HOW TO WRITE A POLICY STATEMENT by THIMUN

I – 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 in your committee.

II – 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.

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?
You can carry out most of your research online, but it might also be an excellent idea to contact the embassy of the country you are representing in order to ask politely if they are willing to comment on the accuracy of your policy statement.

III – 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.

Millennium Development Goals

Updated from the Millennium Development Goals Report 2009

Goal 1 – Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
· Target – Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day
· Target – Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people
· Target – Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

Goal 2 – Achieve universal primary education
· Target – Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling

Goal 3 – Promote gender equality and empower women
· Target – Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015

Goal 4 – Reduce child mortality
· Target – Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate

Goal 5 – Improve maternal health
· Target – Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio
· Target – Achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health

Goal 6 – Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other disease
· Target – Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS
· Target – Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it
· Target – Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases

Goal 7 – Ensure environmental sustainability
· Target – Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources
· Target – Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss
· Target – Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation
· Target – By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers

Goal 8 – Develop a global partnership for development
· Target – Address the special needs of the least developed countries, landlocked countries and small island developing states
· Target – Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system
· Target – Deal comprehensively with developing countries’ debt
· Target – In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications

Researching by Tracy Han - revised by Samantha Conrad

Researching tips
· Be familiar with all sides of the story; know the different viewpoints so that you can anticipate your opponents’ arguments and defend yourself well
· Find out what actions have been taken by your country and the United Nations to solve the problem, and what further action can be taken
· Get your information from as many United Nations fact sheets, documents, previous resolutions, and speeches as possible; always be sure to get information from credible and appropriate sources
· Committee websites are excellent sources for getting concise, straightforward background information
· As you read, write down questions and things that confuse you; this will point you toward areas to research further
· Quote your research while making speeches and caucusing. Be sure to identify the source
Researching your country policy tips
· Knowing your country’s viewpoints allows to you represent your country well; policy research is invaluable, and it will earn you awards
· Before you do specific research, read a lot of articles about your country to get a good “feel” for your country and its general attitudes; fill out a Basic Country Report, and do enough research to fill it out completely; knowing general policy allows you to figure out small policy issues quickly and accurately during the conference
· After you have review basic information on your country, narrow down to researching the country’s policy on your agenda topics
· News articles and press releases are direct, unbiased, and informative about a country’s viewpoint and they give a very good snapshot of policy
· For more detailed information that you can quote, look for speeches from ambassadors, foreign ministers, the president or prime minister, or other government officials
· Look for chairman’s reports from United Nations conferences, actual United Nations voting records, past resolution sponsored by your country are also good sources
· Country embassy websites have reliable policy information, but beware that they may only show the positive parts of your policy
· Know the policies of major opponents and anticipate their arguments
· Know your gross national product and gross domestic product
Finding funding sources for resolutions
· Try avoiding using the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund as funding sources; avoid asking everyone to donate a percentage of his or her gross national product (i.e. 0.000003%)
· Look for United Nations organizations, special funds, or non-governmental organization that may be interested in your cause
· Remember you do not need permission or willingness of the organizations to use them as a funding source; you just need to be able to convince other delegates that this is a suitable source for funding

Websites for JMUN Research

United Nations:
http://www.un.org/en/
Security Council:
http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/
1st Committee:
http://www.un.org/ga/first/index.shtml
3rd Committee:
http://www.un.org/ga/third/index.shtml
6th Committee:
http://www.un.org/ga/sixth/
United Nations Environmental Program:
http://www.unep.org/
World Health Organization:
http://www.who.int/en/
United Nations Documents:
http://www.google.com/cse/home?cx=006289067067272019926%3Afe6cikx19js
International News:
http://www.worldpress.org/
Embassy Network:
http://www.embassy.org/
Embassy Database:
http://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/directory.htm
Statistics and Country Comparisons:
http://www.nationmaster.com/index.php
CIA World Factbook:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
Permanent Mission to the United Nations:
http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/portal
Article Database:
http://findarticles.com/
NATO Homepage:
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/index.htm
ReliefWeb (information on the humanitarian relief community):
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/dbc.nsf/doc100?OpenForm
NGO Database:
http://library.duke.edu/research/subject/guides/ngo_guide/ngo_links/index.html
Millenium Development Goals:
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/index.shtml
UNDP - Poverty:
http://www.undp.org/poverty/
Information on the Empowerment of Women and Gender Inequality:
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/
United Nations Cyberschoolbus Briefing Papers for Students:
http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/briefing/index.asp
United Nations Organizations Locator:
http://www.unsystem.org/
United Nations - Global Issues:
http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/
United Nations Associate of the United States of America - Resource Links:
http://www.unausa.org/links
UNA-USA - Resource Links - United Nations and Related Bodies
http://www.unausa.org/Page.aspx?pid=596#General_UN_Resources
UNA-USA - Resource Links - International Organizations and NGO's
http://www.unausa.org/Page.aspx?pid=597
UNA-USA - Resource Links - United States Government Information
http://www.unausa.org/Page.aspx?pid=601
UNA-USA - Resource Links - Issues and Non-Govermental Organizations
http://www.unausa.org/Page.aspx?pid=602
UNA-USA - Resource Links - Country Information
http://www.unausa.org/Page.aspx?pid=598
Global Policy Forum:
http://www.globalpolicy.org/
News Outlets/Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/
http://www.economist.com/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
http://www.reuters.com/
United States Department Country Reports:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/
United Nations Bibliographic Information System (voting records and speech records):
http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/unbisnet/index.html
Embassy and Consulate Directory:
http://embassyworld.com/
Nations Online (policy site engine):
http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/
Kofi Annan's Astonishing Facts:
http://web.mit.edu/d-lab/Readings/Kofi-facts.pdf
United Nations Charter:
http://www.un.org/en/documents/charter/index.shtml
Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/