General Research Guide RYMUN 2012

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RYMUN 2012

GENERAL RESEARCH GUIDE

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General Research Guide: Introduction

The 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 organize their research into three broad areas- the country, the agenda topics and the

committee. Emphasis should be given to the first two areas.

1) Country Research:

A. Delegates should spend some time gathering general information on their assigned country. RYMUN

strongly recommends creating a brief fact sheet of your assigned country that may serve as a reference

resource during the debate. The following aspects may assist you in planning and guiding your country

specific research.

i. Location, territory, neighbours, political environment, format of government, economic situation,

social composition, recent history

ii. 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.

iii. Which treaties/agreements etc. is the country in question a signatory of? Have these been ratified

(i.e. has the national legislature been harmonized in accordance with the treaty)?

iv. Natural resources, main trade partners, economic interests

v. Recent conflicts or unresolved border disputes.

B. Sources to use:

i. The CIA World Factbook - A good first overview, bare facts in condensed form:

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook.

ii. The World Bank Country database- Excellent economic data (some basic knowledge of economic

measurements is required): http://www.worldbank.org/countries

iii. Nationmaster/Nation by nation - Comparative database: http://www.nationmaster.com (good

map/graphic functions) or http://nationbynation.com


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iv. 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 these may be quite out of date,

however:

o Home: http://www.loc.gov

o Portals to the world (a list of useful links): http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html

o Country Studies: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html

v. 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.

2) Topic Research:

A. 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 familiarize 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 summarize 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:

i. History of the topic/conflict

ii. The main actors involved - creating a list of countries with a particular interest in the topic facilitates

the process of categorizing all member states into potential allies and potential opposition countries.

iii. Recent developments

iv. Existing treaties that affect the topic area

v. The root problems that lie beyond the immediately observable facts

vi. Possible solutions

B. Sources to use: United Nations homepage: http://www.un.org

The UN website is one of the best MUN resources. However, it may take some effort and stamina to

become familiar with it; the archives are very complex and it takes some time to become familiar with

the UNs system of numbering and filing resolutions. Also, the sheer amount of available resources can

be daunting. Thus, when using the UNs online resources, delegates should remember to:

i. Take sufficient time to become familiar with the structure, the search functions etc. These will come in

handy time and time again, and once the basics have been conquered, the UNs resources are within

easy reach.


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ii. Be aware that the UN resolutions are filed according to committee, and that instead of dates, they are

usually labeled with the GA session (the UNs founding year, 1945 was session 1, so 2004 is session 59,

and so on).

iii. Keep an eye on the date (or session) of the document. A countrys policy may have shifted or

changed on an issue between 1997 and today, especially if the government has been replaced sincethen. Make a note of a relevant resolutions labeling (i.e. GA/RES/58/) to then retrieve the voting

record from the appropriate archive.

iv. Starting from the homepage, the following can be found: Past resolutions, voting records for these

resolutions (which country voted for/ against/ abstained), 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, and news-briefings.

C. Sources to Use: Alphabetic Index of Websites of the United Nations System of Organizations - Links to

all the UN Subdivisions and Organizations: http://www.unsystem.org

D. Sources to Use: 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: http://www.un.org/Overview/missions.htm

E. Sources to Use: UN Treaty Database - Treaties, Agreements and Conventions: http://treaties.un.org

F. Sources to Use: 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, organized 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

G. Sources to Use: Non-Governmental Organizations


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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.

H. Sources to Use: 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 difficultto navigate, but are immensely helpful if relevant to the committee topics.

International Institute for sustainable development - http://www.iisd.org/ International Relations and

Security Network - http://www.isn.ethz.ch/

Foreign Policy in Focus (a think-tank) - http://www.fpif.org/

Centre for Strategic and International Studies www.csis.org/html/mission1.html

I. Sources to Use: 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.

3) Committee

A. Delegates should familiarize 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.

B. Sources to use: United Nations homepage - The UN website provides ample amount of information

on the structures and the functioning of the UN systems. Many sub committees and affiliated

organizations have their own websites, which are instrumental in researching your country position.

United Nations Homepage: http://www.un.org

General Research Guide RYMUN 2012

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