Cambridge University Model United Nations Society

Research

Introduction

Successful participation in a Model United Nations conference depends on the extent of preparation and research delegates conduct prior to the conference itself.

The flow of debate is contingent on the input of expert knowledge and the exchange of views on complicated topics. Each delegate represents the views of one member state and as such, reflects a fraction of an international system that is built on the interaction of proactive member states. In order to make this exchange of ideas a meaningful experience for all participants and guarantee a high level of substantial debate, each delegate must be familiar both with his or her country, the committee and the all topics on the agenda. Delegates should organise their research into three broad areas– the country, the agenda topics and the committee. Emphasis should be given to the first two areas.

Country Research

Delegates should spend some time gathering general information on their assigned country:

• Location, territory, neighbours, political environment, format of government, economic situation, social composition, recent history
• Membership of various organizations. These organizations might have a common policy on one of the issues on the committee agenda. The other countries of certain (perhaps regional) organizations may also be potential allies for resolutions.
• Which treaties/agreements etc. is the country in question a signatory of? Have these been ratified (i.e. has the national legislature been harmonised in accordance with the treaty)?
• Natural resources, main trade partners, economic interests
• Recent conflicts or unresolved border disputes

Sources to use

1. The CIA World Factbook - A good first overview, bare facts in condensed form
2. The World Bank Country database - Excellent economic data (some basic knowledge of economic measurements is required)
3. Nationmaster/Nation by nation - Comparative databases
   http://www.nationmaster.com (good map/graphic functions)
   http://nationbynation.com
4. US Library of Congress - An in-depth collection of links and data sets, searchable by country. Focuses on a wide range of topics connected to each country. In some cases however these may be quite out of date.
   1. Home: http://www.loc.gov
   2. Portals to the world (a list of useful links)
   3. Country Studies
5. Country Specific Sites - Delegates should consult country specific sites of their respective governments, the embassies or cultural organizations that represent the views of the assigned country.

Topic Research

The second part of the research should be aimed at developing an in-depth understanding of all topic areas under discussion in the committee. As such delegates must familiarise themselves with the topic guides provided for each committee. The detailed information given in the guides will be treated as given during the conference. Delegates might find it useful to create a short fact sheet for each agenda topic, to summarise the most important aspect they come across in their research. The following list of aspects should help you to plan and guide the topic research:

• History of the topic/conflict
• The main actors involved – creating a list of countries with a particular interest in the topic facilitates the process of categorising all member states into potential allies and potential opposition countries
• Recent developments
• Existing treaties that affect the topic area
• The root problems that lie beyond the immediately observable facts
• Possible solutions

Sources to use

1. undemocracy.com - Undemocracy is a search engine for the UN: it indexes UN resolutions and provides ready access to countries' voting records, positions, discussions and resolutions.
2. The United Nations - Unfortunately, undemocracy hasn't got round to indexing every single document yet. If you can't find what you're looking for there, you must head to the United Nations' own site. The UN's filing system could charitably be described as arcane, but is well worth mastering.
   • The UN has its own way of writing years (it calls them General Assembly sessions): to the UN, 2007 is session 62 (1945 was session 1)
   • Each resolution has (or should have) a unique identifier, like GA/RES/58. You can use this to get the voting records of different countries
   • You can also find:
     • Minutes of Committee meetings, including statements and speeches given by representatives of various countries (very interesting – what they are saying is country policy)
     • Detailed information about the work of different committees and affiliated organizations
     • News-briefings
3. Alphabetic Index of Websites of the United Nations System of Organizations - Links to all the UN Subdivisions and Organizations
4. Permanent Missions to the UN
   
   Most of these missions have websites that give good country introductions and explain the work that the country is pursuing within the UN. Depending on how elaborate the website is, one may be able to find vital pieces of country policy. For example, there are several missions that have archived the speeches of their ambassadors or heads of state at the UN, an excellent source of country policy.
5. UN Treaty Database - UN Treaties and Constitutions
6. Online News Services
   First among these is the BBC, which often has good special features on issues relevant to MUN delegates. Archives of past articles provide a beneficial overview of current events, and events in the more recent history of the country. The Economist, Financial Times, and Foreign Policy magazine websites are also extremely helpful. The Guardian features brief summaries of historic events, organised in a bullet point lay-out.
   • http://www.bbc.co.uk
   • http://www.economist.co.uk
   • http://www.ft.com
   • http://www.foreignpolicy.com
   • http://www.guardian.co.uk
7. Non-Governmental Organizations
   Many NGOs provide a good research database for topics that fall under their area of involvement. Delegates should evaluate carefully the contents of such information to distinguish between fact and political agenda.
8. International Institutes and Think-tanks
   These publish a wide range of detailed studies on MUN-related topics. Bringing together a wide range of research, these sources can be difficult to navigate, but are immensely helpful if relevant to the committee topics.
   • International Institute for sustainable development
   • International Relations and Security Network
   • Foreign Policy in Focus (a think-tank)
   • Centre for Strategic and International Studies
9. Government websites
   Delegates should consult the websites of the foreign ministry, but also of the ministry of defence, ministry of the interior etc., depending on the topic of research. Some governments publish astonishing amounts of material on substantial issues and country positions.

Committee

Delegates should familiarise themselves with the function of their committee. Special emphasis should be given to the role the particular committee serves within the wider United Nations System and its relation to other UN-bodies - and the UN website is usually best for this

The above guide has been adapted from OxIMUN - www.oxfordmun.org.uk