Delegate Resources

📝 How to Write a Position Paper – DUMUN Guide

A position paper is a short, structured document that explains your assigned position’s views and proposed solutions for the topic being discussed in your committee. It shows your research, critical thinking, and ideas for how to solve global problems.

Here’s how to write one — step by step:

🔹 1. Start with the Header

At the top of your paper, include the following information:

• Committee: (ex. SOCHUM, DISEC, Crisis Committee)
  
  

• Delegate Name: Your full name
  
  

• Position: Your assigned country or character
  
  

• School: Your school’s name
  
  

• Topic: The specific topic your committee is discussing
  
  

🔹 2. Write the First Paragraph – Introduce the Issue

This is the shortest part of your paper. You’ll give a quick overview of the issue from your position’s point of view.

Ask yourself:

• How has this issue affected my country/person in the past?
  
  

• Why is this issue important to us today?
  
  

🧠 Tip: Focus on your position’s history and why they care about this issue — not the general background.

🔹 3. Write the Second Paragraph – Analyze the Issue

This is the main section of your paper. Explain what your country or person thinks about the issue and what has worked (or failed) before.

Ask yourself:

• What are my country’s or character’s beliefs about this issue?
  
  

• What policies or actions have we supported before — and how did they turn out?
  
  

• What international efforts have worked or failed — and why?
  
  

🧠 Tip: Use specific examples, past resolutions, laws, or events that support your analysis.

🔹 4. Write the Third Paragraph – Propose Solutions

Now it’s time to share your ideas for fixing the problem. This is where your research and creativity come together!

Ask yourself:

• What are 2–3 smart, realistic solutions my country/person could support?
  
  

• How would each one work?
  
  

• What challenges might come up — and how could we handle them?
  
  

🧠 Tip: Your solutions don’t have to be perfect. But they should make sense for your role and be something you can debate in committee.

✅ Final Tips:

• Keep it 1 page if possible
  
  

• Be clear and specific
  
  

• Write in third person (avoid “I believe…” or “we want…” — use “the delegate believes…” instead)
  
  

• Bring a printed or digital copy to committee
  
  

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📝 DUMUN Position Paper Formatting Guidelines

Your voice. Your country. Your plan.

At DUMUN, a strong position paper sets the stage for strong committee performance. It’s where research meets diplomacy — and where delegates showcase their understanding, creativity, and solutions.

Follow this guide to write a thoughtful, well-researched, and impactful position paper for each assigned topic.

🔹 The Basics

• Minimum Length: 450 words per topic
  
  

• Maximum Length: 600 words per topic
  
  

• Spacing: 1.5 lines
  
  

• Font Options: Calibri (11), Cambria (11), or Times New Roman (11)
  
  

• Citations: Use APA or Chicago style (pick one and stick to it)
  
  

• Footnotes: Use Latin numbering (i, ii, iii...) at the bottom of the page
  
  
  💡 You can use a citation machine for formatting help!
  
  🔹 Writing Tips

• ✅ Use active voice – avoid passive verbs like “is,” “was,” and “has.”
  
  

• ✅ Quote your sources to strengthen credibility.
  
  

• ✅ Stay consistent with your country’s point of view.
  
  

• ✅ Make logical, fact-based arguments – skip the dramatic rhetoric.
  
  

• ✅ Don’t just summarize — develop your ideas in detail.
  
  

🔹 Structure (5 Paragraph Format)

1. Introduction (3–4 sentences)

• Briefly introduce the committee and topic.
  
  

• End with a clear thesis statement: What is your country’s stance?
  
  

2. History

• Provide your country’s historical background or involvement in the issue.
  
  

• Highlight relevant moments that shaped your current position.
  
  

3. Past Efforts

• Evaluate why past actions (UN resolutions, global partnerships, national policies) have succeeded or failed.
  
  

• Mention what has or hasn’t worked — and why.
  
  

4. Policy Goals and Tactics

• State the outcome your country wants to see.
  
