Dear UN Society members,

The 2011 Executive Committee invites you to attend the Annual General Meeting which will be held on Thursday, 27th October at 5pm in the New Law School Seminar Room 100.

Reports:

The AGM will commence with reports from a number of Executive members including the President and Treasurer. Following that, one constitutional change will be put forward.

Constitutional change:

A brief amendment is proposed to the structure of the Executive, whereby one General Executive position will be converted to a second Events Director. This is in response to a greater emphasis on collaborative events within the University as well as between UN Societies across Universities. All proposed amendments have been endorsed by the UN Society Executive. This was done at the last AGM but we need to do it again.

Executive elections:

On the night, the Society will vote for the new office bearers for 2012. This provides a fantastic opportunity for members to play a leading role in the society, form new friendships and develop valuable skills. The Executive encourages nominations and will work closely with the next executive to ensure that they have as much information and assistance as they need to run the society next year.

There are 12 members on the Executive. The positions, with the approval of the above constitutional change are:

President – oversee all society activities, represent society on external committees and at external meetings and events, maintain and build links with USU, the university and other organisations (president@usydunsociety.org)

Vice President – deputise for President, especially with hosting of conferences and events (vp@usydunsociety.org)

Treasurer – oversee financial integrity of the society, conference budgets (treasurer@usydunsociety.org)

Secretary – maintain society’s records, weekly society correspondence,
mailing lists, etc. (secretary@usydunsociety.org)

Conferences Director – coordinate and/or lead delegations to intervarsity conferences such as AMUNC and WorldMUN (conferences@usydunsociety.org)

Education Director – coordinate high school programmes such as Schools’ MUN, SUMO (education@usydunsociety.org)

Events Director (Internal) - organise regular events on campus such as MiniMUNs, roundtables, socials, etc. (events.internal@usydunsociety.org)

Events Director (External) – organise Joint Events at the University-wide Orientation Week, Humanitarian Week, Sydney Open Day as well as JointMUN (with UNSW, Macquarie, Newcastle) (events.external@usydunsociety.org)

Marketing Director – publicise events, conferences and opportunities for involvement (marketing@usydunsociety.org)

Sponsorship Director – source funds for the society’s activities, conferences and delegations while developing and maintaining relationships with sponsors (sponsorship@usydunsociety.org)

2 General Executive Members – pursue society initiatives that may not be encompassed in the other portfolios, run special sub-committees such as the ITT provide general support to the other Executive members in managing the society’s affairs (generalexec.chau@usydunsociety.org AND generalexec.waldron@usydunsociety.org)

If you wish to talk to the incumbent of the position you are interested in running for, their email addresses are featured next to the position above and on our website (http://www.usydunsociety.org/executive-committee/)

5 key points:

1)Only Society Members will be eligible to run in the elections;

2)An individual can nominate him/herself for more than one position (ie: if he/she is unsuccessful in securing election to another portfolio (the ballots for each Executive position will be conducted in the order above));

3)Each member will be entitled to one vote per ballot;

4) All those attending shouold bring their ACCESS ID;

5) If you intend to nominate yourself for a position, do send a brief ‘Nomination Statement’ to the Secretary (secretary@usydunsociety.org) which states:
Position(s) you wish to run for;
Reasons for running;
Any relevant experience / credentials for the role.

Even if you cannot attend on the night you can stand by proxy (in this case, send us a brief 1 minute speech which will be read out from the chair)

We will NOT be accepting proxy votes. So in order to vote for a preferred candidate, you must attend the AGM.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to email secretary@usydunsociety.org.

We look forward to seeing you on October 27th

SUUNS Exec and Doc

General Registrations are OPEN

Registration:

General Registrations are now OPEN! To register as a delegate on a general committee, special committee or as a Director, please click on the link above. Payments are to be made via PayPal, so you will incur a small booking fee.  If you have problems paying via PayPal, please email our USG Delegate Relations, Dorothy Tran, at dr.sydmun@usydunsociety.org

Special Committee Delegates and Directors, you would have been given a password specific to your committee for registration, please use that when registering for your allocated positions.

Delegate Fee- $90 AUD

Director Fee- $80 AUD

Delegation Registration:

While SydMUN 2011 will not be having formal delegations unlike AMUNC, whereby universities reserve countries, we will be having delegation registration foradministrative purposes only. This is so the SydMUN Secretariat has a point of contact for university societies/groups. You will not need a delegation password for registration.

