Model United Nations Assembly 2023
On the 27th and 28th of May, Auckland Girls Grammar hosted the 2023 Model United Nations Assembly (MUNA) where the general assembly, consisting of students from schools around Auckland, spoke about topical issues within the United Nations. Rosmini sent two teams from Year 11 and Year 13.
The teams were assigned a country to represent and debate contemporary issues facing the United Nations. Kenya (represented by Jairus Joseph, Anthony Angelo, Luka Parker and Chris Huang) and Azerbaijan (represented by Sam Rea-Rankin, Ryan Siby, Joel Vincente and Bien Amiel Pasco).
Former Member of Parliament, Ross Robertson, chaired the Assembly. A variety of issues were discussed over two days, ranging from climate change to gender equality.
The remits that the Kenyan team addressed in the Assembly were:
The UN to reaffirm its commitment to clean water and sanitation
The UN to reaffirm its commitment to gender equality
The remits that the Azerbaijani team addressed in the Assembly were:
The UN to promote fair justice systems in member states
The UN invites member states to comment on the ongoing conflict in the Ukraine and propose solutions to end it.
Jairus Joseph and Chris Huang, delegates of Kenya spoke about the ongoing clean water and sanitation issues that the entire continent of Africa have been combatting for centuries. The Russian Federation took issue with our assertion that the UN has done nothing to address the problem. However, we skilfully combated with the response: “While they have not done nothing; they certainly are not doing enough."
We argued that “While it may be hunky-dory in an adequately equipped country where virtually all water is accessible, a neglected country like Kenya feels the effects of unclean water and lack of sanitation… These problems are not limited to Kenya. They branch out across the African continent and across the world. As the United Nations, the governing, united authority which aims to provide wellbeing to the world, why are we doing nothing to address this issue?”
Anthony Angelo and Luka Parker, representatives of Kenya, spoke about the issues of gender equality in the UN, stating that "Gender equality is not a mere aspiration, it is a fundamental human right. It is a principle that lies at the very core of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Yet, despite our collective efforts, there still exists a significant gap between this ideal and the reality experienced by women and girls around the world. Discrimination, violence, and marginalisation continue to hinder the progress of half of humanity.”
A member from each continent was elected to represent the entire continent and debate the education issues being faced worldwide: how to make education more accessible to the wider public. Issues such as these are discussed during MUNA to help students develop a much wider perspective and understanding of the world.
MUNA invited guest speaker Aupito William Sio (MP of the Mangere region) to speak on the struggles that he, and many other racial minorities face, once again giving us a broader perspective of worldwide issues.
We all enjoyed the experience of being involved in MUNA. Through this event we gained valuable insights into issues affecting our world from many different perspectives and viewpoints. We had the fantastic opportunity to practise public speaking and be the voice of the youth for the future generation of the world.
By Jairus Joseph and Anthony Angelo (Year 11 Delegates of Kenya)
