Background Guides & Model UN Research

MUN Background Guides

Getting ready for your next Model UN conference means that you’re going to need to go through a background guide (sometimes called a Research Brief). But knowing how to move through one properly is going to save you a great deal of time in your conference prep process. While it will be the most valuable starting point for the research stage, there are a number of important techniques to keep in mind so you can create the best solutions!

In this lesson, we’ll show you how to make this process as seamless as possible and how to get the most out of your background guide!

When should I start Conference prep?

Timing your Conference preparation really depends on three things:

1. Conference deadlines

2. Preferred learning style

3. Your level of experience

Conference deadlines are important since a conference will normally require a Position paper to be submitted a few weeks before the conference. Since having a completed Position paper essentially means that you’ve completed your conference prep, you’ll have to be ready by then.

When preparing for your first conference you should make sure to give yourself even more prep time to make sure that you’re ready for a number of possibilities – things rarely go according to plan in Model UN! For this reason we generally recommend that new delegates give themselves between 6-8 weeks to prepare for their first conference.

There’s no such thing as too much preparation when it comes to Model UN. Everything you do will help you to better understand your topic and help you to exhibit that to your committee.

What is a Background Guide?

Your background guide is basically a handbook written by your dais to help you understand what to expect in your committee.

The Chair will always include the pertinent information for your conference and will give valuable starting points for your research. A Dais will appreciate a delegate that goes through their guide carefully and takes advantage of the info that it provides. When the Dais is designing a committee, they have an idea for how they want to see debate progress and they will include guiding points to help delegates work towards that.

What will you find in a Background Guide

A Background guide can be structured in many different ways, but it will always include vital information. This might include a section that highlights questions to consider, describes notable past actions, or provides background information on relevant actors. These sections can help you understand what your priorities should be.

Your Background Guide will generally contain information on:

1. Topic Background

2. Key parties involved

3. Past Resolutions

4. Further Research Starting Points

5. Focus Questions

Why bother reading your Background Guide?

Reading the Background Guide might be the single most important part of the conference preparation process. By carefully going through the guide, delegates can gain a comprehensive understanding of the historical context, current challenges, and potential solutions related to their assigned committee or agenda.

1. The guide serves as a road map - offering valuable insights into the complexities of the issue, helping delegates develop informed positions on the topic.

2. The background guide can also spark inspiration - by presenting different perspectives and highlighting innovative approaches, enabling delegates to propose creative and well-informed solutions during the conference.

Before you read your Background Guide

Your first read-through of the background guide is incredibly valuable, and to make the most of it, it's useful to prepare beforehand. Conducting preliminary research on your assigned country allows you to effectively "enter the mind of a local representative" as you read about your committee topic. This preparation enables you to better grasp your country's perspective, priorities, and historical context.

Before diving into the background guide, take the time to familiarize yourself with your country's history, culture, and political landscape. This preliminary research acts as a foundation for your understanding and interpretation of the background guide, helping you approach it with a more informed perspective.

This will help you as you begin reading the background guide. You will be more able to keep in mind the specific interests of your assigned country. Look for sections that might relate to the preliminary research that you gathered. By finding connections between your country and the topic, you will more effectively be able to build a story that you can use throughout the entire conference prep process.

Reading technique for a Background Guide

One careful read-through of your background guide is going to be more beneficial than skimming it multiple times. To make the most of this preliminary reading, there are a few techniques that can help you improve retention.

1. Actively engage with the text by highlighting key points, underlining important details, and taking notes.

2. Annotate the guide by writing comments and questions in the margins or using sticky notes.

3. Identify key themes and arguments, make connections to your preliminary research

4. Seek clarification on unfamiliar terms or concepts

By implementing these techniques, you can maximize your understanding and set up a solid foundation to continue the preparation process with.

Not all of the information in your guide will be useful to you, but it can be great to give you context and can help you understand how other states may try and approach the topics.

“My country isn’t mentioned in the Background Guide” or “My country doesn’t have a good reputation for this topic”

While many delegates may think not being mentioned in a Background guide is a weakness in a committee, it is in fact one of the greatest strengths that you can have as a delegate. In Model UN, just because you’re not prominent on a given topic doesn’t make you irrelevant. In fact, working with a small country means that you don’t have to worry as much about upholding certain policy objectives or goals - you can be as creative as you want with your solutions and work with anybody you’d like. The Chair will still call on you for speeches and you’ll other delegates will count your solutions as equally important to any other delegation so long as you argue for them properly.

If your country has a poor track record on a topic. This gives you an amazing opportunity to put yourself in the opposition on many discussions - not only will you get more speaking time from it, you will also be more noticed by going against the grain from everybody else. Remember, a Dais doesn’t give awards to delegates who get their Resolutions passed - they give awards to the people who were constantly stimulating conversation and providing a fresh perspective to debate.

Approaching your Background Guide as a Crisis Delegate

The background guide for Crisis Delegates will be a bit different. To start, depending on your topic your background guide may be your only source of information on your topic. This means that you’re going to be a bit more creative than General Assembly delegates when putting together your solutions.

There are several key differences in the structure and content of background guides for regular committees compared to crisis committees:

1. Structure: Background guides for regular committees typically follow a more standardized structure, providing an introduction to the topic, historical context, and an overview of relevant stakeholders. In contrast, background guides for crisis committees have a more dynamic structure, focusing on the interplay between committee members and offering greater guidance to delegates regarding the committee's desired direction and objectives.

2. Focus: Background guides for regular committees tend to emphasize a broader understanding of the topic and its various aspects. On the other hand, background guides for crisis committees will focus on how the topic might develop over the course of the committee. They highlight specific crisis context, key actors, and their objectives, enabling delegates to analyze and respond to unfolding events within the crisis simulation.

3. Information Availability: In regular committees, background guides typically provide a wealth of information and resources to help delegates prepare and develop informed positions. They often include statistical data, relevant treaties or resolutions, and research references. In crisis committees, background guides may contain limited initial information, allowing for greater unpredictability and flexibility during the simulation. Additional information and updates are usually provided during the committee sessions to mimic real-time decision-making in a crisis scenario.

Overall, while regular committee background guides provide a comprehensive understanding of a topic, crisis committee background guides are designed to immerse delegates in a dynamic and unpredictable crisis simulation, requiring quick thinking, adaptability, and effective crisis management skills.

Key Questions to Consider

While you’re reading, it can be useful to have a few questions in mind: