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Model UN in a Box Simulation Guide

A Guide for Faculty and Students: Teaching Model United Nations and Running Your Own Simulation

Introduction

Model UN in a Box , the AMUN simulation guide, is published to assist faculty sponsors and student leaders in preparing their school for participation in Model United Nations conferences. While many rules and procedures described in this Guide are specific to the AMUN conference, the activities and simulation instructions described may also be used by any Model United Nations group as a generic preparation guide, possibly substituting the rules of procedure of another Conference for the AMUN rules that are provided.

This publication is divided into two parts.

The first is a printed handbook, containing chapters on

• Teaching Model UN ,
• Caucusing and Consensus Building ,
• Decision Making and Documents ,
• Rules of Procedure , and
• Running an Effective Dais and Training Dais staff .

The second part is a digital supplement, containing the portions of the book that are most often used as class handouts and simulation exercises including

• All new practice simulations for the General Assembly Third Committee, the Commission on the Status of Women, and the Security Council. These should allow groups to prepare for the three main forms of Model UN simulations: resolution writing, report writing and crisis;
• Placards for all countries used in the simulations, enhanced with at-a-glance country data;
• Position briefs for each country simulated–one for every topic and country suggested for the practice simulations; and
• Blank handouts and forms.

The Guide includes a variety of interactive preparatory suggestions, including instructions for running a practice simulation for a Model UN conference. These exercises can be used by either a Model UN class or club. Also, the exercises in the Guide have been utilized by both college and high school Model UN classes and clubs, and are appropriate at each of these levels and settings.

One complimentary copy of Model UN in a Box is provided to every school that registers for AMUN. Other schools or groups are welcome to purchase the guide for $59.95 with free shipping in the United States (add $20 for international shipping). If you purchase 5 or more copies of Model UN in a Box in a single order, they will be discounted 20% each.

In addition to its use as a preparation guide for individual programs, AMUN also welcomes other Model UN groups interested in purchasing Model UN in a Box for distribution to their participants. You can order the Guide by submitting an order with our secure online store . Payment can be made online by credit card or by mail via check or money order. Please note that we are not able to accept Purchase Orders.

Printed Component

The Model UN in a Box Simulation Guide print portion contains the following:

Chapter I: Teaching Model UN in the Classroom. Despite its name, this chapter details how to prepare a group of students for a Model UN conference in either a class or club setting. It focuses on strategies for building the myriad necessary skills that new Model UNers will require in order to successfully roleplay their adoptive country in a simulation of the United Nations. This chapter also includes suggested assignments and readings, a course syllabus for a semester classes, and suggestions for grading students on the quality of their Model UN participation.

Chapter II: Caucusing and Consensus Building. The ability to engage in informal negotiations is a relatively abstract and challenging skill to instill in new Model UN participants. This chapter outlines the concepts underlying good roleplaying, negotiating and compromising within a Model UN setting, and contains exercises which teach students the challenges and rewards inherent in seeking consensus among their peers. Exercises include methods for effective negotiation and caucus participation and small and large group activities on consensus building.

Chapter III: Decision Making and Documents. Perhaps the most concrete results of a Model UN simulation are the documents produced by the various committees, commission and councils: resolutions, reports and presidential statements. This chapter shows Model UN leaders how to teach the significance of these documents to a group. Additionally, the chapter includes information on the mechanics of how these documents are constructed, a valuable lesson for Model UNers. Exercises include how to read United Nations resolutions, a group activity on writing resolutions and understanding committee purview at the United Nations.

Chapter IV: Rules of Procedure. Every Model UN simulation follows a set of rules, and with few exceptions no two Model UN simulations use the same rules and procedures. This chapter presents the rationale behind all of AMUN’s rules of procedure, including our philosophy behind following or deviating from actual United Nations practices. This chapter will assist new Model UN leaders in understanding why rules are necessary, the differences between General Assembly and Security Council rules, how they are constructed, and how they are intended to be most effectively used during the simulation. The chapter also highlights the most commonly used rules to help focus preparation for newer Model UNers.

Chapter V: Running an Effective Dais and Training Dais Staff. The most important part of Model UN preparation is conducting a practice simulation which integrates all of the above skills (i.e. document creation, caucusing, consensus building and use of the rules). This chapter will instruct new Model UN leaders in how to lead an effective practice simulation. This includes a summary of each of the dais roles, tips for training dais staff and information on suggestions on how to track the paperwork.

Appendices: A – Glossary of Terms B – Research Tips and Resources C – Sample Forms (completed) D – Classroom Handouts (completed)

Digital Component (2021 Edition)

The Model UN in a Box Simulation Guide digital portion contains the following:

Simulation I, II and III: Preparatory Simulations. These three sections include all of the materials necessary to conduct a practice Model UN simulation for up to 30 participants. Depending on the rules and topics one wishes to use, leaders may choose to conduct a simulation of the General Assembly Third Committee , which generally provides recommendatory solutions for Member States, the Commission on the Status of Women , which generally creates a report reporting findings and recommending action to its supervisory body, the Economic and Social Council, or a crisis simulation of the Security Council of 2021 , which deals with immediate threats to international peace and security.

The Third Committee and Commission on the Status of Women simulations each provide topic and country briefs for two topics; the Security Council simulation contains one topic brief and country briefs for all countries on the Council and one Party to the Dispute. All simulations contain instructions and material for a Simulation Director to prepare and manage the session.

Countries included in the preparatory simulations include:

* Party to the Dispute in the Security Council Only

Appendices: A – Research Tips and Resources B – Forms (blank) C – Classroom Handouts (blank) D – Country & Simulation Placards annotated placards for all simulation countries, annotated with basic facts about the country.

Digital Component (2014 Edition)

Simulation I, II and III: Preparatory Simulations. These three sections include all of the materials necessary to conduct a practice Model UN simulation for up to 30 participants. Depending on the rules and topics one wishes to use, leaders may choose to conduct a simulation of the General Assembly Third Committee , which generally provides recommendatory solutions for Member States, the Commission for Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice , which generally creates a report reporting findings and recommending action to its supervisory body, the Economic and Social Council, or a crisis simulation of the Security Council of 2013 , which deals with immediate threats to international peace and security.

