Frequently Asked Questions for Delegates

Position Papers and Preparation 
What is the best way to prepare for the conference?
How should I write my position paper?
How are position papers submitted?
What is the difference between a White Paper and a Black Paper?
What is CIMUN Live?

At the Conference
How do committees interact at CIMUN?
Which committees have a "crisis"?
How important is passing and writing resolutions?
What does "open agenda" mean?
What is the role of a Head Delegate?
How are awards determined?
Are pre-written resolutions allowed?
How is the press involved?

Cabinet Committees
Am I representing the actual person in my position?
How do cabinets pass resolutions?
Am I limited to only discussing my portfolio?
What is the role of Ambassadors within the cabinet?

Position Papers and Preparation

What is the best way to prepare for the conference?
The best advice that we can give delegate is to know how to "think" like your country. While knowing the facts about your committee's topics is important, pre-conference research should focus on developing a thorough understanding of your country's foreign policy. Each country at the conference has a different set of interests, both public and private, that motives their foreign policy decisions. The most successful delegates at CIMUN are able to extrapolate upon these interests to develop policy in real time as the simulation develops.

How should I write my position paper?
A detailed guide to writing position papers can be found here. Papers should be written from the point-of-view of your national government, and should focus on policy analysis, not simply the facts of the matter.

How are position papers submitted?
Position papers will be submitted through the CIMUN Live portal. CIMUN Live will allow delegates to browse White Papers, as well as interact with their fellow committee members in the delegate forums. As the conference approaches, delegates will be given more information on how to login to the portal. More info on CIMUN Live can be found here.

What is the difference between a White Paper and a Black Paper?
A White Paper is a public statement of policy released by your government, while a Black Paper is a confidential, internal document that discusses your strategic interests for the topic (which may often differ from what you discuss openly). The White Paper can be compared to a press released by your government, while the Black Paper should be viewed as a confidential policy memo for your diplomatic corps. For example, a country that is a major arms exporter may publicly state a desire to keep weapons away from conflict zones in their White Paper, but privately resolve to fight international arms controls to protect their business interests in their Black Paper.

What is CIMUN Live?
CIMUN Live is a web portal to keep delegates connected to important events both before and during the conference. The portal features forums for delegates to begin discussing committee strategies, as well as pertinent updates and briefings as the conference approaches. CIMUN Live should also be used to submit position papers, and offers delegates the opportunity to view other White Papers for their committee. Login information for CIMUN Live will be provided a few weeks before the conference.

At the Conference

How do committees interact at CIMUN?
Committees at CIMUN are divided into either our Present Day (2011) or Historical (1989) Simulation. Within each Simulation, all committees operate in the same "reality" and run on the same timeframe, meaning events in one committee can and will affect other committees. This means that delegates not only have to be aware of what is happening in their own committee, but they should also be working with the rest of their national delegation to make sure policy is consistent across all committees. The Head Delegate for each country is allowed to enter and address all committees in which their country is a member.

Which committees have a "crisis"?
All committees at CIMUN, even the General Assemblies, are fully integrated with the other committees in their Simulation, meaning "crisis" events in one committee will affect the reality in the others. As a result, committees often end up discussing issues that are outside of the originally defined topics, which is why it is so important that delegates fully understand their country's foreign policy, instead of simply memorizing facts.

How important is passing and writing resolutions?
CIMUN encourages delegates to accurately portray their country's foreign policy rather than simply focusing on writing and passing resolutions. Delegates should only write and support resolutions when doing so serves their national interest. For example, we do not expect North Korea to pass a resolution on nuclear weapons testing, as that would be impossible without many Member States being out of character. By the same token, we do not expect strong rhetoric from Sweden, but rather a level of persuasiveness and conflict resolution. Delegates will find that working on artificial "compromise" resolutions, when doing so is unrealistic, will hurt their awards standing more than it will help. Some of our best committees have gone days without passing resolutions (especially when a veto is involved).

What does "open agenda" mean?
Open agenda means that a committee may discuss any topic that it considers pertinent, even if it is not on the original agenda. Delegates may recommend issues of national importance to be discussed by the committee, but are not required to write position papers for the open agenda topic.

What is the role of the Head Delegate?
The Head Delegate is in charge of coordinating their delegation's policy across all committees in their Simulation (Present Day or Historical). Head Delegates are allowed to enter and address all bodies in which their country is a member, and are authorized to act with the full authority of the country's Head of State (except when their national cabinet is represented at the conference) in certain situations, giving them the power to issues national press releases, or even order military operations.

How are awards determined?
CIMUN stresses realistic portrayal, political skill, and delegate presentation when considering awards, rather than solely resolution writing and passage. Awards at CIMUN are determined by five criteria, each weighed equally: accuracy of policy, rhetorical skill, substantive development, procedural manipulation, and cross simulation articulation. More information on awards can be found here.

Are pre-written resolutions allowed?
No. CIMUN policy prohibits writing resolutions before the conference (not that it would be helpful anyway, as CIMUN committees are dynamic, and situation often change quickly).

How is the press involved?
The press is a very important component of the CIMUN Simulation. Members of the International Press Delegation will represent an array of global publications, each with their own bias and slant. Skillful delegates will use the press to further their political agenda.

Cabinet Committees

Am I representing the actual person in my position?
Not necessarily. Delegates should take cues from their Minister's political leanings and tendencies, but are free to think independently when crafting policy.

How do Cabinets pass resolutions?
Cabinets will not write and pass traditional resolutions. Rather, they will pass Executive Decisions, which are directives to their military and ministries. Executive Decisions require the approval of the country's Head of State (a CIMUN staff member), and are not always subject to a strict majority vote.

Am I limited to only discussing my portfolio?
No. National cabinets are built upon the principle of collective responsibility, meaning every minister in the room is expected to fully support the final decision of the cabinet, even if they do not vote in favor. Therefore, ministers are entitled to voice opinions on all matters brought to the body's attention. For example, while the Defense Minister may be the most central to the discussion of military tactics, the Finance Minister in encouraged to be active in the discussion as well if they hold a strong opinion. 

What is the role of Ambassadors within the cabinet?
The Ambassadors serve as the cabinet's primary diplomatic contact with the other cabinets represented at the conference. As a result, they will often be asked to make diplomatic overtures and attend meetings. Similarly, the UN Ambassador is in charge of coordinating the cabinet's policy in the UN committees represented at the conference.