Like a debate, a position paper presents one side of an arguable opinion about an issue. The goal of a position paper is to convince the audience that your opinion is valid and defensible. Ideas that you are considering need to be carefully examined in choosing a topic, developing your argument, and organizing your paper. It is very important to ensure that you are addressing all sides of the issue and presenting it in a manner that is easy for your audience to understand. Your job is to take one side of the argument and persuade your audience that you have well-founded knowledge of the topic being presented. It is important to support your argument with evidence to ensure the validity of your claims, as well as to refute the counterclaims to show that you are well informed about both sides.
Position Paper Writing Guidelines
Each committee topic should be addressed in a succinct policy statement representing the relevant views of your assigned country, non-governmental organization (NGO), or expert role. You should identify and address international and regional conventions, treaties, declarations, resolutions, and programs of action that are relevant to the policy of your country or NGO. You should also include recommendations for act ion to be taken by your committee. A delegate’s role as a Member State, Observer State, or NGO should affect the way a position paper is written. To understand these differences, please refer to the Delegate
Preparation Guide .
A position paper should be submitted for each assigned committee.
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 The two page position paper should cover all the topics in the Background
Guide, not a separate paper for each topic.
Do not submit papers for committees not assigned to your country/NGO.
No more than two delegates can represent a single country/NGO in a committee. If you assign two delegates to represent a country/NGO on a committee, they submit one position paper jointly, not separate position papers from each individual.
 NMUN position papers are not cited as is required for an academic paper.
They are written as if they are a policy statement coming from the foreign ministry. While they may reference UN data or past UN Resolutions, like in our samples, formal citations are not used.
Please note that position papers must be comprised of entirely original writing.
The NMUN Conference will not tolerate plagiarism, including copying from
Committee Background Guides. Violation of this policy may result in dismissal from the conference. Although United Nations documentation is considered within the public domain, the conference does not allow the verbatim re-creation of these documents.

Position Paper Formats
Follow the layout in our Sample Position Paper using the standards below:
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Length must not exceed two pages.
 Margins must be set at 1 inch or 2.54 cm. for the whole paper.
 Font must be Times New Roman sized between 10 pt. and 12 pt.
Country/NGO name, school name, and committee name must be clearly
 labeled on the first page.
 Agenda topics must be clearly labeled in separate sections.
National symbols (headers, flags, etc.) are deemed inappropriate for
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NMUN position papers.
Convert your document to PDF format.
How to Submit Your Position Papers
 One person, preferably the faculty advisor or head delegate, should
 submit all papers from your delegation.
 Complete a separate form for each country/assignment.
Use the committee name, your assignment, and Conference A or B in the
 filename (example: GA1_Cuba_A).
Submit all papers as PDF documents.
Paragraph One – Issue and Position
Utilize this paragraph to clearly outline the main problems associated with your topic. The point of the paragraph is to provide a basic foundation as to the current situation associated with your topic. After generally describing the issue, give your country’s policy regarding the issue, and state specially why your country supports that policy. Policy statements can often be as short as stating your country supports a certain action followed by a detailed qualification regarding this policy decision. This section of your position paper should not exceed five to six sentences.
Paragraph Two
– Detailed Background Information
This paragraph is an opportunity for you to show the depth of your knowledge about the past and current situations regard your topic. Be sure to discuss:
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Historical origin of the problem, particularly why the problem arose
How does the issue relate to the international community and why is it of international concern
Previous actions taken to try and solve the problem (if any)
Successes and failures of past actions and why they succeeded or failed
Problems that continue to exist or ones that have not yet been addressed

Devoting two to three sentences per item on this list should allow you to have sufficiently discussed the topic and to set the foundations for the final paragraph of your position paper.
Paragraph Three
– Proposed Solutions Regarding the Issue
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This paragraph is the one that will set your paper apart from the others. After identifying the problems in paragraph two, utilize this paragraph to list your solutions to all the problems you enumerated above. The quality of your solutions could be a great determinant in the overall evaluation of your position paper. Be sure to discuss:
Specific proposals regarding how to solve specific issues
How each individual proposal will be implemented, including the feasibility
Global impact of solving the problem or implementing these solutions
Mechanically, your position paper should follow the guidelines set forth by the conference, such as margin width and font size. I would recommend a few guidelines though to make your paper look and read professionally. First, limit your position paper to one page, and do not write about both topics in the same position paper. Write one position paper for each topic, and print each position paper on its own, separate piece of paper. Second, place a heading at the top of your paper including your country, issue, and committee. Feel free to place a picture of your country’s flag in the header if you so desire.
SAMPLE POSITION PAPER
( http://www.unausa.org/munpreparation/positionpapers/sample )
In the past two decades the rapidly growing world trend has been toward globalization. With the emergence of the internet as a means of communication and the increasing accessibility of international trade physical barriers are not the only barriers withering away. Protective tariffs are plummeting and free trade agreements are becoming more prevalent. Romania appreciates that globalization creates favorable situations for expansion of commercial as well as economic assets. In the past year Romania has seen a foreign direct investment
(FDI) increase of 199%. Inward FDI increased from EURO 234 million in 2005 to
EURO 699 million in 2006. However, Romania realizes that increased globalization does not automatically produce more equality.
Globalization and Development can contribute to the advancement of the overall international human condition; however, the delegation of Romania recognizes that without proper regulation the potential for advancement will remain limited to an elite few individuals, businesses, and nations. Unless checked and aimed toward the common good, globalization cannot effectively serve the global community. Crucial in dealing with the complexities of globalization, good

governance must act with solidarity and responsibility. Romania believes that in involving people in globalization we must promote moral values, democratic principals, inclusive global political culture, institutions that safeguard both individual civil rights and inherent freedoms, and the common good. In addition, coping with the influx of information from globalization governments must act with solidarity and insight. Access to digital education will undoubtedly result in the confidence of citizens in their respective administrations and allow for a greater degree of transparency, and therefore a lesser degree of corruption.
Romania believes the multinational business community has the ability and the obligation to support pertinent values in human rights, labor standards, and environmental preservation. As stated by the president, Mr. Traion Basescu,
Romania feels a "heartfelt attachment to multilateralism, as an effective instrument designed to identify the adequate answers to the challenges brought by globalization."
Romania is party to the majority of multilateral treaties and conventions identified as such by the Secretary General in the context of the Millennium Summit in
2001. Romania has always supported innovative and effective ways of establishing cooperation within and between regional organizations. As one of the newest members of the European Union, Romania is an active member of the World Trade Organization, and looks forward to offering its support to the redirection of globalization to best benefit the global community.
Bibliography:
Position Papers, http://www.nmun.org/ny_position_papers.html
Model UN, Position Paper Outline http://www.apsva.us/Page/12903
Writing a position paper, http://www.sfu.ca/cmns/130d1/WritingaPositionPaper.htm