Model UN Informational Meeting Position papers are due tonight by midnight. Email to kcantu@magnoliaisd.org.

Conference In order to attend Conference, you must have the following complete: An approved position paper One is required for conference, two if you would like to be considered for an award or scholarship Both permission slips returned Your conference fees paid A signed gradecheck sheet

Conference Logistics The HAMUN Conference is on Thursday, January 28th and Friday, January 29th. We will meet at 6:45 am both days in my room. The bus will leave MHS at 7:00 am and return at 6:00 pm. Dress in Western Business Attire Bring money for lunch and/or snacks You should bring a notebook, pen, and your position paper You may bring a laptop, but it is not necessary

Western Business Attire

T-Shirt Information

Position Papers for Dummies Due Date: Tuesday, December 8th Midnight

What is a position paper? A position paper is an overview of your country’s stance on different issues In order to attend the HAMUN conference in January, you need to have an approved position paper You will also need to have passed all your classes for the fall semester!!! This is a brief document, but is very important for the committees.

The Purpose of the Policy Statement First: It allows the delegate to think about their policy on specific issues from the country’s point of view, before attending the conference Second: It serves as a simple information guide on your country’s policies to use at the conference Third: It acts as an outline for the preliminary draft resolution

Policy Statement Format Length: ¾ to 1 page long Spacing: Single Font: 12 pt, Times New Roman Saved as: .doc, .pdf, .rtf

Header Committee Country Topic School: Magnolia High School Sponsor: Katherine Cantu Name:

To begin writing your paper… Pick an international issue. Most of you will be on committees that already have a list of topics. If this is the case, you should select a topic from your committee. You need to research that topic from your country’s point of view Keep in mind elements of culture, history, geography, natural resources, neighboring countries, population, etc.

Position paper cont. You need to show that this is an international issue, thereby warranting the attention of an Intranational agency, like the UN Which regions or countries are also being affected by this topic? Use specific examples and dates.

Position paper cont. You need to know if any international action has already been taken to address your topic Use specific examples and dates Describe your country’s position on the topic. How is this issue affecting your country? What actions has your country taken in the past in regards to this topic?

Position paper cont. Finally, propose specific UN action for the future. What actions could your committee take to address your topic? What actions would your country be in support of? What actions would your country be against?

What your paper is not… This is not a report on your country. The paper should address the topic, written from your country’s point of view. It is okay to put in a few lines about why this would be best for your country, but other countries in your committee will not care unless it helps them too. This is a persuasive paper, written to get what you want. It needs to be written and researched very carefully.

Citations You will need to include a Works Cited Page The Font should be the same as your paper. Your sources need to be in MLA format, and in alphabetical order according to the author’s last name The library has a citation machine program that can help you with this.

Scoring Each graded policy paper will be e-mailed to me, with the rubric attached. The papers will be graded by your committee chairs. In order to pass, all eight items on the rubric must be present

Rubric Specific suggestions for a solution Header Reference to at least three key documents relating to the issue that are NOT cited in the policy statement Policy statement is appropriate length (1 page) Policy paper is saved as .doc, .pdf, or .rtf Header Explanation and definition of the issue A short summary of recent international action related to the question A statement of the country’s position on the issue

Any more questions? Go to HAMUN’s website: Or E-mail me: http://www.houstonareamun.org/ Click “Committees and Research” Then click “Position Papers” Click on your committee for a background guide Or E-mail me: Kcantu@magnoliaisd.org Remind 101: Text @556675 to 81010