The Third Committee and Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice simulations each provide topic and country briefs for two topics; the Security Council simulation contains one topic brief and country briefs for all countries on the Council and one Party to the Dispute. All simulations contain instructions and material for a Simulation Director to prepare and manage the session.

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5 country indexes to kickstart your model un research.

When you first receive your country assignment for a Model United Nations conference, it’s hard to know where to begin your research! Just as gaining knowledge about your committee and debate topics is an essential part of preparing, so is understanding the country you are tasked with representing, as well as learning how it relates to others on the world stage. To accomplish this, indexes are your best friend. 

First of all, what is an index and what can it help you learn? Indexes are alphabetical lists organized according to different measurement systems that analyze data and characteristics of different nations. They are used by organizations ranging from the United Nations to the Central Intelligence Agency to examine countries, their differences and similarities, and where they stand in relation to other nations in terms of factors like development, economic growth, poverty, etc. Therefore, indexes are a great resource when it comes understanding the ins and outs of your country assignment.

Below are 5 of the best indexes for learning about your country assignment. Using the example country assignment of Romania, we can delve into how these indexes can be a valuable asset in your committee research.

#1. Human Development Index

The Human Development Index (HDI) is compiled annually by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and provides detailed profiles for each country based on indicators such as health, poverty, gender equality, trade and financial flows, average income, environmental sustainability, etc. 

You can use this index as a launching point for your research into your country policy on a wide range of topics. For example, if you were representing Romania in World Health Organization committee, checking Romania’s HDI profile can give you important statistics on its citizens’ health that can help you understand where the nation succeeds, where it faces challenges, and how its health levels intersect with its development. 

#2. Gini Coefficient

The Gini coefficient is another interesting annual index to look at to find out a nation’s level of wealth inequality. The Gini coefficient examines the way money is distributed across nations, and is based on data from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. If a country has a Gini coefficient of zero, then it has achieved equality in terms of financial prosperity. If a country’s Gini coefficient is one, then it has the maximum financial inequality possible among its residents. 

While the Gini coefficient and index analyze income and wealth distribution, they are not a measure of absolute income or wealth. Therefore, countries can have the same Gini coefficient even if they have widely different absolute incomes.

Currently, Romania is ranked #14 on the Gini index, indicating that its level of income inequality is relatively low.

#3. Corruption Perceptions Index

The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is released by Transparency International on a yearly basis, offering an overview of relative corruption in countries and territories across the world. Defined as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain, corruption can greatly influence a country’s decision making, progress, and freedom. Transparency International divides the impacts of corruption into four categories – political, economic, social and environmental.

The most recent CPI, which was released in 2018, uses data from 13 surveys and expert assessments to assign each country or territory a score from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean), and then ranks them accordingly. 

Romania has a CPI score of 47, ranking 61st in the world for levels of corruption. Aside from being an interesting fact about the country, the CPI score is an important thing to consider when researching your committee’s assigned topics, as corruption intersects and influences other issues, and can be a major obstacle for a country’s progress.

#4. Fragile States Index

When you are representing a country, it is important to know about the risks and vulnerabilities it faces. The Fragile States Index (FSI), released by the Fund for Peace, is an important tool for identifying these factors. The FSI ranks countries based on twelve indicators of state vulnerability in several categories: Cohesion, Economic, Political, and Social. These indicators are each given a score from 0 (most stable) to 10 (least stable,) creating a scale spanning 0−120. These indicators examine a country’s likelihood of conflict or collapse, and assess states on a spectrum ranging from sustainable and stable to warning and alert. 

Romania is ranked 137/178 countries as of 2019 with a score of 47.8/120. To put this in perspective, Yemen is ranked 1/178 and Finland is 178/178. Therefore, Romania is classified as “stable,” and its score indicates that it has a smaller chance of entering conflict than the majority of other countries.

#5. CIA World Factbook

One of the most comprehensive indexes and resources, the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook offers a wealth of knowledge on different nations. For 267 countries and territories, it provides information on history, people and society, government, economy, energy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues, making it ideal for your country research. In fact, it even encompasses data from other indexes including the Gini coefficient!  The CIA World Factbook is an excellent place to begin your research on any country policy or topic.

BONUS! Best Delegate Model UN Country Profile and Policy Map

Did you know that Best Delegate has their own country profile and policy map? We’ve gathered some of the best resources on the web for you to use in your research! Simply find your country on the map and click on the red pin to find links to resources that are helpful for delving into country research. 

Want to further cultivate your research and analysis skills so you can excel at representing your country in committee? Then the Model United Nations Institute summer programs are just for you! As part of the Diplomat program, you’ll have the chance to gain knowledge you need to excel in Model UN as well as skills that will help you research your country policy using sources, techniques, and strategies like these. Meanwhile, the Ambassador program is a great opportunity if you are a Model UN veteran looking to refine your abilities in research, public speaking, resolution writing, negotiation, and leadership! Registration for the 2020 Model UN Institute summer programs is open now.

Next post: Middle Schoolers Grow and Learn Through Model United Nations

Previous post: Summer 2020 MUN Institute Programs in Cambridge, MA are Now Open for Registration!

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Unit 2: Researching Your Assignment and Writing Your Position Paper

Back to Handbook Contents page.

Researching Your Country Assignments

Your core task as a Model UN delegate is to represent a Member State (or other entity) in a simulation of the United Nations or other international policy making body. To do this, you will need to become quickly familiar with the state you are representing. The UNA-USA has a good guide to researching country assignments, available here .

For basic information, there are many useful places to find out about the country you will represent in conference:

• BBC Country Profiles
• CIA World Factbook
• World Bank Country Data
• UN Cyberschoolbus

For detailed news and analysis, check out the below sources, as well as the usual news outlets:

• International Crisis Group
• Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Make sure to set up a Google Alert for your country’s news and look at the website of the popular daily newspapers in your country. When setting up your Google Alerts, remember to create one for your country’s short, informal name (e.g. Kenya) and long, conventional name (e.g. Republic of Kenya). Consider also setting up alerts for your country’s foreign minister, ambassador to the United Nations and head of state/government (President, Prime Minister, Prince, etc.). This will help you stay informed about any news that’s relevant to your country.

