Position

Paper Guidelines
LUMUN 2012

Position Paper

A Position Paper is a policy statement in which delegates clarify the committee topics, state their countrys position, and suggest solutions that fall in line with their national stance. As a general guide, it is always good use your position paper to answer the questions that your chair asks in the background guide. It is mandatory for all delegates to write a position paper for each topic on the agenda for their respective committees. Please note that there will be an award for Best Position Paper in each committee. Please pay careful attention to the following guidelines when drafting your position paper.

Guidelines

Writing Instructions

For questions concerning position papers, your committee or your topics, please contact your committee chairpersons directly.

Length: Position papers must be a MAXIMUM of ONE PAGE PER TOPIC (Font: Calibri, Size: 11, single spaced). If your committee only has one topic, you can extend the position paper to one and a half pages. At the top left corner, include the following details: Country: Committee: Topic: Deadline: A printed copy of each Position Paper must be submitted to the Chair at the start of the First Committee Session.

Content

A good position paper will include: A brief introduction to your countrys policy concerning the topic and committee; A list of issues that you wish the committee to focus on; How the issue affects your country; Your countrys policies with respect to the issue and your countrys justification for LUMUN 2012: Rules of Procedure | 2

 these policies; Quotes from your countrys leaders about the issue; Statistics to back up your countrys position on the issue; Actions taken by your government with regard to the issue; Conventions and resolutions that your country has signed or ratified; What your country believes should be done to address the issue; What your country would like to accomplish in the committees resolution; and How the positions of other countries affect your countrys position.

General Tips

Keep it simple- To communicate strongly and effectively, avoid flowery wording; Make it official- Try to use the seal of your country or create an official letterhead for your position paper. The more realistic it looks, the more others will want to read it. Get organized- Give each separate idea or proposal its own paragraph. Cite your sources. Use footnotes or endnotes to show where you found your facts and statistics. Read and reread. Leave time to edit your position paper. Speech! Speech! Do you plan to make an opening statement at your conference? A good position paper makes a great introductory speech. During debate, a good position paper will also help you to stick to your countrys policies.

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