PD

"PD" is an informal abbreviation used in Model UN circuits, and its meaning depends on the committee type and regional convention.

1. Position Paper (most common usage). A position paper is a short pre-conference document — typically one to two pages per topic — in which a delegate summarizes their assigned country's stance on each agenda item, the relevant bloc alignments, and proposed solutions. Many conferences require PDs as a precondition for award eligibility. Standard sections include: background on the issue, the country's prior voting record or treaty commitments, and policy recommendations. Sourcing usually draws on official statements, UN General Assembly voting records, and relevant treaty texts.

2. Public Directive (crisis usage). In crisis committees, directives are written instructions submitted by delegates to the crisis staff or dais. A public directive (PD) is debated and voted on by the entire committee — contrasting with a private directive, which a single delegate or small group submits covertly to take individual action. Public directives function similarly to draft resolutions in a GA committee but are typically shorter, more operative, and faster to pass. They are the main vehicle for collective committee response to crisis updates.

Practical distinctions:

• If a chair asks for "your PD by Friday," they almost certainly mean the position paper.
• If a crisis director references "submitting a PD," they mean a public directive.
• Some conferences use "PP" for position paper and reserve "PD" exclusively for public directive; usage is not standardized across circuits.

Delegates should confirm meaning from the conference's delegate handbook or background guide rather than assume. Rules of procedure documents from major conferences such as NMUN, HNMUN, and WorldMUN spell out formatting requirements and submission deadlines for both documents.