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