Chair Report

A chair report (sometimes called a background guide, study guide, or committee guide) is the primary preparatory document distributed by a Model UN committee's dais to its delegates several weeks before a conference. It serves as the official starting point for delegate research and signals the chair's expectations for debate.

While format varies by conference, most chair reports contain:

• A letter from the chair introducing the dais team and committee
• An introduction to the committee, including its real-world mandate, powers, and historical context
• A topic background summarizing the issue's history, current state, and major developments
• A discussion of past international action, citing relevant treaties, resolutions, or agency reports
• An overview of bloc positions or stakeholder perspectives
• Questions a resolution must answer (often abbreviated QARMA), which prompt delegates toward solution-oriented thinking
• A further research section with reading suggestions
• A bibliography

Chair reports are not binding rules of procedure — those are set separately by the conference's rules document — but they shape the scope of debate. Delegates are generally expected to stay within the topic boundaries the report defines, and chairs often draw moderated caucus topics directly from issues raised in the guide.

Quality varies significantly. Reports from established circuits such as WorldMUN, NMUN, Harvard MUN, LIMUN, and THIMUN are typically peer-reviewed and cite primary sources like UN documents, treaty texts, or ICJ rulings. Smaller conferences may rely on lighter secondary sourcing.

For delegates, the chair report is also a strategic document: paying close attention to which sub-issues the chair emphasizes, which questions are posed, and which sources are cited often reveals what the dais will reward during debate and in awards deliberations. Most conferences also require delegates to submit a position paper responding directly to the topics framed in the report.