The Monash University Model United Nations (MUNash) has shifted online, meaning we are no longer constrained by geography. This year saw participants attend from across Australia and the Asia-Pacific, while we also had speakers from around the world.
At the opening ceremony on Monday, over 120 participants heard from:
- Her Excellency Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, 33rd & 35th President of Chile
- The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull, 29th Prime Minister of Australia
- His Excellency The Hon. Mitch Fifield, Australian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN
- His Excellency The Hon. Arthur Sinodinos, Australian Ambassador to the United States
- His Excellency Gary Quinlan, Australian Ambassador to Indonesia
- His Excellency Richard Court AC, Australian Ambassador to Japan
- Her Excellency Victoria Treadell CMG MVO, United Kingdom High Commissioner to Australia
- His Excellency Dr Aleksey Pavlovsky, Russian Ambassador to Australia
- His Excellency Christophe Penot, French Ambassador to Australia
- Matt Anderson PSM, Director of the Australian War Memorial
- Natasha Stott Despoja AO, Chair of Our Watch and Australia’s candidate for CEDAW
- Kate Gilmore, Former UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights
At our closing ceremony, participants also heard from The Hon. Kevin Rudd AC, 26th Prime Minister of Australia, and Prof. Sharon Pickering, Dean of Arts.
Participants also had the chance to attend two skills sessions, one presented by Jean Dunn PSM, former ambassador, and Amanda O’Brien, policy advisor at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
During the conference, the participants occurred in six different committees, including the following:
- Security Council – India-China Border Dispute
- Joint Cabinet of Australia and New Zealand – COVID-19 Travel Bubble
- Human Rights Council – Ethics of Biometric Data
- Commission on the Status of Women – Women’s Participation in Transition Countries
- Crisis Council – 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis
- Internet Governance Forum – Impact of Social Media on Elections
To learn more about MUNash 2020, please visit our summary guide at this link.
We would like to congratulate Charlotte Jones and Dean Antos, Secretaries-General, for their efforts, along with the entire MUNash Secretariat.
We look forward to seeing you in 2021.