RULES
After the initial roll-call, the first order of business at any Model UN Conference is setting the agenda. The agenda is the order in which the Assembly will consider the topics placed before it. Delegates may begin making motions proposing an agenda, and the Chairman will call for volunteers to speak for and against the proposed order of business. The proposed agenda will then be put to an immediate vote. When a specific agenda is passed, substantive debate on the chosen issue will begin. Every parliamentary body has a set of rules that govern the procedures used to conduct business, and effective participation in the conference requires a familiarity with these rules. Some of the more common rules and motions which govern Model United Nations Conferences are given below. Normally, debate will begin in a very general way, with delegates making policy statements and suggesting broad solutions. After the main issues have been outlined and individual country positions established, there will be a motion for a caucus.  A caucus is an informal meeting within the Assembly for the purpose of negotiation, persuasion, and compromise. Nations with common interests—usually referred to as a “bloc”....often meet during caucuses in order to write proposals, agree on diplomatic strategies, and exert their influence on undecided or uncommitted nations.  

RESEARCH
Researching your country in the library or over the internet is important so that you understand your county’s interests and concerns. This will allow you to represent your assigned nation intelligently, and to act “in character” even when specific information about a topic may not be available. However, researching your assigned country properly also involves some writing. A delegate would not be fully prepared for a conference without a solid position paper. The purpose of the position paper is to give you an opportunity to assemble your research into an organized policy statement. A position paper should be concise, accurate, well written, and clear. Each paper should be edited carefully; give the paper to a group of your peers to have it reviewed for content, grammar, and spelling before you take it with you to the conference. A good position paper will also provide same suggestions for resolving the problem at hand. This will give you an advantage when it comes to proposing Resolutions in the General Assembly.  

ROLE-PLAYING
The largest part of a Model United Nations conference is accurately playing the role called for by your country assignment, and the delegate who knows this will do well. You must always remember that you are not just an individual, but the acting representative of a sovereign nation. This means that there will be times when you will have to put your individual beliefs and values aside in order to argue for the fundamental national interests of the country you are representing. You should be able to set national priorities on the issues at hand, and be able to distinguish between a policy which can be negotiated for the sake of a greater good, and a position which absolutely cannot be compromised. Delegates must therefore be familiar the geography, history, culture, politics, and alliances of the country they are representing, as well as that country’s general positions on the topics to be discussed.  

POSITION PAPER AND RESOLUTION
Go to the accompanying links: position paper, resolution.