Position Paper Guidelines

The position paper is a brief and concise description of a state’s, international organization’s, or NGO’s position and priorities in a given committee. Most importantly, a position paper summarizes a delegate's research and serves as an organiser allowing consistent and coherent representation during the simulation. Furthermore, the position paper indicates a participant's degree of readiness to the chairpersons.

It is mandatory for all delegates to write a position paper. Please pay careful attention to the following guidelines when drafting your paper.

Graphical Outline

The maximum length of a position paper is 2 pages A4, single spaced. The typing style must be 'Times New Roman' at an 11 point size.

Identification

It is crucial to properly identify your position paper. It is not necessary to put your name anywhere because you will be known throughout the conference as your delegation's name rather than your own.

• On the top left corner, write the name of your committee e.g. Conference of Disarmament.
• Write the name of the delegation you represent (state, NGO, International Organization) bold and centered e.g. Kingdom of Sweden.
• When saving your position paper, use the following formula: Committee's abbreviation, Underline, Delegation e.g. 'CD_Sweden' or 'UNHCR_Amnesty'.

Topics

Your position paper closely follows the different topics as they are presented in the project description for each committee on the GIMUN website.

• The first sentence of a position paper uses the following formula: "The issues before (your committee's name) are: (list all the issues you are discussing in you position paper)".
• Number the topics (in accordance with the draft agenda of your committee) and write their title in bold.

Content

The paragraphs on each topic should contain the following elements:

• A general sentence in the beginning clearly stating your state's position
• A succinct policy statement for each topic representing the relevant views of your assigned delegation (state, NGO, International Organization)
• An elaboration of your position (may include quotes from the UN charter, agreements your state has ratified or any other relevant international document)
• References to your state’s past experiences with the topic – if applicable
• Recommendations for actions to be taken by the committee
• A conclusion restating the position on the topic

After having treated all topics, it is not necessary to write a conclusion paragraph.

Don'ts

• Don't use the first person in your position paper. Instead simply use your delegation's name or alternatively expressions like "our government", "our country", "our nation".
• Long essay type position papers presenting a nation's history or background information on the topic are not useful. A simple and concise organizer is best.

Please email your position paper to your committee's chairperson as well as – if applicable – to your delegation’s ambassador. A deadline for submitting the position paper will be set later on. It is absolutely crucial to respect these dates so the chairpersons - and possibly the ambassador - can give you a helpful feedback and other delegates can read your position paper.

For questions concerning position papers, your committee or your topics, please contact your chairpersons. Their contact information can be found on the GIMUN website in the 'Committees' section, or here.

Examples

Below you find a couple of good examples of position papers submitted at previous conferences. These papers may not represent the real position of a state in an accurate manner. In any case, the views expressed in the present papers are the author’s only and cannot be attributed to the corresponding state or organization.

Positionpaper Angola
Date added: 30 January 2006
Prepared for the Commission on Human Rights by the honorable delegation of Angola, GIMUN 2005  Download...

Positionpaper UK
Date added: 30 January 2006
Prepared for the Security Council by the honorable delegation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. GIMUN 2005  Download...

Positionpaper India
Date added: 30 January 2006
Prepared for the Security Council. GIMUN 2005. French only.  Download...

Positionpaper International Alert
Date added: 30 January 2006
Prepared for the Commission on Human Rights, GIMUN 2005  Download...