Beyond the basic questions — where it is, its history, its culture and style of government — you will also need to learn to research:

• Interests : What are some of its core economic, political, security interests?
• Values : What values, principles, ideals, norms and ideologies guide the state’s behavior?
• Identity : What aspects — such as language, culture and shared beliefs — are core to the state’s identity?
• History and Precedent : What about the state’s foreign policy stayed stable over time? In what ways has it shifted?
• Relationships : Which states tend to share its interests, values and identities? With which states does it tend to work closely? With which states does it have a tense relationship? What treaties and regional organizations is it a member of? Does it have cultural or historical affinities with another state? Does it see one area of the world as its ‘sphere of influence’?
• Discourse : How does your state frame its foreign policy in language? How do they describe other states and international organizations? What metaphors and analogies do they use?

To do this more in-depth analysis, you will need to need to go beyond the general sources. Visit the website of your country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and/or their UN Mission to read their policy statements, key speeches and reports on their work. Read up on the scholarly literature on your country’s foreign policy as well as internal politics, culture, society and history. Either read books published by university presses (or commercial academic presses like Palgrave, SAGE, Routledge, I.B. Tauris, Lynne Rienner, James Currey, etc.) or read peer-reviewed journal articles found through Google Scholar (or the Pace University Library journal databases ). Try also to immerse yourself in popular fiction, TV or film of the place you are studying.

Researching Issues

In addition to being assigned a Member State, you will also be assigned a committee or decisionmaking body, in which you will participate. Most Model UN conferences will provide a provisional agenda for each committee listing the topics to be discussed. You will need to research these topics in great depth, both generally, and to know where your country stands on them. Before you do anything else, make sure you have read carefully the Background Guide provided by your conference’s committee on the topics you will be discussing. If these guides are written well, they will provide you with a thorough foundation in your committee and your topics.

As with your country assignments, read the scholarly and policy literature on your topics, but also try to find out which Ministry or Department of your country’s government handles these issues. See if they have made policy statements, speeches or reports on them, to get a sense of what your country’s position will be. also visit the websites of NGOs and UN agencies which focus on those issues.

For further information on researching your assigned committee topics, visit this excellent guide from the UNA-USA. For help finding relevant UN documents, click here .

The following organizations produce useful reports on topics that often come before Model UN committees:

• US State Department Human Rights Reports
• Arms Control Association
• Amnesty International
• Human Rights Watch
• International Campaign to Ban Landmines
• Overseas Development Institute
• UNDP Human Development Reports
• UNHCR Statistics
• Chatham House

A more detailed list is available from the UNA-USA Model UN website .

Writing a Position Paper

As you prepare for conference, the research your assigned country and topics will feed into the production of a “Position Paper.” This short, but detail-intense policy paper will outline your Member State’s position on the topics to be discussed. Some key things to remember:

• Your State’s Position not Yours : It can be difficult, particularly for those who are new to Model UN, to put aside their own opinions and write from the position of the State they are representing. Your argument in the position paper should be in accordance with your country’s policies, interests, values and identity, not your own. As a result, there are no first person pronouns (“I” or “We”) in a position paper, nor emotive language. That is, instead of “I believe we need more investment in poverty reduction programs”, the position paper would say “The Republic of Kenya asserts the need for more investment in poverty reduction programs.
• Make Your State Look Good : Remember that as a diplomat you act as an advocate for your country, not a detached, “objective” outsider. Like a defense attorney, you want to make your State look as good as possible, while still always telling the truth. If you do not advocate for your country’s interests in the committee, no one else will. So if your country has problems, focus on what your country is doing to overcome them, rather than the problems themselves. For example, rather than writing, “60% of the population lives under the poverty line”, write something like “over the last ten years, poverty reduction policies lifted 1 million people above the poverty line.”
• Policy Recommendations should be Global (or Regional), Feasible and Memorable : Your Position Paper should make policy recommendations that are appropriate for the scope of the committee. For example, if you are on a UN General Assembly committee, your recommended policies should be for the entire globe, not just your own country. That said they need to be feasible: within the mandate of your committee, possible in the suggested timeframe, fundable and likely to gain political support from other States. Finally, you will be presenting these recommendations in front of many other States, each of which will be presenting their competing proposals. So your proposal needs to stand out somehow and be memorable. Pace University New York City has developed several methods for doing this — click here for more details (password required).
• Keep on Schedule, Revise and Edit : Since your position paper is often due to the conference organizers several weeks before the conference (and probably before the end of your school semester), you will need to work quickly and efficiently. There is no time for procrastination. Get to work right away and draft a schedule in your planner to make sure you keep on track with the due dates of each draft. Note that no position paper is perfect the first time around. Perfection comes it multiple drafts, revisions and edits — seek help from your fellow students, head delegates and professor.
• Work Together With Your Partner : Unless you will be representing your assigned country by yourself, you will need to work very closely with your partner in preparing your position paper. Not only will this make your research and writing more efficient, it will also make sure that you are both familiar with the material so that you are equally comfortable representing your country in committee.

We recommend that you start the process of writing your position paper by making an outline. For Pace University New York City Model UN students, you can access a template to help you develop an outline of your position paper here (password required). To view an example of this template filled out by Pace students, click here (password required).

For further guidance on writing a position paper, read this list of quick tips , and visit the website of the conference you are attending, as well as this guide from the UNA-USA .

Now visit the following other pages in Unit 2 of this handbook:

• 2.1 Position Paper Outline Template [Password protected — Pace NYC use only]
• 2.2 Making Your Policy Recommendations Memorable (3PPs) [Password protected — Pace NYC use only]
• 2.3 Position Paper Outline Example [Password protected — Pace NYC use only]
• 2.4 Tips for Writing Your Position Paper [Password protected — Pace NYC use only]
• 2.5 Example of a Position Paper [Password protected — Pace NYC use only]

(c) Pace University, 2013. Version 3.0 BETA. For information, permissions or corrections, contact Dr. Matthew Bolton, [email protected]

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How to Write a MUN Position Paper

A MUN Position Paper, also known as Policy Paper, is a strategic document that gives an overview of a delegates country position.

