Model United Nations

PREPARING TO BE A DELEGATE

As a delegate you have to be prepared to speak. The most effective delegates are the ones who are well prepared. As a well prepared delegate you will be confident and ready to speak at every opportunity. To be a confident delegate you need to be well informed about the issues to be discussed in the committee. Being informed is a long process which involves thorough research and daily reading of newspapers like the Bangkok Post or world newspapers on the internet, and viewing cable news bulletins.

Every delegate should be have the following items prepared:
 

1.      Position Paper (Opening Statement) – a one-minute speech setting out your country’s position on the committee question. This is the first item in the Committee stage of the conference.
 

2.    Right to Statement – a one-minute speech about anything to do with your country. About four Right to Statements are heard at the beginning of each Committee and GA session.

3.     A Resolution – every delegate should have their country’s name attached to one resolution as a submitter/co-submitter or a sponsor/co-sponsor. Resolutions have two sections:

(i)              Pre-ambulatory clauses which set out the nature of the problem, and

(ii)           Operative clauses which set out the UN’s solutions to the problem

Resolutions must be set out strictly according to the rules. A vetting committee made up of MUN coaches will check each resolution for appropriate wording, correct presentation, respect for bloc groups, a maximum of 80 lines, and clarity.

Delegates will get time for caucusing which means looking for other countries who are likely to have a resolution you can support. You should not support a resolution which is not in the interests of your country. Groups of similar, like-minded countries are called blocs.

4.    Research – this is crucial if you are to have a successful conference and not make a fool of yourself. Your research should be mainly on the committee question, but you should also have a strong understanding of your country’s position. Research takes several weeks if not months of work.

Following the news on a daily basis is very important. Read the Bangkok Post every day. Check on the web-sites of major world newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Times.

Other useful sources for research are:

·        UN web-sites – WHO, FAO, UNESCO, UNHCR, IMF, World Bank, Human Rights Commission, International Court of Justice, ESCAP (Bangkok)

·        WTO (World Trade Organisation)

·        The Economist – one of the best weekly news magazines and web-site

·        New Internationalist – especially useful monthly magazine which investigates a    major issue and devotes most of the copy to it.

·        TIME magazine and web-site

·        Newsweek magazine and web-site

·        CNN

·        Red Cross

·        Save the Children Fund

·        Oxfam

·        CARE

H. Berghuis