls for an independent and full investigation of this tragic incident, and

Recommends that Western allied forces reassess their effectiveness   and restrengthen their fight against the Taliban and other non-government agencies

Global Economy and the Elimination of Poverty

11. That this Assembly

Expressing deep concern about the ongoing adverse impacts, particularly on development, of the world financial and economic crisis.

Recognizing that while global growth is returning there is a need to sustain the recovery, which is fragile and uneven,

Urges stricter regulation and more effective supervision with all of the major financial centres (including systemically important financial institutions, credit‐rating agencies and hedge funds) so that global regulatory convergence and the global implementation of standards are achieved.

12. That this Assembly

Acknowledging that preparations are under way for the upcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (“ Rio+20”) in June 2012,

1. Urges renewed political momentum for poverty eradication, taking into account its interrelationship with social integration, full employment and decent work for all;
2. 
   b. Reaffirms a United Nations focus on achieving poverty eradication, full and productive employment and socially inclusive policies in spite of the current challenging economic environment;

3. Recommends that the Conference address the need  for effective global  policies for poverty eradication in light of the mixed progress so far made in addressing world wide youth unemployment and ageing issues.

It's MUNA time again

Model United Nations Assembly in District 9670 is on again - April 27-28 in Muswellbrook, NSW.   I am honoured to be have been asked again to be the Secretary -General . Tonight, I have just completed writing the resolutions and I heard that there are already 20 teams registered. Well done District 9670 MUNA committee! 

Keep watching this space for MUNA 21012 updates! 

Congratulations 2011 MUNA

Congratulations to all participants of MUNA 2011 in  Rotary District 9670 - an excellent event - you positively changed the world !

Special congratulations to the Israeli delegation from Mudgee High School, who were commended for their overall excellent efforts during the assembly and were awarded the honour of representing the District in Canberra , and also to the Newcastle High School delegates representing the Russian Federation who were awarded the 2011 Peace Prize.
Many thanks to the organisers, especially Megan, Helen and Julie from the Rotary Club of Newcastle Sunrise and Phil and his team from the Rotary Club of Muswellbrook.
best wishes from Secretary General 2011,

Watch this space for photos from MUNA 2011.
Your feedback re: MUNA 2011 would be most appreciated via a comment on this blog, or by contacting one of the orgnaising committee.

Count Down to MUNA

MUNA Program 13th and 14th May, 2011

Friday, 13th May – John Hunter Motel
5.30pm Registration

6.30pm MUNA Dinner and Guest speaker – Jill Emberson – ABC Radio

8.30pm Students assemble for MUNA briefing and Bloc meetings



Saturday, 14th May
7.00am Breakfast at John Hunter Motel
7.45am Book out of Motel
Own transport to Council Chambers
8.15am Muswellbrook Council Chambers
Announcements/introduction of Secretary General
Acknowledgement of Press Corps
8.45am Opening of MUNA – Martin Rush, Mayor of Muswellbrook
9.00am ASSEMBLY IN SESSION
(Secretary-General will address the assembly before the first resolution)
10.15am Progress adjudication – tips and pointers
10.30am Morning Tea/Team meetings
11.00am ASSEMBLY IN SESSION
12.30pm Lunch
1.00pm ASSEMBLY IN SESSION
3.30pm Afternoon tea
3.45pm Adjudication

Presentations

MUNA 2011 Photograph

Closing of MUNA 2011

Surprise Resolution?

 Are you prepared for a surprise resolution on 14 May at the  Model United Nations Assembly in Muswellbrook? I am considering introducing a new resolution to supplement those you already have been given. Obviously, some significant recent events are dominating world news and creating high level political debate, so who knows what may happen next week? My advice to all participants is to watch/listen to/ read some current world news and you will be adequately prepared. Do you know which nation is represented by this flag? ( Hint : Currently in the news big time!)

Please do not hestitate to contact me if you have any questions at all regarding the MUNA resolutions. Secretary-General

May Update on MUNA

Here are some updates:
1. The North Koreans are no longer able to attend the Model United Nations.
2. You may all have been waiting fpr the usual  memo from the Secretary-General ... it was prepred sometime ago, but there was a delay in dispatch. I am publishing it here for particpants' information.

