Canadian High Schools Model United Nations 2017
POSITION PAPER GUIDE
Introduction:
Writing a position paper is a task that you, as a delegate, will have to complete at nearly any
Model United Nations conference. The purpose of a position paper is to outline a delegation’s
past action and current stance on its committee’s topics. At CAHSMUN, position papers are
only mandatory in a few cases, but are required in order to be eligible for an award. Thus, this
guide is designed to help you write a strong position paper.
What is a Position Paper?
Despite its simplicity, many delegates often struggle to grasp the concept of a position paper.
A position paper is nothing more than a document that outlines a country’s stance on a topic.
While there may be some variation in position paper policies between different MUN
conferences, the papers always follow a similar format.
A well-written position paper will positively impact your experience as a delegate. The process
of writing a position paper will assist you in the research of your topics. As a result, you will be
able to effectively engage in debate with your fellow peers.
The Research:
Research is easily the most important step to writing a position paper. Without research, your
paper will, quite literally, hold nothing of value. Hence, the first step to your research
procedure is to read your committee’s background guide. The background guide will give you a
general scope of your topic and will allow you to narrow the field of your own personal
research.
With respect to writing a position paper, the “Discussion Questions” section is one of the
most important sections to consider in the guide, as these questions are explicitly designed to
help guide your research for the topic. Furthermore, this section gives a general idea of the
direction of discussion and debate your committee is likely to take throughout its meeting
sessions. These questions can be found in the final section of the topic outline in your
committee’s background guide.
When you have completed reading the background guide, you should begin researching your
own country’s stance on the given topic. In order to ensure an adequate researching process,
take note of resources you use for future reference. If you ever get lost or overwhelmed during
your research, you can refer back to the “Discussion Questions” section to set yourself back on
track. Once you feel comfortable with your research, you can begin writing.
