Park House Mun 2019
Park House Mun 2019
Park House Mun 2019
STUDENT OFFICERS
It typically contains four sections: Background of Topic, Past International Actions, Country
Policy, and Possible Solutions. Position Papers are usually due before the conference.
The key starting points for researching each section are listed below. They will help you
get started with participating in your first Model UN conference, but you will want to dig
deeper as you develop more experience.
2. Opening Speech
The Opening Speech typically lasts about 1 minute or 1 minute and 30 seconds and is the first
speech you give to the committee. It is the best opportunity for you to explain your country
policy and the key sub-issues you would like the committee to focus on. Opening Speeches
are the main way for countries to determine who they want to work with, so it’s important to
prepare a speech that conveys this. There are many tips and strategies on how to deliver an
Opening Speech, but use your Position Paper as a guide when you are starting out. The most
important action is to just be brave and make your first speech.
3. Research Binder
Research Binders are optional but highly recommended, especially since many conferences
do not allow the use of technology in committee. An organized Research Binder will be your
go-to resource during the conference as new terms and acronyms, previous resolutions and
treaties, and possible solutions are mentioned. Here is a suggested list of 15 things every
delegate should have for their Research Binder.
Delegates will be writing a document called a Resolution in committee along with other
countries that they will be working with. It’s important to know the resolution format and
phrases, but most conferences do not allow pre-written resolutions since they want countries
to collaborate together during the committee. For more specific details, check out How to
Write a Resolution.
5. Country Profile
The Country Profile is a worksheet to help you understand your country and may not
necessarily be required by your conference. Most of the information needed to fill out a
Country Profile can be found in the CIA World Factbook. If required, Country Profiles are
usually due at the same time as the Position Paper.
Model UN Research
In Model UN, you’ll be discussing some of the hundreds of topics available, which can be
intimidating! Most research sourcing talking about these complex global issues are
written for scholars and professionals, not students! However, we’re hoping to make that
process much easier for you. By focusing on the five main sections of research for Model
UN, you can walk into committee armed with all the knowledge you need to represent
your country and write an incredible resolution.
When researching for Model UN, you should think about five different types of research:
1. Country Profile
2. Topic Background
3. Past International Action
4. Country Policy
5. Possible Solutions
“Research Binder”, which you should put together to prepare for a conference.
1. Country Profile
To get started with research, its important to understand the country you’re representing-
where it is, who lives there, who your allies are, what type of government your country has,
and more. Together, the answers to these countries comprise your “Country Profile”. Here
are some guiding questions to get you started:
Physical Geography
What is your country’s official name?
What region of the world is your country located in?
How big is your country? (square miles)
Who are your country’s neighbors?
How would you describe your country’s physical features and climate?
Politics and Government
When was your country founded?
What type of government does your country have?
Who are some of your country’s leaders?
How many people serve in your country’s military?
Who are your country’s allies? Enemies?
What is your country’s capital?
Culture
What is your country’s population?
What is your country’s ethnic composition?
What is your country’s official language?
What other languages are spoken?
What are some of the major cities?
Economy
How would you describe the quality of life in your country?
What is your country’s total Gross Domestic Product?
What are some of your country’s natural resources?
What is your country’s currency?
What are your country’s major imports and exports?
What are your country’s biggest trading partners?
CIA World Factbook Page: The go-to for MUNers, the CIA World Factbook is filled with
information about your country. The CIA Factbook has information about your country’s
geography, its economy, its government, its population, and many more facts and figures!
Speeches at the UN: Want to find out what your country has actually said about the UN on
your topic? Using the UN Member States on the Record tool, you can find all the statements
your country has made to the UN General Assembly, Economic and Social Council, and
Security Council in the past few decades.
Official Government Website: As a Model UN delegate, you’re representing the
government of the country you’re assigned. Check out their website to see what your
government has to say about the issue.
UN Permanent Mission: Check out your country’s permanent mission to the UN to find out
who your Permanent Representative to the UN is, find quotes, and search for your country’s
position on the most important issues to your committee.
BBC Timeline: Find the most important events in your country’s history! This can help you
figure out why your country has the policies it does, and what your history may be with the
other countries in your committee.
IMUNA Country Profile: The International Model United Nations Association has some
quick facts and resources for MUNers on each country- check out yours!
2. Topic Background
Aside from your Country Profile, the other step to get started is to gain a basic understanding
of the topic you’ll be discussing. To do this, you should research your Topic
Background. Some of the best resources for your topic background will be specific to your
topic- websites about your issue in particular, or books about the topic for your committee!
To properly research your topic background, make sure you can fulfill three key steps:
1. Clearly define what the topic is.
2. Identify the key terms related to the topic, and answer key questions about the topic
such as “What causes this issue?”, “Who is impacted by this issue?”, and “Where is
this issue most prevalent?”.
