Position Paper Guidelines

The Position Paper is an essential document when it comes to your academic preparation for the
upcoming conference and an important step in the process of any MUN. It should help you understand
your country’s position on the given topic. It discusses the issues from the perspective of the country
you’re representing and summarizes their policy and potential solutions.
It should not exceed 2 pages (12 font, Times New Roman; 1,5 space).
Keep in mind that your Position Paper should always be in conformity with your country, as it is an
analysis of how the issue is important in relation to your country and where it stands, rather than a
report or research paper. Always look for official sources that give clear information on your country’s
stance.
Original documents are expected and plagiarism is not tolerated! You may use different sources,
but you must (1) always cite them and (2) not replicate them entirely.

You should keep the following structure in mind:

• Section 1: A short introduction to the topic:

A presentation of the topic at hand, with a brief background of the issue and its relevance at the
moment. Think about why our committee discusses this now.

• Section 2: Past actions:

o Past actions undertaken by your country at a national level (how your country has
addressed the problem internally)
o Past actions undertaken by your country at a regional/international level (how your
country has contributed to addressing the problem externally)

This section addresses how the UN has tackled this issue in the past, what concrete measures have
been taken and whether they were effective or not. You should mention your country’s endeavours in
this sense and consider what programs, events, agreements or resolutions it has participated in.

• Section 3: Country’s position:

This section should be the broadest when you’re planning your Position Paper. It should
highlight where your country stands in relation to the issue, its policies and how it believes the
international community should act. You should emphasize your country’s actions. Search for
officials’ statements, government issues, measures adopted regarding domestic legislation and
evaluate your country’s position at UN meetings- they should all help you work on this part. Focus
most on the goals of the current administration.

• Section 4: Country’s proposals/ Proposed solutions:

Think about specific and realistic proposals in regard to the problems presented. Always bear
in mind that these solutions will be presented to the entire international community and the ultimate
aim is reaching a consensus, therefore, they should be applied on an international level. Analyze their
way of implementation and how they are viable for the discussed issue, especially the expected
outcome.
• Section 5: Conclusion:
You should summarize the main points of the topic, your country’s policy, and the proposed solutions

•Section 6: Sources:
Mention all the sources you have used in the process of researching and writing of your position
paper!