A good MUN Position Paper has three parts:

1) Country’s Position on the Topic 2) Country’s Relation to the Topic 3) Proposals of Policies to Pass in a Resolution

The following guide will show you how to write an excellent Position Paper, make the right impression to your chair and fellow delegates while achieving your overt, and covert, goals.

Table of Contents:

What is a Position Paper?

• The Sections of a Position Paper
• The PREP Formula

Types of Position Papers

The purpose of a position paper.

A Position Paper/Policy Paper, is a document, normally one page, which presents your country’s stance on the issue/topic your committee will be discussing. A solid position paper has three parts 1) Country’s position, 2) Country’s relation 3) Country’s Proposal

Great Position Papers require research and strategic analysis to effectively convey your countries position. Most MUN conferences require Policy Papers for a delegate to be eligible to win an award. Having an outstanding Position Paper could be the tiebreaker to win an award.

Why is the Position Paper important?

A MUN Position Paper is important for a wide variety of reasons beyond ensuring that delegates do a basic level of research before the conference. Understanding why a Position Paper is important lays the foundation to help you sort your thoughts as well as delivering your desired message to the chair.

The chairs oversee the committee from start to finish and as a delegate, you will want to show consistency with the principles and values present in your Position Paper.

Goals of a Position Paper

1. Show your country’s unique understanding of the issue being discussed . 2. Show your country’s previous relationship with the topic (preferably with relevant examples). 3. Show policies and ideas that your country would like to see in the resolution .

As most position papers are limited to one page, a minimum of one paragraph should be devoted to each of the aforementioned goals, and there should be clear transitions from paragraph to paragraph. The following position paper outline is universal, with options to expand in specific sections if you see it is needed.

The Sections of a Good Position Paper

A position paper is the result of proper preparation and research for your Model UN conference . Once you finish researching, follow the position paper guidelines (the conference should provide you with these). With the formatting instructions in mind, follow the instructions below to produce a high-quality position paper.

Model UN Position Paper Structure

1) How you / your country sees the situation/problem in general

2) Your country’s relation to the topic

3) What you want to pass in your MUN resolution

1) Your Position on the Topic Being Discussed

To answer the question “how to start a Position Paper’, keep in mind that you are not only sharing your position, but also introducing the reader to see the topic being discussed from your eyes.

To establish your position, start with a brief history of the situation / problem the committee will be discussing (How you see the situation / your position on the topic). Define what you see as the challenge to the global community (or at least what some of them face). Keep in mind that your goal is to meet this challenge by the end of the paper.

Frame the issue to be discussed as something that does not only pertain to your country but, ideally, also the other countries you would want to support your policy.

It helps to keep in mind that you will not get support for your clauses, or pass a resolution, alone. It is only if other countries see the topic the same way you do, that they will want to join you to implement your solution.

Example of Position Country: Angola Committee: The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Topic : Improving Access to Clean Water

The Republic of Angola believes consistent access to clean water is a basic human right. Some countries have an abundance of water, such as: Canada, Scotland and Switzerland. Others have next to no water, such as: Yemen, Libya and Djibouti, or low rainfall like Namibia and Sudan which creates water scarcity and desertification. The solution to all of these problems is the weather control that comes from cloud-seeding, with richer countries already reaping the benefits. The National Center of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) witnessed an increase in rainfall of 10%–15% in polluted air and 30%–35% in clean air. China uses cloud seeding over several increasingly arid regions including Beijing, the capital. In 2017, the United Arab Emirates launched 235 cloud-seeding operations by five cloud-seeding planes based in Al Ain. The use and success proves the technology works, but it is only accessible to those who can afford setting up the mechanisms to cloud seed, or pay for the chemicals from companies like Bayer and DowDuPont Inc, who control the patents and sales rights.

2) Your Country’s Relation To The Topic

presentation of the policies your country has used to deal with the issue in the past. You should also describe the successes or failures of those policies (Your country’s previous relation to the topic and the precedents it set).

Note: This is also the place to write previous actions your committee has with the topic ONLY IF it is relevant to how your country introduces itself. Otherwise, you are repeating factual information that is not related to you introducing your position. Writing facts that do not forward your case is a trap many fall into. In the cases where your country has a strong link to the issue, the examples in the 2nd paragraph should be about your country’s connection to the specific issue.

If your country has no direct relation, see if similar countries to yours, or countries with similar positions, have a relation to the topic. You can also conduct research to find out if your country has a relation to a similar topic, from where you can draw inspiration and a direction to justify your policies. (More on this in our article about ‘ How to effectively represent your country ’)

Example of Relation Country: Angola Committee: The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Topic : Improving Access to Clean Water

Angola’s history is scarred with conflicts arising from the abuse and mismanagement of natural resources, such as iron ore, petroleum, uranium, and diamonds. Angola is oil-rich while our people are dirt-poor. We stand at 149 out of 186 on the 2016 Human Development Index poverty scale. In rural areas, which contain 11.4 million people (38.5% of our total population), only 6% of households having access to electricity and 38% do not have access to safe water sources. Approximately 15 out of every 100 children do not survive beyond the age of five, leaving us with a child mortality rate is around 17%. These challenges are especially difficult for our president Joao Lourenco, who entered the office in September 2017. President Lourenco biggest challenge is reforming 38 years of cronyism and corruption under former President José Eduardo dos Santos. During his 38 years in power, infrastructure has not been developed while tens of billions of petrodollars disappeared. The 2014 oil slump made our situation worse reaffirming that we are unable to pull ourselves up on our own. Additionally, we do not get enough rain. We only get 32 days of rain with more than 0.1mm of rainfall meaning only 2.7 days of quality rain, sleet, and snow per month. Not enough to maintain adequate crop yields.

3) Extra Supporting Material

be hard data needed to support paragraph 2 or justify paragraph 3; this 4th paragraph still comes before the final section where you describe your desired policies.

what was originally read in the committee study guide.

