Briefing

You are assigned a country and a committee. You research your country’s real position on the committee’s agenda, then argue that position in the room: in speeches, in negotiation with other delegates, and in the text of a resolution you help write.

The point is to get a majority of the room to agree to something your country can live with, not to win an argument. That takes preparation, listening and the ability to change tactics in the middle of a session.

Ember MUN runs six committees over three days. Three of them are UN⁠-⁠style bodies. The Lok Sabha runs as the Indian Parliament, and the FIA runs as a fast⁠-⁠moving crisis. The International Press covers all of them.

The chair opens with roll call. You answer “present” or “present and voting”. Then the committee sets the agenda, which at Ember MUN is published in advance, so this is brief.

Debate begins with the General Speakers’ List. Delegates give short speeches on the agenda in the order they were added to the list. This is where positions are declared.

Most of the real work happens in caucuses. A moderated caucus is a focused debate on one sub⁠-⁠topic with short speaking times, called by a delegate’s motion. An unmoderated caucus suspends formal rules so delegates can leave their seats, form blocs and draft text together.

Blocs write working papers, which become draft resolutions once they have enough sponsors and signatories and the chair approves them. Drafts are introduced, debated and amended. On the last day the committee moves into voting procedure and each draft passes or fails.

Write it in the third person as the delegation, not as yourself. Cite real sources. Keep it to one page. A paper that proposes three specific measures beats a paper that describes the problem for three paragraphs.

Position papers are submitted to your committee chairs before the summit. The deadline and format are in the delegate dossier.