The first step of being the Best Delegate starts long before the conference with your research and Position Paper. As any English teacher you’ve ever had has likely told you, the best resources to use for your research should always be Primary Sources. To figure out how to find information about what the UN has done about your issue in the past as well as what your country policy is, we recommend working through the 5 main stages of UN Decision Making.
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Stage of Decision Making |
UN Precedent Sources |
Country Policy Sources |
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Debate- UN, NGOs, and Member State speeches |
Speeches by the UN and NGOs to the General Assembly |
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Negotiation- Member States meeting to negotiate policy |
Major UN Events and Outcome Documents |
Government attendance, participation, key events |
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Taking Action- Member States adopting or rejecting resolutions, conventions and treaties. |
Votes on Resolutions, Signature/Ratification status of Conventions and Treaties |
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Implementation- Member States, the UN, and NGOs implementing Resolutions, Conventions, and Treaties. |
Existing and Past Programs of UN Bodies and NGOs |
Government funding or participating in UN or NGO implementation. Government domestic actions. |
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Reporting and Evaluation – UN Secretariat, NGOs, and Member States reporting on the progress of different programs in implementing solutions. |
Reports of the status of the issue in your specific Member State |
*Branding Note*- When you’re thinking about what kind of research you’re going to focus on, think about how you’re going to leverage it in committee. Do you want to come across as the well-researched legal expert? Then spent your time researching past resolution, treaties, and charters to site in speeches and resolutions. Want to be the inspiration reformer? Research potential solutions that the UN hasn’t tried yet. Are you going to be a combative delegate, looking to brawl with other strong delegates in your committee? Research speeches and statements by leaders of other countries that you can bring as ammunition against them.
“Want to learn more advanced strategies to help you lead your committee in Model UN? Check out the Model United Nations Institute Ambassador Program– – hosted across the United States every summer!”
