Position Papers
Before you go to committee you will want to write a position paper. Some conferences even make it mandatory to have one in order to receive awards. What is a position paper? In Model UN, a position paper is in essence, your accumulative research before the competition. It is written from the perspective of a delegate from the country you are representing, and usually is only required from general assembly( GA) committees. The goal of a position paper is to state your country’s stance on an issue and then propose unique, effective solutions that the committee can agree upon.
It is usually only maximum one page but can be extended a bit if necessary. When writing your position paper, use footnotes to reference evidence in your paper. Not only does this make your paper look appealing but it also shows you are credible as an author. Do not wait until last minute to write your paper unless you want your solutions to be whack. Creative solutions take time, so start early! Now here are some quick tips:
It is usually only maximum one page but can be extended a bit if necessary. When writing your position paper, use footnotes to reference evidence in your paper. Not only does this make your paper look appealing but it also shows you are credible as an author. Do not wait until last minute to write your paper unless you want your solutions to be whack. Creative solutions take time, so start early! Now here are some quick tips:
- Avoid personal pronouns, e.g say “ The delegation of China wishes….”
- When crafting solutions, be original and make sure that you can back it up financially and logically. Try to be realistic.
- Chairs like it when you use solutions that have been successful in your country and you encourage it for the whole committee to follow- this shows leadership and guidance.
- I know this isn’t English class, but try and express a personal/style. It personalizes your paper and makes it more memorable. But remember, still be professional and formal.
- Lastly, try and use acronyms for any of your solutions. This is very common, but incredibly useful. This makes your paper more recognizable when you are actually talking about it in committee, which means chairs associate certain solutions with a delegate… you! (MUN PUNS are good too)
Delegate
A delegate is the name for a representative of a country in Model UN. So, whenever you are attending a conference, you are a delegate of the country/delegation you are representing in that committee.
As a delegate you make sure you follow your countries regulations and laws and act the way the real-life delegation would handle it. The more you put effort into research about your country, the better you will be able to act as if you were the countries delegate.
Even though what we do is only a simulation, we believe that it’s important to make it as real as possible to make it more fun. Certain countries working together would not work without contradictions and would sophisticate the conference and make it less real as well as less fun.
ex. in WHO (World Health Organization) committee, China would probably not work with the United States, simply because there is some kind of rivalry between those countries.
China would also probably not be much of a help in a UNEP (United Nations Environmental program), and the US would not even be allowed to participate.
To prepare for a conference, use the days before the conference to get to know the topic, your country and the issue you are dealing with. Since you need to write a position paper prior to the conference anyways, just combine those two researches and make the best out of it.
Research past actions for similar issues, regulations on possible solutions or just basic information like “what’s the committee even about?”, “what are ways to solve it?”, “has there been something like this before?”
As a delegate you make sure you follow your countries regulations and laws and act the way the real-life delegation would handle it. The more you put effort into research about your country, the better you will be able to act as if you were the countries delegate.
Even though what we do is only a simulation, we believe that it’s important to make it as real as possible to make it more fun. Certain countries working together would not work without contradictions and would sophisticate the conference and make it less real as well as less fun.
ex. in WHO (World Health Organization) committee, China would probably not work with the United States, simply because there is some kind of rivalry between those countries.
China would also probably not be much of a help in a UNEP (United Nations Environmental program), and the US would not even be allowed to participate.
To prepare for a conference, use the days before the conference to get to know the topic, your country and the issue you are dealing with. Since you need to write a position paper prior to the conference anyways, just combine those two researches and make the best out of it.
Research past actions for similar issues, regulations on possible solutions or just basic information like “what’s the committee even about?”, “what are ways to solve it?”, “has there been something like this before?”
Binders and laptops
At Cypress MUN we stress comprehensive research and preparation. To be the best delegate you can we suggest to organize your ideas, research, and supplies. Whether you use digital or physical organization make sure you can easily find and quote any article you used. This will help to solidify your speeches and interactions with people as well to help to develop new ideas in committee. Having your work with you will allow you to be adaptive. Some delegates will use a binder with printed out background guides, articles on their countries, articles on the topic, and articles on possible opposition. Other delegates will use a laptop and have the links saved to a document. (Laptop users be warned some conferences don't allow laptops to be used or asked to be used sparingly so know your conference) Most times you can also write your resolution paper on your laptop. With supplies many conferences will supply delegates with simple pen and paper however many delegates will also bring their own. (Remember to write down your notes or ideas). Notepads work great for note taking as well as extra paper for notes to other delegates. Also remember your phone is a great place to store information you can access anywhere. Use your phone to stay up to date on any texts in the MUN group chats (or remind), store pictures of the itinerary, find directions, and more.