Example of Extra Country: Angola Committee: The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Topic : Improving Access to Clean Water

The global system that depends on technologies provided by companies like Corteva is strongly entrenched in the Sub Saharan agriculture sector, as well as all over the world. The four biggest companies, Bayer-Monsanto, ChemChina, Corteva and Syngenta have 59 percent of the world’s patented seeds, 64 percent of all pesticides and held near-monopolies over other agrichemicals. The use of these crops and chemicals has become fundamental to grow corn in Tanzania, potatoes in Kenya and other crops in sub-Saharan Africa throughout their diverse range of crops and terrains. This position of power persists because the sub-Saharan farmers are similar in their lack of access to best practices, techniques, technologies, finances and markets. This lack of skills is combined with limited resources results in the agriculture sector that is as under-development in agriculture as it is dependent on companies like ChemChina.

4)Proposal – What You Want to Pass in a Resolution

Give an outline of possible / likely solutions that your country proposes and would advocate to see implemented during the Model UN simulation. Do this within the limits of what your particular committee can do (What you would want to pass a resolution about). If you want to do additional actions beyond the mandate of your committee, you can outsource them to other committees. If this is an integral part of your strategy they should also go here. In the Proposal section, you can either commit to one strong Call to Action, a few different policies or two extreme red lines, which you say you intend to work between. Remember, while you do not need to fully commit yourself to what you write in your Position Papers, it is important that you show the margins within which you will be operating at the conference. Doing this shows there is thought behind your actions and gives you more credit with the chairs for diplomatic progress. It is thus strongly advisable that you not write something that you will directly contradict through your actions in committee sessions.

What is a Policy? A policy is a course of action proposed, or adopted, by a government, party, business, or individual. Your policies are a Call to Action telling the UN officials, who get the resolution, what to do.

You want your MUN policy to be clear, concise, and SMART .

The SMART MUN Policy

SMART is an acronym to describe the criteria needed to set policy goals. S pecific – Target a specific area for improvement in your policy.

M easurable – Suggest an indicator of progress once the policy is in place.

A ctionable – Specify what action this policy will do.

R ealistic – Given available resources and committee mandate, ensure your proposed policy can realistically be attained.

Timely – Specify when the result(s) from your proposed policy can be achieved, or when to revisit.

Example of Proposal Country: Angola Committee: The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Topic : Improving Access to Clean Water

Angola advocates for a UN-sanctioned policy that gives permission to dry developing countries to make generic replicas of their patented chemicals at a fraction of the cost to achieve water independence. An example of these technologies belongs to German rainfall enhancement leader WeatherTec Services GmbH. WeatherTecs cutting edge technologies to improve water access are cheaper than many of their competitors but the operating costs start at 11 – 15 million Euros a year. Angola does not believe the United Nations should subsidize the cost of the chemicals, as the subsidy is a temporary solution and it would take funds from other important programs while leaving the corporations with the same level of control. Today, aside from South Africa, none of us can afford cloud seeding. We can cloud seed on our own if freed from the shackles of patent laws that benefit the rich. Dupot made net sales of $62.5B in 2017, by charging prices which the poorer dry countries could never afford. The UN should allow the relevant member states to locally produce WeatherTecs technologies so we can join the ranks of self-sufficient nations who can provide for themselves the basic water needs to survive.

The PReP Formula for Successful Position Papers

PReP stands for Position, Relation, extra & Proposal , which are the essential parts of every position paper . PReP will help you remember the formula.

Position – Your view / interpretation of the issue being discussed. (Paragraph 1)

Relation – Your connection to the topic being discussed. (Paragraph 2)

extra – The optional 4th paragraph which can contain extra information your feel is critical to your case, but doesn’t naturally fit into one of the other three paragraphs. This paragraph still comes before the one containing your policies.

Proposal – The practical policies you would want to see in the resolution. (Paragraph 3)

The PReP Strategy

With the Proposal ( paragraph 3), you solve the issue shown in your Position (paragraph 1) with the tools and relevance you set up in your Relation (paragraph 2). (The examples used in paragraph 2 should, preferably, also show the policy margins of your country).

The policy outlined in the final section of the Position Paper should show ideas that address the issues outlined in your position associated with the committee topic (as should have been specified in the first paragraph). This position should be justified by the country’s relation (or guesstimate relation) to the topic (the second paragraph). These should be used to justify the policy proposals you outline in the third paragraph. Each of these paragraphs should try to have as much unique information as possible that can’t be found in the committee study guide (because everyone in the committee should theoretically know that information). Obviously, your paper should have some connection to the main issues of the topic, but if you feel the paper should go in a different direction, that is completely your right.

Topic: Finding the cure for the Zika virus

Country: Greece

While this topic is one that is important, the delegate of Greece can decide that he doesn’t want his country to fund viruses they don’t have and only exists half a world away. In such a case, we would see:

Position (First paragraph) : How the global community spends collective money on local issues.

Relation (Second paragraph): How Greece doesn’t have the money to spend and how it has local diseases and problems at home.

Extra (Fourth Optional Paragraph): Optional paragraph could include data on regional diseases that broke out in neighboring countries and remain a viable threat for Greece.

Proposal (Third paragraph): Passing laws that would have localized diseases with body counts that don’t cross the tens of thousands, to be funded by local unions. There can also be a second idea that the World Health Organization divert extra funds instead of countries collectively forking out money.

There is no set amount of space each section needs to have. Some Position papers need a longer first section while others need double the space for the policy. What is certain is that no paper can miss any of the sections (except the extra part) and each one should be developed to at least 25% of the paper.

Practicum: The four-step plan to implement PReP

Writing a Position Paper should come after you finish your MUN research . Once you have completed that (and especially if you haven’t), follow this three-step plan and don’t over complicate things.

– Position Papers chairs read – Position Papers delegates read – Position Papers everyone will read – Position Papers no one will read

“Everyone has a story to tell or a product to sell. Know your audience before you open your mouth.” – April Sims

While not all Model United Nations conferences require Position Papers, many of them do. Whether it be your Chairs, other delegates, a mix or none of the above, knowing who will be your audience will help you craft the right paper and achieve your desired goal.

