Writing a great model U.N. position paper is something that may initially seem difficult for students who take part in model U.N. at their school. However, with a few things in mind, students can write great policy papers that could earn them serious accolades in their model U.N. simulation. Here, we will outline seven tips for writing a successful position paper in your model U.N.
Tip One: Keep your position paper simple. Bear in mind as you write your position paper outline that model U.N. is a political simulation. it is not a poetry competition. Make sure your writing is effectively written, but not bogged down by overwrought metaphors or horribly complex sentences. Get your point across and move on to the next point.
Tip Two: While this may seem obvious, make sure you do your research. Research your given topic heavily and really hammer home the idea that you have a great grasp of the issue. Research should include research on your country, its history, how it affects your country, and every other angle of the topic. Research should be backed up with quotes from political leaders in your country, appeals to authority help back up your understanding of the topic. A well-researched paper will show to the secretariat of your model U.N. that you know what you are talking about and have put in the work to make your position paper the best that you possibly can.
Tip Three: Make sure that you can effectively delineate in your research what is important and what might be less important to your points. While solid research is fun for many people, diving deep into your particular topic can be a great time, make sure you only use the important parts of your research and do not get sucked into talking about minutia or details that may be irrelevant.
Tip Four: Focus heavily on potential solutions to your particular topic. Build your arguments using your research, statistics quotes from political influence makers in your country regarding the topic, and make the first few paragraphs of your paper flow into that solution. The organizers of your model U.N.conference will probably weight the solutions paper quite heavily, as they are wont to do, so making this a particularly robust section of your paper will certainly curry some favor with them in the end.
Tip Five: Stick to about a page to a page and a half. Again, while your research is an important aspect of your paper, you need not cram all the information you have found into this one paper. Keep all your thoughts succinct without going on any tangents or adding in any unnecessary information. If your position paper looks like a novel after you initially write it, consider some editing to parse it down to the true essentials. This will make your paper much easier to read, and without bogging down your paper with unneeded platitudes, will vastly increase the overall effectiveness.
Tip Six: Throughout the paper, break down the problem into smaller issues. When you break the topic down into smaller parts, it makes it much easier down the road to frame your solution as the best one. The smaller problems and solutions to those will all flow into the policy goal and idea you have your ultimate solution.
Tip Seven: Again, while this may seem an obvious tip, make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to edit your paper. Clear up any wording issues you have. Make clearer any points you think you may have skimmed over in the initial writing. If possible, have a teacher, friend, or model U.N. mentor of some kind go over your paper themselves and get their thoughts. Further, while editing, make sure you have properly cited all your sources, and that everything checks out as far as your facts, statistics, quotes and other materials you may have used to bolster your points.
Model U.N. position papers may seem difficult to write at first, but given some research, and following tips listed here, many delegates will find the task becomes significantly less daunting.