Teacher Toolbox - Country Profiles and Position Papers
Welcome to the second part of our Teacher Toolbox series! In this article, we will walk you through the student conference prep process. A process that starts with a background guide and ends with a position paper.
By the end of this guide, you will have the tools you need to help your students to get ready for their next Model UN Conference.
In this guide we will cover the following three topics
Research - How to gather the most relevant information for your conference and find the details that will help you come up with the most effective solutions.
Problem Solving - By using the MUNprep SOLVE Framework, we will help you to come up with a solution that covers all of the key aspects of your committee topic.
Position Paper - Writing a position paper can be one of the most intimidating aspects
1. Research - Making a Country Profile
1.1 Getting to Know a Country's Story
Country profiles are like detailed maps that give us a complete picture of a country's character. Having this information will have a significant impact on your decision making process - from the types of solutions that you want a delegation to have, to understanding the overall capabilities of a delegation.
All of your students should take their time in constructing their country profile, this process should start as soon as they receive their country assignments for a committee.
1.2 Building Your Country Profile Through Research
Laying the Groundwork for Your Country Profile
There are a few key steps in building a helpful country profile. First, start by defining clear, practical goals for your country profile. Decide what aspects of your country's policies and perspectives you need to understand for your Model UN topics.
If you're looking at environmental issues, for example, focus on digging into your country's environmental history and what they're doing now to protect nature and tackle climate change.
You should always make sure to help your students find trustworthy information. Stress the value of official government sites, reports from international bodies, and credible media. Show them how to check the reliability of these sources, watch out for any bias or wrong information, and verify what they find by comparing it with other sources.
A few sites that you can rely upon include
UN Data - https://data.un.org/
CIA World Factbook - https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/
OECD Country Profiles - https://www.oecd.org/regional/regional-policy/country-profiles.htm
1.3 Key angles to Research
Exploring the Cultural, Political, and Economic Layers
Understanding a country's culture is vital—it's the foundation of their policies. Push your students to look deeper than just basic cultural facts to understand how these values shape the country's decisions and interactions with the world.
The government's politics are a key part of understanding a country.
Is it run by the people,
a single ruler,
or another system?
This can greatly affect its global relationships. Guide your students in examining how the country's political system informs its dealings with other nations.
Economic factors are also crucial. Things like trade ties and how a country uses its resources drive its actions on the world stage. Help students research the main economic sectors, partners, and issues, and connect these to the stances the country might take during Model UN simulations.
Navigating Alliances and History
Alliances and regional groups, like NATO or ASEAN, play a big role in a country's global interactions. Help your students create a map of the networks their country is part of and discuss how these ties may influence the country's stance on various issues.
Previous conflicts or partnerships can leave a lasting mark on international relationships. Motivate your students to explore these historical events, particularly those that have resulted in UN resolutions. This will help them to foresee any tendencies or partnerships that might come into play during Model UN debates.
Use these websites to explore past un resolutions
1.4 Customizing Your Country Profile for Specific Topics
Connecting Your Country Profile to the Committee's Agenda
After you have conducted your preliminary research, you should be able to have a better understanding of their agenda.
This will give your students key insights when they start answering important questions and getting into the mind of a diplomat from that country.
A few questions that every delegate should consider include:
The nation's past and present views on the issue.
The impact of the issue on their country and the responses it has triggered.
The most favorable outcomes and strategies to advocate for them.
1.5 Choosing the Most Relevant Information
Next, comes sorting the information by its importance. Not all details in the country profile are equally crucial. Instruct your students to pick out key elements that bolster their country's stance on the agenda topics. Encourage them to assess which pieces of information will be most convincing to other delegates and the committee.
For instance, if there's a discussion on global health and the country recently handled a health crisis, that should be a highlight in the profile.
Effective prioritization means students should:
Emphasize their country's experiences or obstacles related to the topic.
Identify concrete evidence, like statistics, that will reinforce their arguments.
Get ready to explain how their country's view is similar to or different from others.
You can support this process by setting up mock committee presentations. This allows students to practice advocating their views with the chosen information. With a focus on the most pertinent aspects of their country profiles, students can step into the Model UN conference well-prepared and ready to make a significant impact.
1.6 Research Tactics for Model UN Success
Crafting a Solid Research Approach A good research strategy is just as important as the research itself. It helps students lay a strong foundation for their arguments and positions. Here's how they can do it efficiently:
Refining Research Techniques
Creating a Research Blueprint: Advise students to prepare a research plan. This should pinpoint the key topics, list specific questions to answer, and identify promising sources. This organized method keeps the focus sharp and avoids getting sidetracked. With the MUNprep Teambuilder program you can use any number of high quality research templates!
Assessing Sources and Confirming Facts
Judging Source Quality: Teach students how to check if a source is trustworthy and relevant, looking at the author's background, the date of publication, and citation presence.
Double-Checking Facts: Arm students with a variety of tools for verifying information, including fact-checking sites, academic databases, and official records. While Model UN is a simulation, factual accuracy is always encouraged.
Decoding Foreign Policy
Frameworks for Analysis: Introduce students to frameworks like PESTLE or SWOT for a structured approach to breaking down foreign policy.
Essentials of Foreign Policy: Guide students to explore and understand the core components of foreign policy, such as national interests and diplomatic strategies, which are crucial for representing a country accurately.
Utilizing the Teambuilder Research Lab
2. Model UN Problem-Solving
2.1 Navigating Challenges with the SOLVE Method
Using SOLVE to Guide Your Strategy Problem-solving is key in Model UN, as it's about tackling global issues with diplomacy. The SOLVE method roots delegates' strategies in the reality of their nation's policies and viewpoints. It's a framework for shaping solutions that are not only doable but also mesh well with their country’s situation and perspectives.
How to SOLVE your next committee topic easily
Strategic - Develop a well-thought out strategy that suits your strengths.
Objective - Make sure that you can honestly consider the benefits of your plan
Logical - Make sure that your solutions are coherent and well-reasoned
Validated - Back up your ideas with research and evidence
Effective - Focus on solutions that have the potential to create a significant impact.
The SOLVE Framework is an important tool that can help your students to organize their ideas, craft full solutions, and present them effectively. With SOLVE, students can boost their problem-solving capabilities and make a stronger impression in Model UN activities.
Want to learn more about problem solving and position paper writing? - check out our article here!
3. The Position Paper
Preparing Your Position Paper Start with a deep dive into the issue. Understanding the problem fully is key to writing the rest of the paper. Encourage students to explore the issue from all angles—historical, cultural, economic, and political—to grasp the complexities of the current situation.
Aligning National Policies with Committee Aims Make sure your country’s policies match up with the committee’s objectives. Teach students to find where their country’s goals and the committee’s agenda overlap, and how to address this in their paper.
Building a Strong Argument Arguments must be logical, well-researched, and convincing. Students should learn to use a deep understanding of the issue and their country’s stance to make a compelling case to other delegates.
Putting Together the Position Paper Key parts of a position paper include:
Introduction: Showcasing Your Country’s Viewpoint Begin with a strong introduction that sets out your country's take on the issue, laying the groundwork for the paper.
Body: Detailed Analysis and Proof The main part of the paper should thoroughly analyze the issue and your country's stance, backed by solid proof like data, historical instances, and legal precedents.
Conclusion: Outlining Main Points and Suggestions Wrap up by recapping the main arguments and suggesting solutions or recommendations, highlighting your country’s dedication to solving the problem.
Want to learn more about problem solving and position paper writing? - check out our article here!