Position Papers Only The Chair Will Read

When the chair is required to send feedback, this usually means they will have read your Position Paper. This is an excellent opportunity to go all out, regarding the reasons for why your country has the position that it is taking and why you chose the policies that you did. (See our article on ‘Properly Represent Your Country?’) This is also the place to describe your Call to Action / the policies you want to implement in detail. The reason for such open and clear (but not too clear) writing is because no one but the Chair will read it, meaning you don’t need as much nuance as you would in a public Position Paper or opening speech. This is the place to give your ideas in a clear, unfiltered manner so that the Chair can understand it later when you give a more layered speech during the formal sessions.

‘For Chair eyes only’ Position Papers are also an excellent opportunity to bring facts and ideas that you want known to the chair, but don’t have time to fit into your first speech or two. While not bluntly giving away your country’s real motivation, you have a lot more liberty to flag things you’re afraid might be missed once the committee session starts.

Position Papers Only Delegates will Read (but not Chairs)

These are Position Papers where all the delegates are able to read each other’s work, research and position on the topic at hand. An example of where this can happen, is a large conference (e.g. 200 delegates), where the Position Paper deadline is the day before the conference.

For these papers, you still want to use the Position Paper platform to show why the discussion should focus on where you want it to go. For this reason, the Position Paper should be written more to frame the issue than give concrete detailed policies. Delegates who did not research to the same extent, or have no clear position, can be introduced to your interpretation of the topic. Some may completely adopt it, or at least be familiar with it when they hear it in a speech. (See our article on ‘ Writing the Killer Speech ’)

Position Papers Everyone Will Read (Chairs and Delegates)

The Chair + Delegate Position Papers are the most complex to write. In these cases, the ideal situation is for the chair to see what you would want them to see, as if it was written just for them, while at the same time, the other delegates would see a Position Paper customized for them. This is a hard balance to find, but if erring to one side, it is better to build a paper for the delegates and hope the chair has the experience to read between the lines.

One more variable to take into consideration is when Position Papers are written for a gigantic committee (100 or more delegates).

In gigantic rooms, the Position Paper should have at least the basics of the policy, because one might not speak in the first few hours and this might be the only way to get you onto the floor.

Position Papers No One Will Read

Yes, this actually exists in MUN. Some Position Papers will not be read by the Chairs  or anyone else at all. However, the conference requires submission to qualify for a diplomacy award. A few conferences will admit that no one will read the Position Papers, but most will not.

Here are a few things to look out for to know your Position Papers likely won’t be read:

-When Chairs are not required to send you feedback on the Position Paper

– The deadline is the day before the conference.

In these cases, the main benefit of writing a Position Paper is to organize your thoughts. However, in practice, a poor document can be just as easily submitted to qualify.

Pitfalls to Avoid

Potential issues you may run into:

• You may run into a situation where your country does not have a clear policy towards a topic, or they have recently changed policy. For example, with the election in the US and the change from one ideology to another, their rhetoric towards the Iran Nuclear issue changed almost overnight. It would be tempting to follow the words of the leaders in a case like this, but pay attention to actual actions. Nothing has changed.
• When faced with conflicting positions from your country, choose one and stick with it. Use the position that you can find the most research on.
• Sometimes you will be stuck with a topic or committee that your country has little to no interest in. This will cause a lack of information to work with. For example, if you are in UNESCO and the topic is oil drilling in Ecuador’s rainforest, you may find that Malawi has not put out any statement on the issue. Don’t despair.
• In a situation like this, when your country has no position on a topic, you have to get creative. Find similar issues that affect your country and extrapolate that to the current topic. For the Ecuador example, Malawi can use their position of environmental issues in their own country and throughout the continent as a guide as to how they would respond.
• If you find yourself on a topic with indigenous people’s rights, but your country does not have a strong position, find out if there are indigenous groups in that country. Do they treat them well or poorly? Both will give you a direction to take with your Position Paper.
• There shouldn’t be a single sentence that has no purpose.  Each fact or statement should support the identity you are constructing.
• If you feel a fact or statement that doesn’t seem to have a place, must be in the PP, think about why. If it is so vital that it fits into the first, second, or sometimes the  third paragraph. If it does not, perhaps it can be replaced with one which does.
• The information can be used later – this fact or statement can be important and be saved for a later speech. However, the position paper needs to be a self-supporting document and just because it is important doesn’t mean it has to go here.
• You want to end every Position Paper on a strong note, but you do not want to have a conclusion that is overwhelming or concrete. Remember, you will not have many pages, usually, one to get your country’s position across. The Chair is not judging your Position Paper on how well you close, they are judging it based on your understanding of the issues and the solutions you bring to the table.
• That being said, it helps to close the paper well. There is an old saying about writing an essay that can apply to a Position Paper as well:
• “Your introduction tells them they will be intrigued. The body is the meat of the argument. The conclusion reminds them that they were impressed.”
• How do we apply this to a Position Paper? In the beginning, you frame the problem, not wasting your time giving a detailed research paper. The bulk of the paper is letting the Chair know that you understand your country’s relationship to the topic and your proposed solutions. Your conclusion is going to close briefly with a strong, concluding remark. BRIEFLY is the key word here.

Position Paper Format

The format of each Positions Paper, or Position Paper template, varies from conference to conference. However, even if you have no format instructions you do not want to have a messy position paper.

An unorganized paper can:

• Make you look less serious (to chairs and delegates)
• Make your text harder to follow
• Give your reader less incentive to pay attention

Messy Position Paper – Example

You can see here how the bunched lines, uneven spacing, random bullet points, different sizes, confused margins and everything else makes the paper unappealing to the eye before we even start reading.

Organized Position Paper – Example

Here you can see the Position Paper is more organized and easier to read.

Sometimes, the conference will give you an unfilled Position Paper template, with the logo and blank headings for you to fill in. Other times, the conference will send you a Model UN Position Paper sample. Other conferences will send you specific, or loose, Position Paper instructions about how they want the paper formatted.

Each Position Paper should be measured by its content and its ability to inform and influence the respective Chairs and delegate. However, the Position Paper will not reach that point if it is not accepted. It is a pity when your work is not be read or forwarded on because you got the font wrong, exceeded the margins or sent the paper in late. For this reason, whether strict or lax, read and follow the Model UN Position Paper formatting instructions so the hard work you put into the document will achieve its strategic objective.

