Model
UN
JHUMUNC 2015 Position Paper Instructions
Mr. Marchand
The Seton Keough High School
2014 - 2015
POSITION PAPER GUIDELINES
interest of each delegate to conduct
research, not only so he or she can write good background guides, but
also so that he or she can be well informed during the conference.
Being knowledgeable allows delegates to construct successful arguments
during committee debate, which are strong because they are both
persuasive and accurate.
Unless otherwise
stated by your Chair, each position paper should be one-page
single-spaced,
and structured
in the following manner:
1. Background of the topic (remember,
do not simply summarize the background guide)
2. Your countryʼs position
3. Possible solutions (it is best to
include both short-term and long-term solutions to the
conflict)
Delegates must write a position paper
for each of the topics that will be debated in committee. Because most
JHUMUNC committees will have two topics, this means that delegates will
most likely have write two separate position papers before you attend
JHUMUNC 2013. Position papers must be submitted electronically by
uploading them to the website by January 19, 2015. Only Microsoft Word
(.doc) or Adobe PDF (.pdf) versions of position papers may be uploaded.
Please view the sample position paper below for some guidance. Feel
free to contact your Chair or your Undersecretary(ies)-General if you
have any questions. All position papers must have MLA-style citations
for the sources used.
SAMPLE POSITION
PAPER:
Below you will
find a sample position paper written by a previous JHUMUNC delegate.
Although it is quite dense and a bit longer than the necessary length,
it is an excellent position paper and clearly captures the essence of
each of the three sections contained within it. It also contains
correctly-formatted MLA-style parenthetical citations, which are
essential to a position paper. The citations have been bolded for
easier viewing purposes, but this is not necessary in an actual
position paper.
IMMIGRATION IN
THE EUROPEAN UNION DELEGATION: UNITED KINGDOM
A. Given the large geographical area
of the European Union (EU), immigration has always been
one of the topics most relevant to all
EU member states. While the EU has tried to serve as a
medium for economic cooperation –
thereby leading to migration to increased legal migration –
there has also, of course, been the
problem of illegal immigration between EU member states
and between EU members and non-EU
states. However, the modern realities of terrorism have
made illegal immigration even more of
a concern for EU member nations. To date, one of the
greatest advances in EU cooperation
regarding immigration has been the Hague Programme.
This policy covers a wide range of
issues that deal with immigration policy and it has also
served as the building block for many
regional agreements. Nonetheless, the European Union
has been unable to come up with a
straightforward and agreeable policy to tackle the problem of
illegal immigration. Perhaps most
serious of all, the EU has also not been able to reconcile
many differences among national
immigration policies with common EU-wide ones (Traynor,
pars. 2-8).
B. Under a Protocol to the Treaty
establishing the European Community, the United Kingdom
(UK) has the right to decide whether
or not it wishes to participate in measures concerning
immigration and asylum (the Republic
of Ireland is the only other member state in this position).
To date, British policy has been to
participate in measures concerning the Common European
Asylum Policy (e.g. directives on
refugee qualification, minimum reception standards,
procedures for determining asylum
claims, etc…) and measures to tackle illegal immigration
(Council of the European Union, “Final
steps towards a Common European Asylum
System”). The British government has
chosen not to participate in measures concerning legal
migration on grounds that these could
impact its ability to determine who can or cannot enter the
UK legally. Furthermore, the UK does
not participate in the "Schengen" arrangements that entail
a lifting of border controls among
certain member states. At the same time, the United Kingdom
also does not participate in the
Common Visa Policy (a.k.a. the EU visa waiver program),
preferring instead to determine its
own arrangements. In general, however, despite the United
Kingdomʼs reluctance to give up some
of its sovereignty to the EU administration, the British
government has been at the forefront
of immigration reform. In fact, during its 2005 presidency,
the United Kingdom chose to highlight
immigration as one of the topics that needed progress
(Rosenberg, pars. 1-5).
C. Simply put, the United Kingdom has
a threefold immigration proposal. First, the UK would like
to see the EU play a larger role in
managing migration internationally, which would mean
implementing action plans for
partnerships with key countries on EU borders to deal with
migration flows across the
Mediterranean and from the East. Moreover, this policy would also
include bringing forward the EUʼs role
in providing regional protection. The second part of the
British plan is devoted to
strengthening borders. The UK encourages all members to support the
efforts of the European Border Agency
(Frontex) to set up its risk analysis function and
structures for coordinating joint
operational activity (United Kingdom Border Agency, 2013).
Moreover, the UK would like to see all
members work on introducing biometrics into residence
permits and passports. Along the same
lines, the UK encourages working towards a solution for
biometrics in relation to visas and
cooperating on improving the security of national identity
cards. Moreover, the UK would advocate
that the EU work on innovative solutions to air borders
and work with the European Commission
(EC) to develop a joint strategy to combat human
trafficking and organized immigration
crime. The third part of the proposal revolves around
practical co-operation on managing
migration. The British government encourages the
exchange of information between member
states through EC proposals on a mutual information
network and common approaches to the
presentation of statistics. Similarly, the UK would like to
see more work done in the field of
asylum and the exchange (Rosenberg, pars. 6-10).
Works
Cited:
Council of the European Union. Final
Steps towards a Common European Asylum System. By
Council of the European Union.
Consilium Europa, 7 June 2013. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.
Rosenberg, Simon. "Immigration Reform Is Very Much Alive." The
Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 18 July 2013.
Web. 3 Dec. 2013.
Traynor, Ian, and Tom Kington.
"Http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/08/eu-immigrationpolicy-lampedusa-tragedy."
The Guardian. Guardian News and Media,
08 Oct. 2013. Web. 01
Dec. 2013.
United Kingdom. UK Border Agency. Staff Guidance, Instructions and
Country Information. By
United Kingdom. N.p., 10 Nov. 2013. Web. 3 Dec. 2013.
Last
Updated 1/13/2015