Position paper central

You should write:

One white paper per topic, roughly one page per white paper. This white paper will be publicly available to other members of your committee, and to other conference attendees.

One black paper in total, roughly one page in length. This black paper will be kept secret, and will only be read by CIMUN staff.

Your white papers should cover your country’s public position on the issue in question. This can include particular ways your country is related to the topic, solutions your country has attempted or would be willing to attempt, and concerns your country might have with the international community’s previous approach to the issue.

Your black paper should cover your country’s private, underlying motives, goals, and agenda. Your country may publicly support particular solutions, while privately hoping for gridlock and inaction. Your country may publicly claim to seek a solution, while actually benefiting from an issue being exacerbated. You might discuss how your country’s geopolitical relationships influence your stances, both public and private. Your black paper should demonstrate your understanding of the unspoken factors which its public policy and messaging may not reveal.

You should write:

One white paper per topic, roughly one page per white paper. This white paper will be distributed to the rest of your cabinet, but will not be available more broadly.

One black paper total, roughly one page in length. This black paper will be kept secret, and will only be read by CIMUN staff.

Your white papers should be written as a memo on the topic directed towards your Head of Government, and which will be circulated amongst the cabinet. Because your white papers will not circulate to the conference as a whole, you may speak openly about elements of national policy and decision making which may be omitted or even hidden by your country’s official policy and messaging. You might discuss how your cabinet should publicly present or message on a topic, but you are not expected to couch your positions in diplomatic language.

Your black paper should be written as a personal manifesto detailing aspects of your personal political perspective and ambition which would be hidden even from other cabinet members. This might include elements of your cabinet portfolio which are unsavory or clandestine, such as an intelligence program’s assets or capabilities. It might also include personal perspective and political motives, such as opposition to certain factions within the current government, or even opposition to your current Head of Government. There is no specific formula for what should or shouldn’t be included in a black paper, it is a venue to demonstrate your understanding of the specific position you are portraying and its powers, as well as the ambitions and motives of the individual person you are portraying.

You should write:

One judge’s brief per case on the pre-conference docket, approximately one page per judge’s brief. Your judge’s briefs will be available to other judges and other conference attendees.

In your judge’s brief, you are expected to demonstrate an understanding of international law that may be relevant to the cases you will hear. CIMUN staff will look for you to show:

• an understanding of relevant international treaties and legal principles. A superior brief will show an understanding of the international law that might provide a base for understanding and interpreting the case, particularly if any past ICJ cases create precedents for the court that a judge feels strongly about.

• A basic understanding of your nation’s legal system and how the prior career and legal training of the judge you represent will inform any decision you will be called to make. Keep in mind that representing the world’s different legal systems is part of the reason ICJ seats are allocated to different regions of the world.

• For any cases that are appeals of previous cases, a good understanding of the law forming the basis of those original decisions and the legal implications of those decisions.
  

You should not be entering the conference with a preconceived position on the cases you will be hearing, as the decisions the court will come to will be based on the evidence and testimony submitted during committee sessions. Instead, you should be entering with an understanding of legal precedents and treaties relevant to the cases, and in the situation of appeals, an understanding of the original case. Reading judgements and dissenting opinions from cases prior to 2003 may help you understand your particular judge’s position and interpretation. Most members of the court are significant legal figures in their home country, so understanding their experience will help you prepare for the conference.

One 300-350 word article in preparation for the conference.

• All articles should use the inverted pyramid format and follow the CIMUN Chronicle style guide (see further in the guide for more information on this!). 

  • Please include quotes from your classmates about the conference, perhaps about what they’re expecting or looking to accomplish going in. 

  • You can take any angle with this you want. Be creative and try to get as many sources on the record as possible.