For Head Delegates only: To register your delegation, please fill out this form

Country Matrix:

To see what countries are available on each committee, have a look at the Country Matrix

You will notice that some countries on general committees are highlighted with a gold background and some are not. This is because those are the five countries in each committee that are the most integral to the topic and to debate. The countries not highlighted do not require an application. If you want to register as a key country, you will have to send a short application to our Co-USG Committees, Angela Chen & Sarah Nguyen at committees.sydmun@usydunsociety.org, comprising of:

1) Name, University, Degree, Email Address;

2) MUN and/or Relevant Experience e.g. Debating, Mooting;

3) Qualities of a good delegate and why you feel you would suit the position.

This is not to say you won’t be eligible if you do not have any MUN experience, as we wholeheartedly encourage first-timers to attend. Rather we want everyone to have a chance at the key positions in committees.

Please limit to your answers to bullet points. Once you have been allocated a position, you will have FIVE DAYS to register in your allocated position, otherwise that position will be re-allocated.

Special Committee Applications are Open

Special Committee Applications are now open. If you wish to apply to be a delegate in either the Security Council, International Criminal Court or the Crisis Council, please follow the link below:

Applications will close at 11:59pm on Friday the 30th of September

A Country Matrix will be uploaded shortly, stay tuned.

If you have any questions about Special Committee Applications, please email the Co-USG Committees, Sarah Nguyen & Angela Chen, at committees.sydmun@usydunsociety.org

SydMUN 2011 Registration

Key Registration Dates

Director Applications: CLOSED

Special Committee Applications: Monday 12th September- 11:59pm Sunday 25th September

General Registration: Monday 26th September- 11:59pm Sunday 30th October

Registration Fees

Directors: $70 AUD

Delegates: $80 AUD

If you have any further details regarding Registration and deadlines, please feel free to contact the Under Secretary-General Delegate Relations, Dorothy Tran, at dr.sydmun@usydunsociety.org

“21st Century Challenges, 21st Century Solutions”

There is no doubt that in this century, the conviction of the international community to uphold international peace and security and promote social wellbeing has been put to the test. Unfortunately conflict remains omnipresent. The declaration of famine in East Africa, the implementation of “The Responsibility to Protect” in Libya, and inter-state struggles over the most valued resource: water- all demonstrate the vast geography and complex issues which challenge society today. The promotion of the Millennium Development Goals is one thing, but acting to achieve it is another. Believing states have a responsibility to protect their citizens is all well and good, but acting against states who jeopardise their citizens’ right to life requires a confidence reserved for those most dedicated and contemporary diplomats and statesmen.

SydMUN 2011 will test the future leaders, diplomats, activists and lawyers to develop new solutions to these new problems. SydMUN 2011 will challenge delegates to broaden their horizons. SydMUN 2011 will prove that diplomacy is the solution for the world’s problems.

The SydMUN 2011 Secretariat are proud to announce that the 6th University of Sydney Model United Nations Conference will happen from the 2nd-4th December 2011. This year with our theme “21st Century Challenges, 21st Century Solutions”, we will be showcasing a diverse range of committees and topics, along with various speaker panels and exciting socials.

Be sure to have a look at the committees and their respective topics, and keep an eye out for more information on how to apply to be a Director and a Special Committee delegate.

We’re having our last MiniMUN of the semester this Thursday  May 26, on the use of mercenaries. It will be on this Thursday 5pm at Education Building room 521.

Briefing paper and draft resolution are available here. Join our Facebook event page here.

As always, dinner will be provided for members!

Registration for Sydney University Schools’ Model United Nations 2011 is now open!

Click here for details, including how to register.

Want to go to AMUNC 2011? Here is what you need to know!

What is AMUNC?
AMUNC is one of the highlights of the UN Soc calendar and is something that you don’t want to miss! Held in Canberra in 2011 from 10-15 July, this annual conference unites more than 600 students from around the Asia Pacific for a week of exciting debate (and fantastic socials). You don’t need to have Model UN experience to attend. Just bring your enthusiasm for the UN and international affairs!

