Canberra Sunrise Rotary - Model United Nations Assembly 2012

President Garth Britton and members of the Rotary Club of Canberra Sunrise warmly invite you to participate in the 16^th Rotary National MUNA in 2012 on the weekend of Friday 17th to Sunday 19th August 2012. The venue for the Assembly sessions will again be in the House of Representatives Chamber of Old Parliament House (now called the Museum of Australian Democracy). We are again being generously supported by the Australian National University (ANU) who will also sponsor a formal dinner for us at Bruce Hall, ANU on the Saturday evening. MUNA is a great project which builds international understanding and gives those participating the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the workings of the United Nations and its member nations.

We are keen to involve as many Rotary International Exchange Students as possible as they can act either as advisers for teams representing their own countries, or can directly participate in a team. If you have or will have an exchange student in your club in August, please ask that student to consider participation in MUNA.

ACCOMMODATION

MUNA teams will be accommodated at the Greenhills Conference Centre, 1437 Cotter Road, Cotter a popular place for student and adult accommodation about 20 minutes from our MUNA venue. (See the accommodation website at www.greenhillscentre.com for more information.) Transport by private bus to every event, from the Friday afternoon to Sunday morning, has been arranged for those staying at the Conference Centre, including those counsellors staying at the centre. All meals from Friday night to Sunday morning tea inclusive are included in the MUNA registration for participating teams and one counsellor per team.

MUNA PROCEDURES

We group the countries represented by teams into those Blocs as formed in the real UN. To help us assign you to a country and Bloc, each team must nominate one nation from each of the five Blocs, indicating your order of preference. Please note that there is only one team allowed to represent any one country, so early registration will improve your chances of representing the country of your choice and we will do our best to assign you a country that meets your preferences. The MUNA registrar will advise you of the country your team will represent soon after application forms and accompanying consent forms are received.

Where the nation selected by your team has an Embassy or High Commission in Canberra, we will invite their representatives to attend the Saturday night dinner with the students. Many Embassies and High Commissions look forward to assisting the students and we encourage your team to make contact with its selected nation's Embassy, High Commission or Consulate once you know your country. In recent years some Embassies and High Commissions have extended an invitation to students to visit them in Canberra and representatives have attended segments of the conference.

ANU TOUR

The ANU will be giving MUNA participants a short guided tour throughout the ANU Campus on the afternoon of Friday 17 August. We will leave Greenhills at 2 pm sharp for this tour which we consider an important part of the total weekend program. Please ensure you include your attendance in the optional ANU tour in your nomination so we can arrange transport to ANU and return from Greenhills.

THE ROLE OF THE COUNSELLOR

The Rotary Club requires each team to have an adult Counsellor who is expected to be the prime support person to the team and to ensure that their team members act responsibly throughout the event and adhere to the high standards of behaviour expected from those representing their school and Rotary Club or District. We ask each counsellor to provide a phone number (preferably mobile) we can use to contact you in case of any emergency over the weekend. Counsellors are encouraged to attend the MUNA debating sessions on Saturday and Sunday and are expected to attend the formal dinner on Saturday 18 August (the cost of which is included in the team package).

REGISTRATION

If you would like to participate in MUNA 2012, please start now to organise a team and complete the forms listed above. Each team must be sponsored by a Rotary district or club, so make contact with your local Rotary group now. For a detailed description of how to register, go to the 'How to Register' page on this website. There is a limit on the number of teams. Nominations will close no later than 30 June, or earlier if we reach capacity. Cheques are to be made payable to the Rotary Club of Canberra Sunrise. Alternatively, forms may be sent electronically to the Registrar and arrangements may be made for a direct deposit. The registrar will provide those details on receipt of this advice.

To secure a team position, all registrations should be forwarded as soon as possible, and by no later than 30 June 2012 or the registration will lapse. Payment must reach the Registrar by no later than 31 July 2012 or again the registration will lapse. The registration form and relevant papers should be forwarded to:

MUNA Registrar

Rotary Club of Canberra Sunrise

PO Box 9155

Deakin ACT 2600

If you have enquiries about MUNA 2012, please contact the MUNA registrar, Rotarian Rosemary Everett, phone 02 6290 0294, mobile 0408 301 650, or email reverett@netspace.net.au. I look forward to seeing you and your team at MUNA 2012 from 17 to 19 August.

Kind regards

PP Peter McDermott

MUNA District 9710 Chair