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By Adam John
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As delegates for a Model United Nations conference you will have to debate in line with your country’s foreign policy. The debate will feature you with your respective country debating alongside delegates representing other countries in the committee. Before you arrive at the conference you will need to do some preparation so that you can get the most of out the debate and the Model United Nations experience and ultimately have a great time at ReadiMUN!
Research your chosen country’s policy in your committee’s topic
To get to know your country’s foreign policy you will need to research it if you do not know what it already is. There are lots of very useful websites that can help you this. To get a basic profile of your country have a look at the BBC News website’s country profiles which will provide you with an overview, facts, key government figures and a timeline of key events. The CIA World Factbook gives a more detailed view of your country’s government, society and economy along with any facts that could be relevant. Wikipedia also gives a detailed overview of the countries of the world but remember to only use this for background information! Don’t forget to verify your sources when obtaining your information. When researching your country think about the following: how much power does your state have in the world (is it a regional power or a great world power), its location in the world (and its control over resources, important areas of land etc), the nature of government (democracy or dictatorship) and a brief history of the country which is relevant to how it behaves in the UN.
Write a position paper
Before you arrive at the conference you will be asked to hand in a document known as a position paper. A position paper sets out your country’s stance on the topics you will be discussing at the conference. The position paper should not be taken as seriously as an academic essay but the paper will become very useful to you as a delegate as it will form the basis of your opinions and stance on the topic. Try to write one page per topic if you want to have a good position paper. Use the government websites of your respective country or look on the websites mentioned in the previous paragraph to research your country’s position on the topic. Looking for any previous positions taken by your country in the UN by looking over official UN transcripts may also be helpful. The position paper should reflect how your country feels towards the issue being raised, the main points you would like to discuss and some solutions that can be proposed. Remember, each country usually has a different stance on the topic
Become a delegate, dress smartly
You are delegate representing a country at the UN, so a degree of formality is required. This extends to the clothing that you will wear to the conference. Western business attire is the universal dress code for Model United Nations conferences and Reading is no exception. Suits are the most professional clothing you can get. Male delegates should wear smart shirts (no t-shirts or open shirts without ties!). Female delegates are able to wear knee-length skirts, blouses and shirts.
I hope this has got you thinking about ReadiMUN15, and I hope you’re as excited for the event as all of us here are on the Media team!
Research your chosen country’s policy in your committee’s topic
To get to know your country’s foreign policy you will need to research it if you do not know what it already is. There are lots of very useful websites that can help you this. To get a basic profile of your country have a look at the BBC News website’s country profiles which will provide you with an overview, facts, key government figures and a timeline of key events. The CIA World Factbook gives a more detailed view of your country’s government, society and economy along with any facts that could be relevant. Wikipedia also gives a detailed overview of the countries of the world but remember to only use this for background information! Don’t forget to verify your sources when obtaining your information. When researching your country think about the following: how much power does your state have in the world (is it a regional power or a great world power), its location in the world (and its control over resources, important areas of land etc), the nature of government (democracy or dictatorship) and a brief history of the country which is relevant to how it behaves in the UN.
Write a position paper
Before you arrive at the conference you will be asked to hand in a document known as a position paper. A position paper sets out your country’s stance on the topics you will be discussing at the conference. The position paper should not be taken as seriously as an academic essay but the paper will become very useful to you as a delegate as it will form the basis of your opinions and stance on the topic. Try to write one page per topic if you want to have a good position paper. Use the government websites of your respective country or look on the websites mentioned in the previous paragraph to research your country’s position on the topic. Looking for any previous positions taken by your country in the UN by looking over official UN transcripts may also be helpful. The position paper should reflect how your country feels towards the issue being raised, the main points you would like to discuss and some solutions that can be proposed. Remember, each country usually has a different stance on the topic
Become a delegate, dress smartly
You are delegate representing a country at the UN, so a degree of formality is required. This extends to the clothing that you will wear to the conference. Western business attire is the universal dress code for Model United Nations conferences and Reading is no exception. Suits are the most professional clothing you can get. Male delegates should wear smart shirts (no t-shirts or open shirts without ties!). Female delegates are able to wear knee-length skirts, blouses and shirts.
I hope this has got you thinking about ReadiMUN15, and I hope you’re as excited for the event as all of us here are on the Media team!
Adam John
All views and comments are the journalist's own.
Edited by our Media and Publications Director on behalf of the ReadiMUN15 Secretariat.
Edited by our Media and Publications Director on behalf of the ReadiMUN15 Secretariat.
