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1. Delegates need to learn enough about their country so they may respond to the issues raised at the conference just as a real delegate from that country would respond at the United Nations.
Delegates must learn general information about the country they are representing: its political structure, history, culture, geography, people, infrastructure, economics, and the country's allies and "enemies" in the world and to what formal international organizations it belongs.
Some sources to find out country information include:
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a. News and media sources particularly focusing on the specific country that is being represented and UN activities throughout the world;
b. The country's permanent mission at the UN. MUN delegates can find information on the Internet at www.embassy.org. Delegates can also call the embassy directly and ask them to send its position statements on the issues or even ask specific questions to find out how a particular country reacts to an issue. The embassies are usually located in the capital city. For Brazilian delegates, all embassies are in Brasília, but some consulates can be found in other cities.
c. The United Nations website (www.un.org) has an abundance of information including actual speeches and country voting records.
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2. The next step is the topic research. AMUN’s Study Guides are displayed online shortly before the conference. These Guides are prepared by our academic board. During the Conference, delegates receive a book which gathers all AMUN's Study Guides. In this 2010 edition, the work of the academic staff will result in a book centered upon the motto Pondering the 2000s, tracing its legacy.
These materials come with bibliographies and questions to consider attached. These provide great starting points for research on the issues. Nevertheless, delegates must further research the general information on the topic, the country's position on the topic, actions taken to combat the problem, stances of other countries, blocs etc.
Some sources to find out topics’ information include:
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a. News and Media sources. Delegates should consult their local or college libraries. Periodicals are perhaps the best source of relevant information;
b. The United Nations website has a great index to some of the most popular topics. In addition, through the United Nations Documentation Center you can find resolutions from the current and previous years.
c. Research and Policy centers of universities. Many topics, have professors and students who are constantly conducting research on them
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3. Delegates should not forget learning about the UN System. It is important for delegates to learn how the organ/agency that they are in operates, know the UN Charter, recent UN actions on the issue, conferences that have been held, statements by UN officials etc.
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