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JACMUN
2024
Position Papers
All delegates participating in GA and SA committees must write and submit a position paper to their committee's email by April 4, 11:59 PM EST to be eligible for awards. Crisis delegates do not need to write position papers. If a delegate needs an extension, they must email their chair beforehand. Dais emails can be found on the committees’ page under each committee tab or on the All Things Electronic page. Position paper submissions are via the dais email as well.
Purpose of Position Papers
Generally written in the third person, position papers help delegates express their country or character’s opinions on the committee topic. Position papers allow delegates to dive deeper into the perspectives that they will need to embody during the conference and research important facts about who they will be representing. Remember, research is key to prepare for a good debate!
While position papers do not need to address everything mentioned in the background guide, it does usually answer some of the guiding questions and topics outlined from the perspective of the delegate's country or character. It is strongly encouraged to do research outside the points included position papers in order to gain a better understanding of the committee topic and later engage in more meaningful debate.
Formatting and Structure
Paragraph 1: Topic and Stance
Describe what you feel are the most pressing and pertinent aspects of the issue in your first paragraph. Try including some facts that you could use in debate or to support a point as well (e.g., previous UN actions, successes and failures, history etc.).
Paragraph 2: Country or Character’s Position
The second paragraph should be used to describe what your nation or character will argue in committee, as well as the reasons that explain why the aspects that you described in the previous paragraph are so important to your country or position. Ask yourself, what unique aspects of your nation or character relate to the issue at hand? How has your country or character reacted to such issues in the past?
Paragraph 3: Proposed Solutions
Your third and last paragraph should contain ideas for potential solutions to the many problems you have described in your position paper so far, as well as courses of action that you believe should be included in a resolution or a directive.
Length: 1-1½ pages (line spacing 1.5, around 700 words)
Font: Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri
Font Size: Size 11 or 12
Works Cited: MLA format
File Name: “Committee_Country.pdf” (as PDF)
Header: Aligned left, following the following format:
Committee Name
Country/Character
Your Name
Your Delegation
Sample Position Paper
Linked below is a sample position paper that follows the structure stated above. Written by one of the JACMUN Secretariat members, this document can be used as a general guide for delegates.