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UNYA ACT Kofi Annan Shield
The Kofi Annan Shield is a debating competition which gives teams of high school students the chance to represent a country at a mock United Nations Security Council session. Teams debate resolutions on current world issues relating to peace and security. Each team is allocated one of the fifteen countries which currently comprise the Security Council in the lead-up to the competition. First and foremost, the Kofi Annan Shield aims to educate young people about the ideals of the United Nations and the important issues faced by the Security Council. Teams of two students represent member states of the Council in a series of debates on UN-style resolutions, emulating the process of decision making carried out by the Security Council. Each member of the team is involved in addressing the mock Security Council session on the resolutions being debated and negotiating with other states on the issues. Students are required to research their allocated country before representing their policies and stances in the sessions. As a mock Security Council representative, participants are expected to display a breadth of knowledge, an understanding of diplomacy, a coordinated team approach and an effective speaking style by lobbying other nations in both formal speaking and informal negotiations. In past years, resolutions have been debated on a diverse range of topics such as nuclear disarmament, terrorism in the Middle East, the United Nations' financial crisis, refugees, the conflict in Afghanistan, civil wars in Africa, landmines and other contemporary issues. The winners and runners-up of the competition will have the privilege of representing the ACT and their school at the the Evatt Trophy, the premier Australian schools mock Security Council debating competition. Evatt is the only national competition in which students are able to represent their school and compete with the brightest minds from across Australia. Past Convenors: 2009: Jarrod Cusack (Chief-of-Staff: Chris Maguire) 2008: David Gilks and Emily Murray 2007: Simon Drake and Nicky Vreugdenhil 2006: Michael Storozhev 2005: Tom Colebatch and Ben Halligan 2004: Heather Murray and Will Fitzgibbon 2003: Toby Halligan |
