How to Write Position Papers
This year, position papers will be optional for all delegates. However, they will be taken into close consideration when selecting best delegates for each committee. One Best Position Paper will be selected out of all of the ones turned in and will receive a special recognition and award during the Closing Ceremony.
These Position Papers will allow the student to develop a written and concise explanation of what the stance of his or her country is during the debates. Therefore, the Position Papers will be a very important part of the delegate’s argument, which he or she will present to his or her committee.
The general rules for the elaboration of the Position Papers are the following:
1) Each Position Paper will have to be 1 to 2 pages in length, using single-space and standard margins.
2) Position Papers must be delivered to the Committee Chairs at the beginning of the committee’s first session.
3) Each student can use the knowledge that they have on a given topic to reinforce their Position Papers. Nonetheless, it is expected that the official position presented in the Position Papers is the position of the countries that are being represented. Therefore, students should follow the actions that the countries that they represent tend to follow.
The delegates can use the following structure in order to elaborate their Position Papers. The students will have the opportunity to adapt this structure as they prefer in their Position Papers. Nonetheless, the Co-Chairs will be expecting that each of these sections is covered in the documents.
- Introduction and Explanation of the Problem
- In the Introductory paragraph, the student will have the opportunity to explain, from his or her point of view, the central problem that is being debated in his or her committee.
- In this section, the student will be able to use the information obtained from the Bulletin or from their Independent Research, in order to summarize the conflict that will be debated in committee.
- This section will give the student the opportunity to analyze how the problem has evolved in the recent months, what actions have been taken to solve the problem, and what more can still be done.
- One or two paragraphs will suffice to complete this section.
- Country’s Position
- In this section, the student will have the opportunity to present the position that his or her country will be taking throughout the committee sessions.
- This section is very important, since the student will have the opportunity to demonstrate his knowledge about the previous positions taken by his or her country in the topics under debate.
- This section will also allow the delegate to begin the elaboration of the argument that he or she will present during the debates.
- One or two paragraphs will suffice to complete this section.
- Proposed Solutions
- In this section, the delegate can include the different solutions that his or her country will present in committee. The elaboration of these ideas will be of great help for the students, since they will have the opportunity to introduce them during the preparation of Resolutions in their specific committees.
- The student will have the possibility to present short-term, medium-term, and long-term solutions, as long as they represent an opportunity to solve the problem that will be debated.
- It is also very important that these solutions reflect the solutions that would be traditionally presented by the countries and not by the delegates that represent them.
- One or two paragraphs will suffice to complete this section.
- Conclusions
- In this final section, the student will have the opportunity to briefly summarize the argument that he or she has presented throughout the Position Paper.
- This section may also include a short explanation of what the problem under debate is and the position that the delegate will take during the debates.
- The proposed solutions that the student considers to be the most important may also be included.
- Finally, some concluding remarks by the student may be used in this section.
- One paragraph will suffice to complete this section.
Court PP Guidelines
All court delegates must write two (2) Position Papers for the case at hand. In the first Position Paper, they must represent the side of the Claimants, also referred to as Plaintiffs. In their second position paper, they must represent the side of the Defendants.
- When writing their first position paper, the delegates must assume the role of Claimants or Plaintiffs, which refer to the party or side that initiates the action or the lawsuit before the court. The plaintiff or claimant seeks a legal remedy, or a judicial relief. You must present clear and concise arguments that support your claim and use every resource provided to you by the Issue Bulletin to develop a strong, plausible case. You must use reason and logic to develop your ideas and express them as comprehensibly as possible.
- When writing their second position paper, the delegates must assume the role of Defendants, which refer to the party or side that must answer the Plaintiffs’ complaint or lawsuit. You must present clear and concise arguments that follow a line of logic reasoning and can therefore be used to refute the claim and build a solid, credible case before the judges. Be sure to use the resources provided to you by the Issue Bulletin.
- When writing your position papers, consider all possible perspectives and every possible resource you find in the Issue Bulletin, as this is your foremost source of research
- Each position paper can be maximum 1 page in length, minimum half a page, in font Times New Roman size 12.