GUM Birmingham Summit 2019

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Delegates attending the GUM Summit

The 2019 GUM Summit was a gathering of micronations that was hosted by the Grand Unified Micronational.

Background

The Grand Unified Micronational, an organization of unrecognized countries, has traditionally existed only in an online environment. Their member states frequently meet over Skype or in forum groups. However, in July 2012, following the Polination Summit in London, several delegates met in person at the Tate Modern for their first in-person Quorum.

The event was organized by outgoing GUM Chairman Adam I of Adammia, at the University of Birmingham, where King Adam is enrolled as a student.

When Grand Duke Travis was informed of the event, he asked the co-organized, Emperor Jonathan of Austenasia if Westarctica could send a delegate to attend. The Emperor responded by enthusiastically welcoming Westarctica's participation. The Grand Duke selected Dame Kim Bryan, who had served as Westarctica's Honorary Consul to the United Kingdom since 2016, to represent the nation at the event. It marked the first time in the country's foreign affairs that the government had been represented at a Summit by someone other than the Grand Duke.

Event summary

The summit was held in the Guild Council Chamber of the University of Birmingham. There were twelve attendees representing eight GUM member states, plus the diplomat from Westarctica. This made it the largest micronational event held in the United Kingdom since PoliNation 2012, seven years prior.

The summit was chaired by Adam I as Chairman, assisted by Jonathan I, who was as Associate Justice and Archivist the next-highest ranking GUM official in attendance. Other attendees were Lord Mike Lewis of Lundenwic, two diplomatic representatives of Westarctica, and Lord Daniel Morris, who was formerly an official with Flandrensis, but was attending in the capacity as head of his own micronation, New Westphalia. Also in attendance were five officials from the micronation of Essexia, three of whom each also represented another GUM member state (Gradonia, Aspen, and Quebec resepectively).

The summit saw presentations by attendees, as well as open discussions on law enforcement, international organizations, and economics.

The summit was also used as an occasion for the signing of the Edgbaston Convention, a treaty aiming to ensure higher standards of accuracy in regards to the sometimes vague or frivolous claims made in the community of small nations.

With so many national delegations gathered in one place, the opportunity was held to hold only the second in-person Quorum meeting of the GUM in history. The first had been held at the Tate Modern in July 2012, the day following PoliNation; Jonathan I is the only person to have been present at both.

External links

Austenasia's News Article on the Summit