Writing an essay

To become a Churkin Moscow International Model UN delegate one should demonstrate a thorough understanding of the Committee’s agenda, as well as a high degree of elaboration of the supplementary materials submitted for study. Writing an essay is the first step in the selection process and plays a key role in the formation of the Committee.

Recommendations for writing an essay

Submitting your application for the position in the Security Council encompasses writing an essay on one of the following topics:

• Countries never elected members of the Security Council (choose any country which has never been elected as a member of the SC since 1946 and enlist at least 3 ways in which its election can contribute to the effectiveness of the SC);
• Current peacekeeping operations (choose any peacekeeping operation currently led by the UN and establish a list of concrete actions yet to be undertaken, including the forecast on the extent to which the operation will be a success)

While writing your essay, please do follow the guidelines:
— Write from your individual perspective as you are not yet given the certain country to represent;
— Follow the simple structure of introduction-main body-conclusion;
— Respect the word limit 300-500;
— Use formal style only and appeal to credible sources (such as the UN documents);
— Essays should be coherent and concise: do not digress from the topic;
— The essay should be an original work, therefore, plagiarism (more than 20%) is unacceptable;

Requirements

1. Volume: 300-500 words.
2. Originality: at least 80%
3. Structured and logical presentation of thought.
4. Use of official sources.
5. Provision of reference sources.

Contents

1. Introduction. The introduction should provide general information on the agenda and consider its relevance.
2. Main part. The main part should reflect your understanding of the subpoena, your ability to highlight key statements and identify cause and effect relationships.
3. Conclusion. The final part is a conclusion and may contain your opinion on the issue at hand and ideas for solving the international problem.

Writing a position statement

A position statement is a formal expression of a particular state’s view on a particular international issue within a meeting of the United Nations system. The position statement reflects the state’s opinion and interests in the international arena and its strategic approach to addressing global challenges.

Recommendations for preparing a position statement

1. Familiarise yourself with the relevance of the agenda in the state you represent. To do this, look at the websites of agencies, non-profit organisations working on the issue. Review scholarly articles on the relevance of the agenda in the country or region. In addition, relevant information may be reflected in media publications. However, the state’s position must be based on credible sources.
2. Consider the state’s position through speeches at United Nations meetings. Verbatim records of meetings provide valuable information regarding the state’s perspective on international issues.
3. Examine the state’s contribution to the problem. To do this, consider the country’s status in international agreements as well as accountability for treaty compliance.
4. Provide some bullet points on the relevance of the problem to the state, the country’s key activities in addressing the global problem, and the major challenges in achieving the goals and solutions.
5. Systematise the theses and present them logically in a coherent speech format. Make sure that the speech is in business style and does not contain aggressive or provoking statements.

Requirements

1. The speech should be designed to take between 2 and 5 minutes.
2. Originality: at least 80%
3. Structured and logical presentation.
4. Use of official sources.

Formatting

1. The position statement is formatted in a document and sent to an expert via the Committee’s mail for verification.
2. Font — Times New Roman;
3. Pagel — 14;
4. Alignment — justified.
5. Interval — 1.5;
6. Margins — at least 2.5 cm on each side.