Position Paper (Policy Statement) – a brief overview which clearly outlines the delegate’s strategy vis-a-vis the committee issues and the country that is being represented. It indicates to Chairpersons whether or not the student is on track. It is a valuable early warning sign if something is amiss. More importantly, whether the position paper is demanded or not, its use will serve as an important organizer from which the delegate may maintain consistent direction.
NO MORE THAN ONE PAGE 🙂
EXAMPLE:
Policy statement
Committee: United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
Delegation: The Swiss Confederation
Delegate: Michaela Dorčíková, Martin Hudoba, Juraj Majcin
The Swiss Confederation concerning the issue: Crisis in Mali
It was exactly ten years ago that Switzerland joined the United Nations as the one hundred and ninetieth member state. The United Nations and Switzerland share the same values and pursue the same goals: the promotion of peace and security, sustainable development, the protection and promotion of human rights and the provision of emergency relief to victims of conflicts.
Switzerland recognized Mali as an independent state in 1960 and the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1961. For over 30 years Mali has been a priority country for Swiss development cooperation (SDC). We support various projects in the areas of healthcare, sustainable management of natural resources, decentralisation and we continuously provide food aid.
The Malian coup d’état quickened the political crisis and Switzerland is tracking the current situation with deep concern. Following the events connected with the military coup, the SDC has suspended a part of its programmes in view of the current instability in the region. This essentially concerns its activities in the north of the country where the security situation is especially tense. In the next three years our objective will be to contribute to the creation of a society and institutions capable of promoting dynamic local economies and ensuring basic education.
We condemn the human rights abuses, the international law violations and the destruction of cultural sites that we can see in the northern part of Mali.
As Switzerland traditionally defends dialogue, we call upon negotiation process to seek a sustainable political solution with the North. If all our diplomatic efforts fail, we are ready to support an international military force that would assist the Malian army in recuperation of sovereignty over their own country, which is partially under the control of terrorist groups, fundamentalists and separatists. This intervention should be performed by ECOWAS and the African Union with significant support from the United Nations community.
In today’s world we face pressing global challenges which threaten entire regions. Climate change, food security, water scarcity, migration, organised crime, terrorism and the proliferation of weapons. In an increasingly interconnected world, we have to search for global solutions which enjoy regional and national support. It is not enough to simply maintain the status quo. We have to find solutions today for the challenges we will face tomorrow.