3. Make sure you’re using credible sources of information to understand your topic-
don’t just use Wikipedia, the news, or blogs!
This is where you write about the most important actions that the international community
has taken on the topic.
Human Rights
UN Human Rights Page
UN High Commissioner on Human Rights
Human Rights Watch
Amnesty International
Freedom House
Human Trafficking
US Department of State Human Rights Reports
Bayefsky List of UN Human Rights Treaties
Project DIANA at Yale – Human Rights Documents
Center for the Study of Human Rights
Human Rights First
Human Rights Internet
International Human Rights Law Institute
International League for Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
University of Minnesota Human Rights Library
Delegate Tips & Strategies
{Introduction to Model UN}
General
1. Chairs: The chairpersons are seated in the front with their gavel and facilitate the debate.
They call on speakers, time speeches, and maintain the rules of procedure. If the conference
gives awards, they will also evaluate your performance.
2. Decorum: order in committee. The chair may call decorum if delegates are loud or
disrespectful, in order to ask for their attention during committee.
3. Motion: a specific action made by delegates to direct debate in a certain direction.
4. Speaker’s List: a list that contains the order of speakers in the committee. The specific
way that the order is determined varies by conference. The Speaker’s List is the default
format of debate and committee will proceed with speeches until a delegate makes a motion
to change up the debate format.
5. Yield: this is when a speaker decides to give up the remaining time in his or her speech.
Typically, the three types of yields are: 1) Yield to the Chair meaning you give up the rest of
your time, 2) Yield to another delegate meaning you give up the rest of your time to another
delegate, or 3) Yield to questions from other delegates or Yield to comments to your speech
by other delegates. Questions are also sometimes called Points of Information.
Points
6. Point of Inquiry: used when a delegate has a question about something that is not clearly
understood in committee. Use this to ask a question if you don’t understand a term or get
what’s going on in committee!
7. Point of Personal Privilege: used when a delegate experiences personal discomfort that
hinders their ability to participate in committee. Examples: temperature of room, distractions
during committee, can’t hear another delegate, etc.
8. Point of Order (also called Point of Parliamentary Procedure): used when a delegate
believes that there was a mistake made regarding the rules of procedure
Caucus
9. Moderated Caucus: A debate format that allows delegates to make short comments on a
specific sub-issue. Typically, delegates who are interested in speaking will raise up their
placards and the Chairs will call on delegates to speak one at a time. In order to move into a
moderated caucus, the motion must include the overall speaking time, the time per speaker,
and the sub-issue to be discussed. Example: Italy moves for a 5 minute moderated caucus
with 30 second speaking time per delegate for the purpose of discussing solutions to women’s
rights.
10. Unmoderated Caucus (also called Informal Caucus or Lobbying Sessions): a debate
format in which delegates can leave their seats to go and talk to others freely and informally.
This is usually when delegates find allies and work on draft resolutions. In order to move into
an unmoderated caucus, the motion must include the overall caucus time and preferably the
purpose of the unmoderated caucus. Example: Senegal moves for an unmoderated caucus for
10 minutes to complete draft resolutions.
11. Blocs: different groups that have similar ideas and opinions about the topics. In the real
United Nations, there are regional blocs, but delegates can choose to build their own blocs in
Model UN. These blocs will typically work together to create a draft resolution.
Resolutions
The goal of committee is to pass a resolution. Although you may not know how to write a
resolution yet, it’s important to know the basic terms so you can keep up as they are
presented.
12. Working paper: Working papers are just a list of ideas formed by the blocs. They may or
may not be written in resolution format. The working paper needs to be approved by the
chairs.
13. Draft Resolution: A document written in resolution format, approved by the chairs, and
introduced to committee but not yet voted upon is called a draft resolution. Delegates will be
spending most of their time writing and amending the draft resolutions. Once a draft
resolution is passed by a committee, then it becomes a Resolution.
14. Sponsors: delegates who authored the draft resolution or actively contributed ideas. They
support the draft resolution and want to see it get passed, so they should vote for it. All
resolutions will require a minimum number of sponsors.
15. Signatories: delegates who wish the see the draft resolution debated but may or may not
agree with all of the ideas. However, they think there is some merit to it and want to see it
presented. Some resolutions will require a minimum number of signatories.
16. Pre-ambulatory clauses: statements in the first section of the draft resolution that
describes the problems that the committee wants to solve as well as previous measures taken
to combat the problem. Pre-ambulatory clauses are usually italicized or underlined by not
numbered.
17. Operative clauses: statements in the second section of the draft resolution that outlines
the specific solutions the sponsors wish to implement. Operative clauses are usually
numbered and underlined.
