Position Paper and Crisis Paper Policy

Position and Crisis papers are required for all delegates except for those in the Ad Hoc committee. Any delegate who fails to submit a position/crisis paper by the end of the first committee session will be ineligible for awards. Position/Crisis papers will only be seen by the dais and it will help them understand your goals and motivations in committee. Position papers should be in 12-point font, single-spaced, with a header that includes the delegate’s name, position, committee, school, and (if applicable) topic. Delegates in General Assemblies (GAs), Economic and Social Councils (ECOSOCs), and Specialized Committees should write a one-page position paper per topic. Delegates in crisis committees should write a one-page crisis paper discussing their entire committee. All position papers must be submitted online on the Position Papers page on the OMUN website.

 

Position Papers

The structuring of the position papers is intended to elicit responses from the delegates that provide a clear picture of a nation’s stance on a particular topic area. Each position paper should be structured as follows.

• First Paragraph: This paragraph should reflect your country’s national interests. National interests are what a country would like to see happen in the world (e.g. Cameroon, a  country troubled by terrorism, might want to reduce the incidence of terrorism to stabilize its government). These interests are not subject to compromise and delegates must reflect these interests within their position paper and the broader conference. 

• Second Paragraph: This paragraph should discuss your country’s policies and their positions. These policy positions are usually open to negotiation and interpretation, offering you flexibility within your analysis, but remember to stay true to your country’s core interests.

• Third Paragraph: This paragraph should be a presentation of possible resolution components using existing or imagined methods. Possible resolutions must be consistent with your country’s national interests and current national policies (e.g. Cameroon feels that any resolution on the prevention of terrorism must assign to the injured state the right to try the terrorists. In addition, Cameroon would not be averse to the establishment of an international information network on terrorism so presenting this as a resolution solution is plausible. Cameroon, however, will not support any resolution that allows terrorist acts to be protected from extradition under the political offense exception doctrine). 

 

Writing position papers benefits you in many ways. The staff reads over the position papers and summarizes them in order to gauge what the committee will be like and to see which delegates have prepared themselves for the conference. Writing a position paper makes you think deeply about the information and content you have researched. Lastly, writing a position paper helps you to express ideas concisely and clearly, making you better prepared for the conference and resolution writing.

 

Example position paper: Topic A, Topic B

 

Crisis Papers

Delegates in the Crisis Committees will be writing “crisis papers.” The format for this document is the same as that of a position paper. The difference is in content: while the position paper is your country or character’s public position, the crisis paper is focused on your character’s specific interests, goals, and perspective on the topics of debate. The format and techniques of research are very similar to a traditional position paper with some slight variations such as speaking in the first person perspective. Here is the format for a crisis paper: 

 

• First Paragraph: This paragraph should introduce your character and their specific perspective on the general topic of the committee. This perspective should be based upon two things: the character description presented to you in the background guide, and any additional research you have completed. This paragraph should have a clear literary voice and strong opinions centered around what your character wants. Essentially, the first paragraph is all about introducing yourself and what you stand for. 

• Second Paragraph: (you may break this up into multiple smaller paragraphs) In the second paragraph now you dive into the subtopics of debate of the committee. Here you really want your research and character’s beliefs to come through – take a hard stance as to which side of the debate you will lean toward (this, of course, can and should change during the actual debate). This paragraph should generally use the following structure: 1. Introduce the subtopic, let your research and unique perspective shine. 2. Take a stance, i.e., “What will you support in debate and how will you support it?” based on research. 3. Propose a solution to the problem, once again, based on research and your character’s perspective. The solution you propose should give a hint toward what you will propose in committee. 

• Third paragraph: Here’s where you can have some fun. The content of this third paragraph is really up to you, but a major focus should be hinting at your character’s specific, unique and research based goals. Here you can drop hints as to what your crisis arc may be and how you may accomplish it.  

 

Your mantra for a crisis position paper should be: Specific, unique, research-based and interesting to read. If you have any questions about position or crisis papers please contact your chairs. You can find their emails in your background guide and the chair information section of your committee information tab on this website.

 

Example Crisis Paper 

 

All of your position and crisis papers will be run through Artificial Intelligence detection programs in accordance with our technology policy. If we have reason to believe that a delegate has used Artificial Intelligence, they may be ineligible to award at the discretion of their chairs.