MUNA Model United Nations 2011 Memo


To: MUNA 2011 Participants - Rotary District 9670:
From: Secretary General
I have attempted to propose some interesting and challenging resolutions for this year’s MUNA, but I encourage all participants to think about proposing a resolution to be considered for inclusion to the following list of resolutions. Note: Our resolution format has been modified and simplified from the strict United Nations format, for ease of reading, so there is no need to be concerned about the format of your proposal. Please submit proposed resolutions to me before MUNA.
• Please address any queries about resolutions to the Secretary General via the comments sections at the end of each blog post . MUNA blog : http://muna9670.blogspot.com/
• Recommended as part of preparation :

a) UN website www.un.org – the news service is particularly useful and couched in accessible language.

b) MUNA website www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/modelun

c) Our own MUNA blog http://muna9670.blogspot.com/

 • Here are some guidelines about debating the resolutions at Rotary District 9670 MUNA.
 1. RESOLUTIONS

1.1 The order of resolutions for debate is at the discretion of the Secretary- General.

1.2 One topic MAY be compulsory for all member state to speak. This will be finalized and announced at the Friday night briefing.

1.3 Counsellors may send messages in writing to the team to support the discussion, only before and after the debate on a resolution. Messages will not be passed during debate. Communication between counsellors and team members is by note, passed by the assembly staff. Diplomatic messages may be passed between member states via MUNA staff only.

1.4 Each resolution is read out by the Secretary-General. Any nation team may then move the motion. The mover may speak briefly before a seconder is found.

1.5 Additional resolutions may be foreshadowed and presented to the Secretary-General. It will be the Secretary-General’s decision whether to include an additional resolution on the agenda.

1.6 Additional resolutions must be presented to the Secretary General in writing, with a proposer and a seconder identified before a time decided by the Secretary General.



2. RESOLUTION DISCUSSION: The rules for discussion are:

2.1 The mover and the seconder will speak to the motion.

2.2 The next speaker will speak against the motion.

2.3 Following speakers will then alternate between speakers for and against the motion.

2.4 An amendment may be proposed and seconded during the discussion of a resolution. There will be a limit on the number of speakers during an amendment debate – to be decided by the Secretary General.

2.5 Except for the mover (who has the final right of reply), member nations may speak only once to each motion and each amendment.

2.6 If a member wishes to speak a second time, it may request another nation to move to this effect. A seconder is required. The motion is put without discussion. A simple majority is required to pass it.

2.7 The Secretary –General will rule on the time limit for speakers.(usually 1- 3 minutes)

2.8 The last speaker in the discussion of a resolution will be the mover as his/her right of reply after which the motion is then put. A simple majority is required to pass it.



3. BLOC MEETINGS: A bloc meeting (a group of countries with shared interests) may be held to discuss mutual standpoints on issues.

3.1 Prior to discussing a motion, a bloc meeting may be called by the Secretary General or requested by member nations.

3.2 Blocs may request a short meeting time during the assembly to discuss certain positions and motions and/or to determine international alignments and agreements.

3.3 The calling of these bloc meetings is treated as a motion with proper procedures applying. A motion calling a bloc meeting must be passed by two-thirds of the assembly.

3.4 Counsellors may observe bloc meetings and may advise their teams, after the bloc meeting and before the assembly debate resumes.



Other Notes

4. During the course of the Assembly, it will be expected that both members of the team will address the Assembly during resolutions discussions, but it is not compulsory for every team to debate every resolution.

5. Teams are encouraged to use notes appropriately when speaking, but not to be over dependent on notes or read prepared speeches.

6. Teams are encouraged to dress appropriately, representing the member nation. National dress is welcomed enthusiastically.

7. An adjudicating team (not including the Secretary General) will decide on a winning MUNA team, and will also present a Peace Prize if appropriate. The adjudicators’ decision is final.

8. Student teams will be accompanied by an adult “counsellor” (teacher, parent or Rotarian from the sponsoring Rotary club ).

9. Permission will be sought for photographs of MUNA proceedings to be used in media releases.

10. Any participant who engages in inappropriate behaviour will be required to leave MUNA as directed by the secretary general or any person on the organising committee.

Please contact me if you have any concerns or questions about MUNA
Secretary General 2011 

Please remember to bring your signed consent form to allow your MUNA photograph to be published in the media.