Position  Paper  Guidelines  LUMUN  2012      

       

   

 

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 Position  Paper  

 A  Position  Paper  is  a  policy  statement  in  which  delegates  clarify  the  committee  topics,  state  their  country’s  position,  and  suggest  solutions  that  fall  in  line  with  their  national  stance.  As  a  general  guide,  it  is  always  good  use  your  position  paper  to  answer  the  questions  that  your  chair  asks  in  the  background  guide.    It  is  mandatory  for  all  delegates  to  write  a  position  paper  for  each  topic  on  the  agenda  for  their  respective  committees.  Please  note  that  there  will  be  an  award  for  Best  Position  Paper  in  each  committee.  Please  pay  careful  attention  to  the  following  guidelines  when  drafting  your  position  paper.    

Guidelines    Writing  Instructions    

• Length:  Position  papers  must  be  a  MAXIMUM  of  ONE  PAGE  PER  TOPIC  (Font:  Calibri,  Size:  11,  single  spaced).  If  your  committee  only  has  one  topic,  you  can  extend  the  position  paper  to  one  and  a  half  pages.    

• At  the  top  left  corner,  include  the  following  details:  Country:  Committee:  Topic:    

• Deadline:  A  printed  copy  of  each  Position  Paper  must  be  submitted  to  the  Chair  at  the  start  of  the  First  Committee  Session.  

 For  questions  concerning  position  papers,  your  committee  or  your  topics,  please  contact  your  committee  chairpersons  directly.    Content    A  good  position  paper  will  include:      

• A  brief  introduction  to  your  country’s  policy  concerning  the  topic  and  committee;      

• A  list  of  issues  that  you  wish  the  committee  to  focus  on;    

• How  the  issue  affects  your  country;      

• Your  country’s  policies  with  respect  to  the  issue  and  your  country’s  justification  for  

 

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these  policies;      

• Quotes  from  your  country’s  leaders  about  the  issue;  Statistics  to  back  up  your  country’s  position  on  the  issue;  Actions  taken  by  your  government  with  regard  to  the  issue;  Conventions  and  resolutions  that  your  country  has  signed  or  ratified;    

 • What  your  country  believes  should  be  done  to  address  the  issue;  What  your  country  

would  like  to  accomplish  in  the  committee’s  resolution;  and    

• How  the  positions  of  other  countries  affect  your  country’s  position.    General  Tips    

• Keep  it  simple-­‐  To  communicate  strongly  and  effectively,  avoid  flowery  wording;      

• Make  it  official-­‐  Try  to  use  the  seal  of  your  country  or  create  an  “official”  letterhead  for  your  position  paper.  The  more  realistic  it  looks,  the  more  others  will  want  to  read  it.      

• Get  organized-­‐  Give  each  separate  idea  or  proposal  its  own  paragraph.      

• Cite  your  sources.  Use  footnotes  or  endnotes  to  show  where  you  found  your  facts  and  statistics.      

• Read  and  reread.  Leave  time  to  edit  your  position  paper.      

• Speech!  Speech!  Do  you  plan  to  make  an  opening  statement  at  your  conference?  A  good  position  paper  makes  a  great  introductory  speech.  During  debate,  a  good  position  paper  will  also  help  you  to  stick  to  your  country’s  policies.