A. What Is A Policy Statement?
•In preparation of an MUN conference, you should write a policy statement. This is a document that briefly and clearly explains the policies of your country/organization with respect to the issues dealt with at the conference. There are two important reasons for drawing up this document:
•On the one hand, it forces you to focus on the exact points of view of your country/organization.
•On the other hand, it serves as a reference document to your delegation members and committee members during the conference. Thus, policy statements may provide an excellent tool in the lobbying process; they may also serve as the basis for your opening speech.
B. What Does A Policy Statement Consist of?
•In order to produce a useful policy statement, you ought to carry out thorough research. You should also bear in mind that a policy statement consists of five parts in which you:
1. Explain and define the issue and its most important terms;
2. Provide a short summary of recent international action related to the issue;
3. Refer to key documents that relate to the issue;
4. State the country’s general position on the issue;
5. Make suggestions of your own that are in line with your country’s policies to provide a solution to the issue.
Make sure your policy statement does not exceed 300 words per issue on the agenda.
•To sum up, the policy statement sets out to answer three basic questions:
1. What is the background to your country’s point of view on the issue?
2. What is your country’s current position on the issue?
3. What does it hope to achieve in relation to the issue?
Additionally, you might add strength to your position by answering the following question:
4. What have other member states that share my country’s view done in this area?
C. What To Remember About A Policy Statement?
•In a sense, the brevity and clarity of your policy statement shows how well you have prepared for the conference. Make sure that you read out your policy statement to your fellow-delegates at several stages of your research. You will be surprised to find how many things that are clear to you as an expert on an issue are hard to understand for those who have not carried out your research. Your fellow-delegates’ questions and comments will lead to a clearer document that will be an excellent starting-point for your lobbying, resolutions and opening speech.
A SAMPLE POLICY STATEMENT:
DELEGATION: Brazil
COMMITTEE NAME: DISEC
QUESTION OF: Measures to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction.
Brazil fervently supports measures to support the Weapons of Mass Destruction Branch of theUN Office for Disarmament Affairs in its attempts to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction (WMD), as it firmly believes such efforts are necessary to combat the global threat of terrorism. Brazil endorses the Outcome Document of the 2005 World Summit, adopted 13 September 2005, which condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and strives to set up an international system that strictly monitors the transfer of materials that may be used to produce WMD. Brazil, one of the driving forces behind the 1967 Treaty of Tlatelolco, which turned Latin America into the world’s first nuclear-free zone, applauds the recent efforts made by the Members of the UN to free the world of any type of WMD. We feel especially responsible as our nation commands huge uranium resources. We view with satisfaction the recent efforts of Member States to prevent the use of WMD by terrorists. However, Brazil expresses its deepest regret that, in spite of recent efforts to combat the acquisition of WMD by terrorist groups, some countries have refused to abide by the will of the international community. It is our deepest interest to ensure a world untroubled by the transfer of WMD and materials that can be used in the production of any such weapons.
