United Nations Youth Association of New Zealand

The United Nations Youth Association of New Zealand (UNYANZ) serves as the youth arm of the United Nations Association of New Zealand (UNANZ) and is one of the largest youth organisations in New Zealand. UNANZ is a member of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), which in turn has consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council. UNYANZ is a non-profit community organisation run by volunteer young people (aged 25 and under).

The organisation was established in 1999. The UNANZ Constitution sets out its character as follows:

"The United Nations Youth Organisation of New Zealand is an organisation run by youth, for youth, dedicated to upholding the spirit of the United Nations through raising the awareness, involvement and empowerment of young people in local, national and international spheres."

The UNYANZ website sets out the following purpose:

• Educating New Zealand youth about international issues and the role of the United Nations
• Developing and maintaing connections with kery organisations to facilitate youth involvement
• Being an effective nationally recognised, membership based, youth-run organsiation
• Providing opportunities for social interaction between youth with similar interests

UNYANZ is headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand's capital city.

Activities

UNYANZ organises events for secondary school and university students through its four branches in Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago. Key amongst these events is the Model United Nations program. As elsewhere in the world, a Model United Nations (MUN) conference involves each participant taking on the stance of a particular country and debating a number of resolutions from that stance, all within the formal protocol of the United Nations General Assembly. MUN conferences take place in each region, with a national conference taking place each July in New Zealand's capital, Wellington. The national conference involves approximately 200 secondary school students. Each of the regional conferences involve between 100 and 200 secondary school students.

At the tertiary level, Model Security Council Competitions are run by the regional branches, culminating with a national event rotating each year between New Zealand's major centres.

UNYANZ facilitates and assembles delegations of New Zealand students to attend international conferences focussing on the United Nations and international affairs more generally, in particular the Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN).

Structure of UNYANZ

UNYANZ is led by a National Executive, accountable to a National Council. The National Executive is led by the president with three vice-presidents for communications, the Model UN program and organisational policy; a treasurer and a secretary. The National Council consists of the National Executive in addition to representatives of the four regions and particular executive appointees, such as the THIMUN and NZMUN Directors. The current president is Matt McGrath.

External links

• Official website
• The United Nations Association of New Zealand (UNANZ)
• The World Federation of United Nations Associations