Position Paper Information

Position Paper Guide: Where do I start?

1. Make a copy of this document if you are in a GA (ECOFIN, UNESCO, UNOOSA, WHO) or this document if you are in a Crisis Committee (Senate, French Revolution, Percy Jackson, or Star Wars). 

2. Start your research! We would suggest using sites like the CIA World Factbook and other reputable sources to create a profile for your country or person. Here is the link to our country profile template; your country profile is so that you can learn about what your country is able to do and what other goals it has.

3. Figure out your country's policy. At conference, you are promoting your country's beliefs, not your own. Figure out your country's views by researching past actions and policy on the same and similar topics.

4. Start writing the paper! Position papers are confusing at first, but they follow an orderly structure. Your position paper will consist of five sections; the topic background, past international action, country policy, possible solutions, and questions to consider, as well as a works cited. These sections will be slightly different for crisis committees. Don't forget to format your paper in MLA format. Times New Roman, font size 12, double-spaced. Your paper should be ~2 pages, but there is no hard limit. The Works Cited section does not count towards the page limit. 

Writing your Position Paper

First, the topic background (~20% of your position paper). For the most part, this is where you will reference the Background Information section of the background guide and do your own research to learn about the committee topic. This section should be about one or two paragraphs, but make sure to include any information that you think is important. Do not mention your own country in this section—mention the conflict on a broader scale.

Second, the past/current international action (~20% of your position paper). In this section, you should research past actions that the United Nations, geographical regions, or other countries have taken to address similar problems in the past. This section can be about a paragraph. Do not focus on the views of your country in this section, but it is okay to mention the involvement of your country in international efforts.

Third, the country policy (~30% of your position paper). This is where you talk about what your own country has done about this topic, both on a domestic and international level. This is where you communicate your position on the issue to the chairs, and is a great point of reference for what you should focus on in committee. This section will require a lot of background research and should be one or two paragraphs.

Fourth, the possible solutions (~30% of your position paper). Here, discuss the plan that you have come up with to solve the problem. This is the solution that you will be arguing for in the conference, so it’s the most important section. Be creative! Come up with something unique. Your solution should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Reasonable, and Time-bound).

Fifth, the questions to consider section will be your response to the questions at the end of the background guide. For this conference, you only need a response to two questions. 

Finally, the works cited section, cite all of your sources in MLA format. We recommend you make use of the Google Docs Citation tool (Tools > Citations) to cite your sources easily.

Do the best job you can on your position paper, since the best position paper in each committee will win the research award. Additionally, the research you do will directly benefit your ability to debate on the day of the conference. Preparation is key!