Guide to research for MUN

Doing research for Model United Nations is a key to success. You can find a lot of information on the internet and libraries but most of them are useless. Most of the times what is more interesting to read might have a little value for your topic. This guide will teach you exactly how to prepare for MUN where to focus to save time and make the most out of your research.

1- Read Background Guide

Read your background guide no matter how long it is. This is the most important research you can do easily; everyone in the committee will read it and most likely will refer to it multiple times throughout the conference. While reading, underline the problems, and start brainstorming solutions. You must pay close attention to case studies, bold terms, and those parts that mention your country.

Once you have finished reading, you should answer important questions such as what do the problems apply to? Is there any nation responsible for the issues? And so on.

2- Learn About Your Country

Once you have an idea of the problems the committee will be addressing, you must understand how they apply to your country. Use the CIA World Fact book and Wikipedia to know the basics of your country (usually the main Wiki will be enough, but there are also some other pages about a nation’s economy and foreign relations). Read everything about your country. What is the average GDP per capita, what is its economy dependent on? Major imports/exports, is there any world conflicts? Major allies? Enemies? Everything.

Along with answering these questions, you must also check major news sources to know about any current events of your nation, region, or committee, and know how these relate to the topics in your background guide. Make a note of all these important characteristics, and then brainstorm the solutions for Model United Nations. Here, you must be thinking of specific solutions that can benefit your nation, its allies, and the also the world.

3- Organize Your Solutions

Once you know the problems your committee addresses and how they apply to your nation, you must start writing full solutions to the problems. You must also add pros and cons of your ideas. Is it addressing all nations, or just like yours.

Is it moral, expensive? Think of the funding? How they affect the poor? Will most nations agree to it?  Do they fall under the jurisdiction? Are they long term or short term solutions, or both? What is the overall, economic, political, and social repercussion of the solutions?

4- Strengthen Your Solutions

If there is some more time left then you must refine your solutions. Look up the statistics, redundancies, and specific UN resolutions. Is your solution already there?

If it is, then how can you improve on the existing solutions? Check the statistics that back up the urgency of the problems. Does the similar solutions worked in the past? How past attempts at solving the problems failed?  Is there any specific UN program you can work with? Is it relevant UN resolution that you can reference? Is there any NGO that tackle the same problems? And are they successful?

You must ask all such similar questions to yourself until there are no time for how to prepare for MUN. But remember: if you can back up your solutions and can prove that it will be successful, regardless of your lack of preparation, you will seem like the best-researched delegate in the room.