UNYA Negotiation Competition

For two consecutive years in 2018 and 2019, I was involved in the UNYA NSW Negotiation Competition. Unlike most MUN debating events, in the Negotiation Competition, delegates are encouraged to deal with the conflict scenarios through an interest-based approach rather than a position-based approach. This means that the teams will propose and debate solutions to find mutually beneficial resolutions to disagreements based in real-world situations.

In both years, my team consisted of myself and another PLC student. During the Competition, we were assigned to be the government of Greece and Brazil to engage in the hypothetical Aegean Sea border dispute between Greece and Turkey, and the Amazon Deforestation Crisis between Brazil and Peru respectively. Through our synergy and coordination, we were awarded the "Best Teamwork" award in 2018.

Overall, the participation in the Negotiation Competition has given us invaluable insights to the role of state negotiators and has allowed us to gain useful skills in negotiation and diplomacy.