Examples of Position Paper Instructions

Position Paper Instructions Example #1:

Write the Position Paper for ExampleMUN 2026 using the standards below:

• Length must not exceed two pages.
• Margins must be 2.54 cm or 1 inch for the entire paper.
• Font must be Times New Roman, size 12.
• Justify the paragraphs. The left and right margins must both have straight edges.
• Country name / institution committee name must be clearly labeled on the top of the 1st page.
• Agenda topics must be clearly labeled as the title.
• National symbols, such as flags, logos, etc. are deemed inappropriate for ExampleMUN Position Papers.
• Send your document in PDF format.

Position Paper Instructions Example #2:

We ask delegates of ExampleMUN to each produce a position paper before the conference. It must outline their country’s position, main objectives and issues they are seeking to address during the conference. Your Chairs will return the Position Papers to you with feedback a fortnight before the conference. This will give you time to ascertain which countries would be considered natural allies for you and for you to read which issues the other delegates may deem important.

A Position Paper the length of one side of A4 should be sufficient to state your position.

Example of Formatted Position Paper

Angola feels that in this day and age, hunger should be a thing of the past. However, in 2018, over 795 million people do not have enough food to lead a healthy, active life. This does not include the half of the world’s population, more than 3 billion people, who live on less than $2.50 a day. For better or worse, the road to more accessible and cheaper food is strongly related to water supply. Some countries have an abundance of water, such as: Canada, Scotland and Switzerland. Others have next to no water, such as: Yemen, Libya and Djibouti, or low rainfall like Namibia and Sudan which creates water scarcity and desertification. The solution to all of these problems is the weather control that comes from cloud-seeding, with richer countries already reaping the benefits. The National Center of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) witnessed an increase in rainfall of 10–15% in polluted air and 30–35% in clean air. China uses cloud seeding over several increasingly arid regions including Beijing, the capital. In 2017, the United Arab Emirates launched 235 cloud-seeding operations by five cloud-seeding planes based in Al Ain. The use and success proves the technology works, but it is only accessible to those who can afford setting up the mechanisms to cloud seed, or pay for the chemicals from companies like Bayer, Dupont and Dow Chemical Company, who control the patents and sales rights.

How to Win a Best Position Paper Award

T he difference between a good and a great Position Paper

Good Chairs will give credit to delegates who properly predict the room and are able to guide their policies from the Position Paper to the final resolution. This is because it means that the delegates accurately predicted which direction the discussion would go in, or better still, were able to direct the room in that direction.

This does not mean that the best delegate must have an excellent Position Paper, or perfectly stick to it. Aside from the ‘Best Position Paper’ award, the actions that take place in the committee are almost completely what Chairs will consider for awards. However, it is not uncommon that a Position Paper is used as a tiebreaker between two extremely close delegates.

In all these cases, you need to have an opinion. To win the ‘Best Position Paper’ award, your Position Paper needs to be full of new solutions, it must follow proper format and it has to be concise and ‘ fluff-free ’. Neutrality on an issue, or saying your country has no opinion, is admitting that you will let other delegates take the lead on the issue. It is better to find a policy of a country similar to yours, or your own policy on a similar issue, than saying nothing. More on how to deal with this can be found in our ‘ Research ’ and ‘ How to Represent Your Country ’ articles.

Top Position Paper Strategies

• The Chair of your committee will be reading so many Position Papers about the same exact topic that they will be bored to death of seeing the same solutions over and over again. To stand out, come up with a viable, new strategy that other countries may not have thought of. We say viable because it cannot be so outlandish as to be impossible, but it should be something that makes the Chair stop and focus on your paper.
• You can get a little off-the-wall with solutions, as long as they have a basis in reality.
• Alexander Hamilton employed a similar strategy during the Constitutional Convention in the US. When debating an overhaul of the US government, there were two main plans (the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan). The New Jersey plan was closer to what was already in place, while the Virginia Plan was a change almost too much for people to handle (though most knew this was the only way to save the nation). In order to discredit the New Jersey Plan, Hamilton boldly proposed a plan so radical, that the Virginia Plan became moderate in comparison.
• Hamilton’s plan opened the discussion and changed the conversation. It caught the attention of everyone present and moved them towards a solution.
• You can do this with a position paper. Even if you do not ultimately get what you want, you have caught the Chair’s attention and have become a player in the game.

While this seems self-explanatory, you would be surprised how many people disregard the format rules given by the conference. Do not ignore this. As Chairs are reading the papers, they will come to expect certain formatting and anything not following the rules will stand out, and not in a good way. Do not get on the Chair’s bad side before the conference even begins. You can be sure that they will take points off for improper formatting and keep your name written down for conference time.

When you think about how to start a Position Paper, don’t go for an intense sound-bite. Flare is not good without substance. Try to be as clear as you comfortably can and reach your important points as quickly as possible.

What Chairs Look For

Similarly to how Position Paper format instructions are given to delegates, Chairs are also given instructions by the Model UN Conference Secretariat on how to evaluate Position Papers. Chairing, from when you write the study guide until the closure of debate, is a sacred responsibility.

Sometimes, the instructions given by the secretariat on how to evaluate Position Papers are clear and uniform. However, often, a Chair needs to fill in some gaps between the secretariat’s instructions and doing the job in real-time.  To better understand the considerations regarding Position Papers, read the following instructions, given by an Under-secretary General of Chairing to their staff.

 ————————————–

Dear Chairs,  

As of this weekend, all the registered delegates should receive their study guides. While a few delegates will still be getting allocations over the next week, most of them will have received guidelines for how and when to send Position Papers. The delegates are required to send the Position Papers to the committee email from the 20th – 26th of February. Any Position Paper received by the 26th before midnight should receive feedback from one of the Chairs. You are not obligated to give feedback to papers received from the 27th onwards. Hopefully, you should get most or all of the papers before the deadline. Papers received after the 28th are not eligible for the best position paper award, as you may not have time to check them. Position Papers that are received after March 1st, or not at all, will make the delegate ineligible for an award.

In the Position Papers, we want to see that delegates show they understand (a) the topic (b) their countries positions and history and (c) the policies they propose to solve it / perpetuate it (if they are evil).

