Resources

Here are some common internet resources to help delegates get started:

Permanent Missions to the United Nations. Many Missions to the UN post statements and other information about their positions on issues of importance.

Ministries of Foreign Affairs. The foreign affairs websites often contain information about governmental policies on different issues.

UNBISNET. This UN library reference also provides voting records for all General Assembly resolutions adopted since 1946 as well as an index to speeches. This database allows users to search all speeches given by a country on a specific topic.

UN Member States on the Record. This official UN website provides information about the membership of each Member State, an index to their speeches in the General Assembly, Security Council and ECOSOC, draft resolutions they have sponsored, and periodic reports on human rights conventions they are parties to.

UN Global Issues. This official UN resources gives an overview of each issues on the UN agenda as well as useful links to other UN related bodies and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), past summits and conferences and important documents on each issue. NGOs are a good source of information that should not be overlooked. In addition to performing a variety of services and humanitarian functions, bringing citizens' concerns to Governments, monitoring policies and encouraging political participation at the community level, they also provide analysis of issues, serve as early warning mechanisms and help monitor and implement international agreements. Some are organized around specific issues, such as human rights, the environment or health. The UN works with thousands of NGOs all over the world: around 4,000 have a formal association with the UN, through the Department of Public Information and the ECOSOC. The main UN website contains an extensive list of NGOs organized alphabetically as well as by region and topic.

Finally, delegates should read UN resolutions on their assigned topic to find out what issues tend to be discussed when their topic is debated. Resolutions passed by the General Assembly, Security Council, and ECOSOC can be found at the UN Documentation Centre.

Source: https://www.un.org/en/model-united-nations/delegate-preparation