18. Amendment: a change made to an operative clause of a draft resolution. Amendments
can add, delete, or change an operative clause in a draft resolution. A Friendly Amendment
is an amendment written and approved by all the sponsors to a draft resolution and is
automatically included into the text. An Unfriendly Amendment is an amendment not
approved by all the sponsors to their draft resolution and must be voted upon before it can be
included into the text.
19. Merging: combining two or more draft resolutions to make a bigger or new draft
resolution
20. Voting bloc: when delegates vote on the draft resolutions and amendments
Basics of a Resolution
Who: Who writes a resolution? Any delegate in the committee can write a resolution (although
in rare instances an observer state is not allowed to directly write a resolution). The author of a
resolution is called a sponsor. Most resolutions have multiple sponsors because it takes a group
of countries to share good ideas and to come to a consensus. Some conferences allow delegates
to sponsor multiple resolutions for each topic while others only allow delegates to sponsor one
per topic.
What: What is a resolution? A resolution is a document that contains all the issues that the
committee wants to solve and the proposed solutions to that issue. It’s called a resolution
because that’s what the United Nations calls the documents they produce (here are some
real UN General Assembly resolutions). Technically, the resolution should be called a draft
resolution before it is voted upon and then called a resolution after it is successfully passed
during voting bloc.
When/Where: When and where are resolutions written? Most conferences require students to
write resolutions during the conference. Specifically, resolutions are usually written during
unmoderated caucus (sometimes called informal caucus) where delegates are free to roam
around the committee to collaborate on ideas with each other, and sometimes students work
outside in hallways or computer labs as well. Resolution-writing becomes more focused during
the latter sessions of committee when different country policies are clear and different ideas
have been mentioned already. These conferences will not allow any pre-written resolutions. A
few conferences have “docket-style” debate. This is when students are required to submit
resolutions to the conference in advance and the chairs pick the best ones and put them into a
docket. The delegates focus only on the resolutions in the docket when they get to the
conference and work on amending them.
Why: The ultimate purpose of a committee session is to pass a resolution. All the speeches,
debate, negotiation, and teamwork is supposed to lead up to a resolution which contains all the
proposed solutions to the issue. The resolution(s) that the majority of the committee agrees
upon will be passed during voting bloc and the sponsors will be informally commended for
building consensus on good ideas. Most conferences allow multiple resolutions to pass as long
as they do not contradict each other, but a few conferences allow only one resolution to pass.
Committee: HRC (Human Rights Committee Council)
Topic: The implementation of strategies to achieve access to adequate sanitation and to end
open defecation.
1. Approves that The Nigerian Ministry of Water Resources is created to provide sustainable
access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services:
a. SDG Targets believes that by 2030 the Nigerians mankind’s will achieve universal
and equitable access to safe affordable drinking water, equitable sanitation and
hygiene for all, helping to end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs
of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations,
2. Resolves and Strengthen government efforts to eradicate the practice of open defecation.:
a. In 2008 the government adopted an intervention called “Community
Led Total Sanitation”. This is a community-level intervention aimed at
reducing open defecation and improving toilet coverage. It draws in
community leaders and ordinary residents so they can understand the
risks associated with open defecation.
b. In the following years after the intervention was deployed in the
Nigerian states, covering around 16% of the country’s, the government
desire to conduct a study and hope for a positive and effective outcome
in the programme that has been established.
c. The outcome of programme currently works quite well in poor
communities but is less effective in richer places that is, places with
higher average ownership rates of assets such as fridges, motorcycles,
TVs, smartphones and power generators.
d. Nigeria have access to available data from household surveys that can
be used to measure how asset-poor a community is. These data can be
used to identify and target communities where community-led total
sanitation is likely to have the biggest impact.
e. This suggests that while community-led total sanitation can be better
targeted, it needs to be complemented with other policies – subsidies,
or programmes that promote private sector activity in this under-served
market.
3. Emphasise to Ensure sustainability of water services in rural communities that:
a. The project works with the ministries responsible for water and the
environment and respective sectoral authorities at local, regional and
national level,
b. An improvement in relations between the state and society by:
i. making public procurement,
ii. resource allocation more transparent making policy citizen-
centred helps to strengthen the people’s trust in
municipalities as key stakeholders in consolidating peace,
c. Democratic accountability is reinforced by:
i. reducing corruption,
ii. by strengthening relationships between the state and society
iii. improving public services,
iv. making investments more sustainable,
d. It combines strategic advice on sanitation and plan development with
the implementation of pilot measures in municipalities. These
measures involve the building of different types of latrines:
i. the provision of technical equipment,
ii. training on how to empty latrines,
iii. as well as marketing and incentive mechanisms,
e. Overall The capacity of the responsible sectoral authorities, regional
bodies and operators to provide nationwide water and sanitation
services has improved,
f. Poor people living in rural areas and small towns have significantly
better access to safe drinking water and appropriate sanitation;