  

• Describe what your resolution would focus on, and why.
  
  

• Share your strategy in committee: Will you seek certain allies? Build consensus?
  
  

5. Conclusion

• Reaffirm why the topic matters to your country.
  
  

• Restate your position and what you aim to achieve by the end of committee.
  
  

• 🔹 Final Reminders

• 📄 Bring a printed or digital copy to committee
  
  

• 🧠 Use your position paper to guide speeches, clauses, and diplomacy
  
  

• 💬 Reach out to your chair if you need feedback or clarification

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DUMUN POSITION PAPER SAMPLE

Committee: Crisis Committee – Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962
Delegate Name: Joe Sample DUMUN
Position: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
School: DUMUN Central High School
Topic: The Cuban Missile Crisis

Introduction

The Cuban Missile Crisis represents a flashpoint in Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. As the USSR, we view this moment not as a provocation, but as a strategic necessity. The presence of American missiles in Turkey and Italy has long threatened Soviet security. Our current response in Cuba is measured and justified. The Soviet Union seeks to ensure global nuclear parity, protect socialist allies, and resist unilateral Western aggression.

Historical Background

Since the early 1950s, the United States has systematically surrounded the USSR with hostile military alliances and missile installations, including Jupiter missiles in Turkey—a neighbor to our borders. The Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 demonstrated the West’s intent to destabilize sovereign socialist nations. In response, Cuba—now under the revolutionary leadership of Fidel Castro—requested our assistance. As the USSR, our decision to deploy missiles to Cuba was a direct response to decades of strategic encirclement and recent aggression in the Caribbean. The protection of Cuba is not only a matter of international solidarity but of geopolitical balance.

Evaluation of Past Actions

Past diplomatic efforts to curb the arms race, such as the United Nations Disarmament Commission, have lacked enforcement and sincerity, particularly from Western powers. The U.S. continues to expand its nuclear arsenal and military footprint. Their doctrine of “massive retaliation” leaves no room for negotiation or peace. Conversely, Soviet efforts, including proposals for denuclearization zones and strategic parity talks, have been dismissed. The escalation of the missile gap narrative by the U.S. media and government has created a dangerous arms dynamic that favors threats over diplomacy. The global community must acknowledge that security is not the privilege of one bloc—it is a shared right.

Proposed Solution and Strategy

The USSR aims to de-escalate the crisis while preserving Cuba’s sovereignty and our own national security. We propose a mutual withdrawal: Soviet missiles from Cuba in exchange for U.S. withdrawal of missiles from Turkey and a formal non-invasion pledge regarding Cuba. This solution creates a balanced compromise and avoids a catastrophic military confrontation. In committee, we will work closely with nations that support nuclear non-proliferation, Cold War neutrality, or socialist alliances. We are prepared to engage diplomatically, but will not yield to threats or unilateral ultimatums. Any resolution must acknowledge the legitimacy of Soviet security concerns.

Conclusion

The Cuban Missile Crisis is a test of whether the world can move beyond Cold War brinkmanship. For the USSR, this is not merely a matter of missiles, but of dignity, deterrence, and sovereignty. We will pursue peace—but not at the expense of national defense or international equity. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics remains committed to resolving this crisis through negotiation, not submission.

References (Chicago Style Footnotes)

i. Nikita Khrushchev, "Letter to President Kennedy," October 26, 1962, Wilson Center Digital Archive.
ii. John Lewis Gaddis, The Cold War: A New History (New York: Penguin Press, 2005), 107.
iii. Central Intelligence Agency, "The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962," CIA Historical Collections, October 1992.
iv. Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965), 494.

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GA Committee Resources:

How to Get Started with Model UN

Terms to Know in Committee

Crisis Committee Resources:

Everything You Need to Know about Crisis

Ultimate Crisis Guide

Research:

Model UN Academy

How to Write a Position Paper

A Formula for the Perfect Position Paper

Position Paper Formatting