Position Papers

GENERAL FORMATTING GUIDELINES

All papers should be roughly 1.5 to 2 pages in length; this does not include the Works Cited section.

  • Formatting requirements include: Times New Roman, 12pt. font, double-spaced with 1-inch margins

  • Each delegate submits one paper per country/character.

    • If you are a double delegation, you should submit one paper per delegate pair.

  • If your committee addresses two topics, please include both topics in your position paper within the allotted 1.5 to 2.0 page limit.

  • Citations may be in any format of your choosing (i.e. Chicago, MLA, etc.).

WHEN AND HOW DO I SUBMIT MY POSITION PAPER?

Position papers are due on Saturday, May 25th at 11:59PM Australian Eastern Standard Time.

Position papers must be uploaded to MUNBase next to each delegate name (i.e. each country/committee position that has been assigned), similar to the Liability Waiver. The button for uploading a position paper is clearly labeled in MUNBase. Please refer to the Application Guide page for more details.

WHAT IS A POSITION PAPER, AND WHY DO I HAVE TO WRITE ONE?

After you have received your country/committee assignment, you should conduct research to understand your assigned country’s stance and position on the substantive issue at hand. Once you have completed your preliminary research, you are ready to write your position paper.

Writing a position paper benefits you in many ways. The staff reads over the position papers prior to the start of the conference, and internally summarizes them in order to gauge what the committee will be like and to see which delegates have done a good job preparing for the conference. Most importantly, writing a position paper makes you think about the information you have researched and helps you to express ideas concisely and clearly, making you better prepared for the conference.

Generally, HMUN Australia requires delegates to write a one single-spaced page position paper. Each position paper has three basic parts: your country’s national interests, your country’s national policies, and your opinion on potential resolution components. These are described below.

Additionally, please note that the format of position papers will vary depending on the type of committee that you are in. Specifically, if you have been assigned to a Specialized Agencies committee, please be sure to follow the guidelines listed in that section below.

GUIDELINES: GENERAL ASSEMBLY / ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL / REGIONAL BODIES

While position papers are a chance for delegates to relay their country’s position to the director, they also serve as the launching point for delegates’ pre-conference research.  To help you get started, a successful position paper will answer the following questions: 

(1) What is my country’s history with this topic, domestically and internationally (i.e. has my country entered into any agreements, withdrawn from agreements, donated to causes, etc.)? 

(2) What is my country’s present-day stance on this topic in terms of domestic and international policy? 

(3) What steps and proposed solutions would my country like to see the committee take during conference? 

To provide further guidance, each position paper should cover three basic parts: your country’s national interests, your country’s national policies, and your opinion on potential resolution components. National interests are a country’s idealized goals or methods of solving specific problems. A delegate’s position paper should cover what their country’s top policy priorities are on the committee topic. Typically, delegates choose to work with other countries whose national interests align with their own and craft draft resolutions that further their joint interests. While compromise is certainly a component of Model UN, key national interests are non-negotiable. Delegates should thoroughly research their country’s national interests to ensure that their position papers, and committee actions, align with their country’s position. National policies are how a country attempts to secure its interests. These policy positions are usually open to negotiation as they are about the methods by which a goal will be achieved, not the goal itself. Opinions on potential resolution components should be in response to the “Proposed Solutions” and “Questions A Resolution Must Answer” sections of the Background Guide. Although these sections provide flexibility, delegates must always keep in mind the interests of their nations. Position papers, and potential resolutions, must be consistent with your country’s national interests and current national policies. 

Writing position papers benefits you in many ways. The staff reads over the position papers in order to gauge what the committee will be like and to see which delegates have prepared thoroughly for the conference. But, most importantly, writing a position paper makes delegates express ideas concisely and clearly, a skill that will help delegates to perform their best at conference.

GUIDELINES: SPECIALIZED AGENCIES

The position paper will look a little different within the Specialized Agencies, as many delegations will represent particular characters rather than individual countries. Furthermore, it is less certain what crises delegates may face within their committees. Therefore, for the Specialized Agencies, the position paper should be structured into two parts to model the committee structure: “front room” and “back room.” The front room consists of your strategy for working cooperatively with other delegates on directives, as well as your public stances during formal debate. Questions to address in this section of the position paper are:  

(1) What is the important information or background about your character that will influence the decisions that they make within committee? 

(2) What are some front-room policies or actions that your character might push for within their directives? 

(3) Who are some other characters that you may work with, or butt heads against, within committee, and what strategic alliance may you form? 

The second part of your position paper should be focused on your “back room,” also known as a crisis arc—the secret plans that you wish to develop through your crisis notes to achieve your own personal agenda. This paper is confidential and will only be seen by the dais, namely the Crisis Director and Assistant Directors, which will help them understand your goals and motivations in committee. Some questions to consider include the following: 

(1) What are your private goals for committee? (i.e. Do you wish to increase your political influence? Do you want to become extremely wealthy? Do you wish to assassinate your archnemesis? Do you want to start a cult following?... use your imagination!)

(2) How do you plan to accomplish these goals? (i.e. What resources and connections can you leverage? What people will you reach out to?)

(3) Are there directives that you can pass that will secretly benefit your secret agenda? 

(4) What are the first few steps in detail that you will take to achieve your goal? 

Having a solid understanding of your crisis arc will be immensely helpful in crafting your crisis notes within committee and in minimizing pushback from the backroom. Note that it is completely fine, and also fully expected, if these plans change by the beginning of the conference or even during the conference itself; in fact, given the dynamic pace of our Specialized Agency committees, it is highly likely you will have to adapt and change your plans to suit the direction of committee. The strongest delegates will come into committee with a thoroughly-planned crisis arc while still being ready to adapt to the unique occurrences – “committee crises” – of the weekend. By the time you finish your position paper, you should have a solid understanding of your country or character’s public and private goals, the resources that you have, and the strategies that  you could potentially use within committee.