How much is it?
Registration = $275 + bf (covering conference costs and socials)
USYD Delegation Registration = $20 +bf (including training day and delegation pack with tshirt, pen, flag, lapel pin etc)

How to register
Students at the University of Sydney can attend AMUNC 2011 in two ways:
1. As a member of the Official University of Sydney Delegation by sending an email to our Conference Director Angela Chen at conferences@usydunsociety.org. or
2. As an individual registrant (representing a country not offered to the Official Delegation, or participating in the NGO Program or Press Gallery) at http://amunc.net/register
Even if you register directly with AMUNC you can still be apart of our delegation by send an email to conferences@usydunsociety.org

Why should you apply with the delegation

• Take a pick from already reserved countries: France, Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea, Argentina, Venezuela, Pakistan, South Africa, Peru;
• Accommodation and transportation arranged for you;
• A specialised training day on Tuesday 28 June;
• Being amongst fellow USyd students, travelling together and representing the same country and collaborating research;
• USyd delegation t-shirt + delegation pack (with training material, flag and more).

Accommodation and Buses

We’ve got this covered so you, as a special member of the USyd delegation, don’t have to deal with these little finicky things. It will be an amazing way to get to know other members of the delegation in the school-camp-esque trip. This is optional, so if you do join our delegation, you don’t have to take up our accommodation and/or transportation.
Accomodation is at the Canberra YHA right near ANU – only $210 for 6 nights!
Buses will be approximately $50-60 return. We’ll confirm this later on.

What happens after I submit my form?

We’ll be looking at your preferences and assigning positions. We promise to let you know on the 2nd May which country you will be representing in which committee when you’ll receive an email letting you know how to pay for amunc delegate fees, usyd delegation fees, accommodation and or buses. So stay tuned.

Don’t forget to check out www.amunc.net if your interested in representing an NGO or Press agency. You can still be apart of the delegation by sending an email. If you have any questions, if you’re confused, if you just want to know more about why you should come along email Angela Chen at conferences@usydunsociety.org.

P.s. what happens if I’ve registered for a special committee?

Please wait for confirmation from the AMUNC secretariat. They will be email you in the next couple of days. Afterwards, we’ll shoot you an email about how you can register as part of the delegation.

Please note that the SGM has been postponed by a week to 10th of May.

Notice is hereby given that a Special General Meeting will be held on May 10th (Tuesday) from 5 to 7pm in Loggia located in Level 2 Manning House.

With the recent resignation of one of our General Executive Member Ina Hoxha and the anticipated resignation of our Marketing Director – Jeff Li – in July, Karen Chau, as current General Executive, will be assigned to assume Jeff’s position, in accordance with the United Nations Society constitution clause 5.10 sub-clause iii.

In view of such vacancy left by Ina and Karen and in pursuant of clause 10.8 of the Constitution, the Executive is calling for a Special General Meeting to elect two General Executive Members.

Clause 5.10 outlines the responsibilities of a General Executive Member as -
(i) Provide general support to the Executive in managing the Society’s affairs;
(ii) Assume responsibility for special projects of the Society subject to the approval of the President, advised by the Executive;
(iii) Assume temporary responsibility for a casual vacancy of an executive-with-portfolio pending the fulfillment of the procedures contained within section 10.8 of the Constitution.

As stated by clause 10.2 of the Constitution, only ordinary members of the Society are eligible to stand for election and to vote in the election. That means you’re eligible only if you possess a current Access card *and* have paid for the $5 membership fee. If you are not sure of your membership status, send an email to our secretary, Oliver Pase, at secretary@usydunsociety.org.

Nomination process is as follow -
1, Interested candidates are to send their nomination to our secretary, Oliver Pase, at secretary@usydunsociety.org, before May 9th at 5pm;
2, Nomination from the floor during the meeting will be accepted;
3, Proxy nominations, with an optional short introductory speech, must be send to our secretarty before nomination closes.

Please also direct all enquiries to our secretary.

It’s been a while, but the second MiniMUN is here, on global coordination on disaster response!

It will be on next Thursday (March 31st) in Education Seminar Rooms 418 and 436 from 5 to 7pm. Details are to follow, but join the Facebook event page here!

Recent disaster in Japan and New Zealand has prompted the question – should there be a framework on helping out countries that have experience major natural disaster? And what role should the United Nations play in this – being directly involved with the disaster relief effort, coordinating countries in doing it, or just calling out on countries to help?

Click here for the draft resolution and here for the briefing paper … and if you don’t know where Education Building is, here is a map to help you -

Pizza and drinks will be provided to members – and if you don’t have an Access card, it’s $5 to join us for the evening!