At Tournefeuille Model United Nations (TOUMUN VIII), hosted by the Polyvalent Françoise School in France this idea moved from imagination to practice.
In an ambitious pilot exploring the rights of nature and multispecies diplomacy within Model United Nations, MUST researchers Dr. Jonathan Carruthers-Jones and Dr. Maria Helena Saari collaborated with youth delegates from Tammerkoski Upper Secondary School (Finland) and Theophile Gautier School (France). Together, they examined what unfolds when Delegations of the African Elephant, Blue Whales, Amazon River, Great Barrier Reef, and Borneo Rainforest enter formal negotiations alongside nation states.
What is MUN and why does it matter?
In the Model United Nations (MUN) students step into the role of diplomats to debate global issues, negotiate resolutions, and practice the processes of international governance. MUN equips young people with essential skills, including critical thinking, collaboration, public speaking, and advocacy, while giving them a structured space to explore how complex global challenges are addressed. By experimenting with new forms of representation, such as nature delegations, MUN creates a space where young people can actively design the future of multilateral governance, preparing the next generation of global decision‑makers.
The five-day event began in Tarbes and in the Pyrenees National Park with two days of training for the youth delegates from Tammerkoski Upper Secondary School and Theophile Gautier School. Delegates received preparation and guidance from expert Model United Nations coach Nicolas Bounet from Theophile Gautier School, skilled rangers from the Pyrenees National Park, and MUST researchers Dr. Carruthers-Jones and Dr. Saari.
This was then followed by a three-day Model United Nations event hosted by the Polyvalent Françoise School with 300 delegates from seven high schools from France, Italy, UK and Finland: Culham, Milan, Tampere, Pibrac, Fonsorbes, Tarbes and Lyée Françoise. At the event one of the committees, UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), fully embraced a multispecies perspective with nature delegations engaged directly in debates on multispecies approaches to biodiversity conservation and the integration of nature-based solutions into city planning. Notably, the resolution on biodiversity conservation introduced by the Blue Whales Delegation was adopted, marking a significant milestone in this experimental diplomatic framework.
Why Rights of Nature and Multispecies Justice matter for multilateral governance?
Recognizing the rights of nature and integrating multispecies justice approaches are increasingly vital as global governance confronts ecological crises that exceed human‑centered frameworks.
TOUMUN VIII showed how diplomacy shifts when ecosystems and nonhuman beings are acknowledged as political actors rather than resources, prompting delegates to consider long‑term ecological wellbeing and shared vulnerability.
The initiative garnered interest from the local press and the nature delegations were interviewed for La Depeche. The full article can be read here where the importance of such initiatives is acknowledged:
“At a time when the United Nations is threatened from all sides, it is encouraging to see that teachers and young people are looking towards a future that prioritizes life and justice.”
Text: Maria Helena Saari & Jonathan Carruthers-Jones
Pictures: Maria Helena Saari
