Requirements 

Position papers are required for all delegations. Any delegate who does not submit a position paper will be ineligible to receive an award. For double-delegate committees, one paper should be submitted for each delegation—both delegates should not submit their own individual papers. Delegates in the ad hoc committee will not write a position paper. Formatting and length guidelines are as follows: 

• 12-point Times New Roman font 
• 1 – 1.5 pages total
• Single-spaced 
• Header that includes the delegate’s name, position, committee, school, and (if applicable) topic.

Instructions 

A position paper is a short paper written and submitted before the beginning of a Model UN conference. It outlines a delegate’s policy positions and plan for action in the context of their assigned committee. Position papers help delegates prepare for committee speeches and resolution/directive writing by outlining their position’s stance on the committee topics and questions, as well as brainstorming potential proposals for policy action. 

It can be hard to begin a position paper. Here are some places you may want to start:

• Read your committee’s background guide, note important context information, identify the relevant questions to consider and/or topics of debate, and read the bio for your assigned position.
• Research more on your assigned position, understand your stances on different policy issues, and identify possible resources and connections you could use in committee.
• Learn more about the committee topic and gather information that may not be included in the background guide. 

Overall, it is important to be well-researched and informed on the committee topic and your position before jumping into the position paper. Some next steps may be to formulate a plan for your crisis arc if applicable and brainstorm potential resolution/directive policy ideas.

Once you have a good sense of what you want to accomplish in committee and how you want to do that, you are ready to start the position paper. Below is an outline for how a position paper is traditionally structured:

1. First Section: Contextualize the committee and the problems you must address.
2. Second Section: Outline your personal views on topics for debate and the crises.
3. Third Section: Share what you want to do in committee, both in the front room and backroom. In short, what’s your game plan?

Committees organized by topics of debate (e.g GA) may follow this format for each topic. Position papers should be detailed, on topic, and establish a feasible plan for action. 

Additionally, we invite you to refer to the sample position paper for more guidance on position paper writing.

Please email [email protected] with any questions or concerns and submit your position paper to our email by the beginning of the first committee session.