The Position Papers which arrive on time should get feedback. This does not need to be more than a few lines per topic. However, we do require you to tell the delegates if they did a good job or if they are lacking in one of the three sections mentioned above. You should also tell them what you want them to improve. In the feedback, where possible, please use examples from their text. To do this most effectively, divide the position papers amongst yourselves and return them when you can. You are not required to send feedback if the delegate sends you an improved position paper. Our main goal is for you to have prepared delegates in your committee, and a rewritten position paper generally indicates better preparation.

  If anyone would like more information on how to give feedback, or have any other questions relating to Position Papers, please let me know in a reply to this email.

  If your delegates write you asking how to write a policy paper, or any other questions, we expect you to be helpful, courteous and available.

  Good Luck

USG Chairing

Not every MUN conference secretariat will have this level of instruction for their Chairs. Some have more; a few give online workshops about Position Papers, while others give no instruction at all. However, in most cases, the final feedback is left to a Chair’s discretion.

If your secretariat left you alone, giving feedback on the basics according to the guidelines at the beginning of this article is a good start. You can also give topic-specific feedback, which uses examples of where more research or analyses can be used, based on what you wrote in your study guide .

11 Questions Chairs Ask When Reading Your Position Paper

Question chairs ask about a quality position paper.

• Did the delegate reframe the topic to make the problem-specific and relevant to them?
• Did they show their country’s relation to the topic?
• Did they offer policies that can gain a majority in the committee?
• Do these policies represent their countries stated interests?
• Did the delegate use examples?
• Do the examples go beyond the information in the study guide?
• Did the writer bring something new, unique and interesting?

Questions You Hope Your Chair Never Asks

• Was this position paper copied and pasted from Wikipedia or some other online source?
• If I change the country name on this super vague paper will it be just as “valid”?
• How inebriated was the delegate when they wrote this?
• Has the writer even heard of Model UN?

Using these questions to measure the quality of your paper will let you review your work with a Chair’s eyes. If the answers to these questions aren’t good enough, then you now know what to work on. A few appropriate modifications can result in a complete makeover of a Position Paper, and possibly a much-improved delegate as well.

Closing thoughts on Position Papers

Position Papers are important. Knowing if the Position Paper will be read only by the Chair or by the delegates should be taken into account when choosing what to write and focus on. Position Paper format should also be taken into account, but not at the expense of quality.

A Position Paper should accomplish three goals: 1. Show a country’s position on the topic being discussed. 2. Show a country’s previous relationship to the topic (preferably with relevant examples). 3. Show policies and ideas that (1) represent the interests of your country and (2) you would ideally like to see in the resolution.

When you’re the Chair, give instructive feedback with specific examples. Your comments could be the difference between a lost delegate or an effective one, or between a good conference and a great one.

Lastly, don’t forget the PReP strategy:

In Policy (paragraph 3) you solve the issue in Position (paragraph 1) with the tools and relevance you set up in Relation (paragraph 2).

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Model UN simulations engage hundreds of thousands of students each year, helping them to learn more about the principles of the UN and how it functions. Many of today’s leaders in law, government, business and the arts – including at the UN itself – participated in Model UN as students.

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NMSU students continue winning streak at Model United Nations Conference

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New Mexico State University’s Model United Nations team was recognized again with top honors during the 2024 MUN conference in New York City, earning the Outstanding Delegation award.

NMSU’s Model UN team has earned top honors in 17 of the last 18 years, except for 2020 when the conference was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Outstanding Delegation is the highest of three categories of team awards, the other categories being Distinguished Delegation and Honorable Mention.

The NMSU team simulated the delegation of the Federal Republic of Somalia on various committees and topics. Government professor and department head Neil Harvey accompanied the students as advisor to the team.

“I am very proud of each member of our team for their hard work in preparation for this conference and for their ability to work well with other delegates in their committees,” Harvey said. “They supported each other well and successfully applied their skills in research, diplomacy, and public speaking.”

Angel Amabisco, Autumn Reid and Jasmine Recinos were recognized with Position Paper awards. Amabisco, double majoring in government and Spanish, won for his paper that was presented to the UN High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR), while the paper by Reid, finance major, and Recinos, who is pursuing a master’s degree in government, contributed to the debates within the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). All three students are expected to graduate this year.

Liam Mitchell, NMSU Model UN team president double-majoring in biochemistry and biology, was recognized with a Peer Delegate Award by a vote of the other student delegates on his committee. The award recognizes his work and diplomacy in the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) during the conference.

“Every time I've had the privilege to attend a conference with the team, I've had the opportunity to learn more about what it takes to be a leader and how to think critically about addressing difficult issues,” Mitchell said. “It was an honor to receive the Peer Award because, to me, it just meant I was doing my job as a delegate: collaborating with people around the world, acting diplomatically and doing my best to understand diverse perspectives and values.”

NMSU’s Model UN team has consistently ranked highly, receiving various top awards since the 1990s. The delegation awards are calculated by quantifying the work done in the committee, including attendance and participation. Outstanding leadership, advising and dedication to the Model UN are key to the team’s success.

“It's a reflection of the hard work of each and every individual on the NMSU Model UN team, and I want to give all the praise to each and every delegate,” Mitchell added.

CUTLINE: From left: Jasmine Padilla, Angel Amabisco, Citlalli Benitez, Adi Ghalsasi, James Madrid, Ian Hart, Isaac Pineda, Liam Mitchell, Rylee Mecham, Jasmine Recinos, Shannon Downey and Autumn Reid were recognized with top honors at this year’s Model UN conference in New York City. Government professor and department head Neil Harvey accompanied the students as advisor to the team. (Photo by Neil Harvey)

CUTLINE 2: Liam Mitchell, NMSU Model UN team president double-majoring in biochemistry and biology, was recognized with a Peer Delegate Award by a vote of the other student delegates on his committee. (Photo by Neil Harvey)

CUTLINE 3: Angel Amabisco, double majoring in government and Spanish, won the Position Paper award for his paper that was presented to the UN High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR). (Photo by Neil Harvey)

CUTLINE 4: Autumn Reid, finance major, and Jasmine Recinos, who is pursuing a master’s degree in government, won the Position Paper award for their contributions to the debates within the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). (Photo by Neil Harvey)

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