The MUNute Brief Project

As MUN-UPD approaches its 10th anniversary, our organisation is launching The MUNute Brief, an online publication that stands to be both a celebration of its legacy and a commitment to its future. Over the past decade, the organisation has cultivated a community of students dedicated to diplomacy, critical thought, and meaningful dialogue. The publication builds on this foundation by extending its reach beyond conferences and events, ensuring that its voice and expertise contribute to wider political and diplomatic discourse. The MUNute Brief aims to enhance the organisation's engagement in political and diplomatic discussions by providing full-length factual analysis on key international issues, characterized by a style that prioritises brevity, clarity, and wit. Through concise and informative magazine/blog posts, it keeps the public informed about significant UN developments and their domestic impacts. By delivering relevant and easily digestible articles, the published articles promote greater awareness and understanding of international policies and humanitarian efforts. It also serves as the platform for the organisation’s statements and/or editorials on key issues. It also aims to foster a well-informed and educated community that exemplifies diplomatic excellence, ensuring that important global issues remain at the forefront of public political discourse.

While the world progresses swiftly through the second decade of the century, a series of seismic waves carrying volatile change traverse through the realms of geopolitics, causing inevitable turmoil and irreversible change. These waves revitalized historic inequalities and transformed past issues into new arenas of conflict. Current political systems have experienced shifts in governance; global security stands on shaky ground; and societies begin to experience decline in environment, economy, and even in daily living conditions.

“Channelling Convergence: Navigating Tensions of Varying Magnitudes Within the Geopolitical Landscape”

This 2025 theme underscores these issues. While some nations diverged, others have collided. Yet amid all this, nations remained steadfast on their plates, causing further divide and intensifying tensions on the brink of release. The need for a unifying force grew stronger. In this we see both convergence and collision play out in the issues surrounding international affairs, with convergence occurring when nations align, and collision when nations’ interests become irreconcilable. Issues such as the Palestinian genocide and the Russia-Ukraine War can be noted as examples where geopolitical ambitions and great-power rivalry have produced violent collisions, and where chances for convergence have been attempted but remain uncertain. This raises deeper questions: If convergence is possible, what kind of world order do we ultimately achieve? Can we achieve true cooperation, or one of fragile compromises held on by necessity, and on the brink of collapse? If we fail to converge, how do we preserve the stability built on the balance of power and deterrence, or are we simply moving towards the next great collision that will force us to rebuild our systems?