Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) in Rotary District 9670 will be held in Muswellbrook on 8th and 9th May 2009.
What is MUNA?
MUNA stands for Model United Nations Assembly, which simulates the workings of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly by having teams of two or three senior students represent a particular U.N. country in debates on matters of world political and social concern. Rotary Model United Nations Assembly is all about building bridges of goodwill for world peace and understanding in the minds of our youth.. The main aims are
-to develop in students an awareness of the United Nations and the international situation of other countries in the world;
-to enable students to improve their public speaking and debating skills;
-to encourage them to make empathetic and informed comments on world problems;
-share their opinions and friendship with students from other schools and
-to lay the foundation for the free sharing of ideas across national boundaries which is the essence of a truly open society tolerant to differences of race, religion, and political opinion
What is MUNA's history?
MUNA as a concept arose in North America from the desire of young people to simulate the great debates of the United Nations Assembly. MUNA was first conducted as a Rotary activity by the Rotary Club of Winnipeg in Canada, and introduced to Australia by the Rotary Club of Lake Cargelligo in 1980. (Note: Chris Budden who was responsible for introducing MUNA in Lake Cargelligo was the Secretary-General of the first MUNA held in District 9670)
In 1988 Forbes Rotary Club realised the potential for Rotary to spread MUNA more widely and undertook MUNA 88 - a Rotary Bicentennial Project for Youth. The challenge issued by Forbes has been taken up by many Rotary districts so that now MUNA has spread throughout Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and world wide. The first National MUNA was held in the Australian Parliament House in August, 1997
The United Nations has given enthusiastic support for the ongoing growth of this very worthwhile project for youth.
In 1989 President Royce Abbey of Melbourne placed MUNA on the World Youth Activities Committee Agenda for Rotary International, and it was fitting that MUNA was included as part of the Rotary International Conference conducted in Melbourne in 1993.
In June, 1995 a MUNA delegation of five students representing Australia attended the Rotary/United Nations Presidential MUNA celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the U.N. Charter in San Francisco.
MUNA is now conducted in all five continents of the world and aims to operate in each of the existing 518 Rotary Districts world wide. Rotary International,with over 28,000 clubs in over 154 countries,has over 1.2 million membership committed to service and has the unique potential to bring the message of world peace and understanding to youth through MUNA. It encourages them to communicate their knowledge and idealism by the shared exhilaration of researching, understanding and debating significant social and political issues.
