Policy Proposals That Chairs Love

Thinking Like a Chair

Chairs read 50 to 200 position papers per conference. After the first 20, patterns emerge. The same vague proposals appear repeatedly: 'increase funding,' 'strengthen cooperation,' 'raise awareness.' These papers blur together. What makes a chair pause and pay attention?

Chairs are looking for delegates who will drive committee work. Position paper evaluation is not just about writing quality — it is a predictor of committee performance. A delegate whose solutions are specific, realistic, and coalition-friendly will likely produce strong working papers and lead productive blocs.

The proposals that chairs love share three qualities: specificity (clear what, who, how, when), feasibility (could actually pass in the real UN or at least in committee), and originality (not just repeating what the background guide already suggested). This third quality is underappreciated. If the background guide mentions the Green Climate Fund, proposing to 'increase contributions to the Green Climate Fund' is obvious. Proposing a debt-for-climate swap mechanism where developing nations redirect sovereign debt payments toward nationally determined adaptation programs — that shows creative thinking.

Proposal Templates That Work

Here are five proven proposal structures that consistently impress chairs:

The Expansion Model: Take an existing successful program and propose expanding it. 'Expand the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control's MPOWER measures to cover e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, with updated guidelines adopted by COP11 in 2026.'

The Adaptation Model: Take a mechanism that works in one domain and apply it to another. 'Establish a cybercrime equivalent of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), with mutual evaluation mechanisms and a public compliance rating system for member states.'

The Bridge Model: Propose connecting two existing but disconnected efforts. 'Create a formal coordination mechanism between the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the Green Climate Fund to align disaster preparedness funding with climate adaptation investments.'

The Accountability Model: Add monitoring, reporting, or enforcement to an existing voluntary framework. 'Convert the voluntary national reviews under SDG reporting into a peer review mechanism modeled on the Universal Periodic Review, with formal recommendations and follow-up procedures.'

The Pilot Model: Propose a small-scale test before full implementation. 'Launch a three-year pilot program in five LDCs to test mobile-based land title registration systems, with World Bank technical support and an independent evaluation at the end of the pilot period.'

Making Proposals Coalition-Ready

The best position paper proposals are written with coalition-building in mind. Before you finalize your solutions, ask: which other countries would sign onto this?

A proposal from Saudi Arabia on energy transition that ignores the economic concerns of other oil-producing states will have a coalition of one. But a proposal for a 'Just Transition Fund for Fossil Fuel-Dependent Economies' could unite the entire OPEC+ bloc plus other resource-dependent nations like Botswana and Chile.

Regional appeal: Frame proposals so they benefit your country's region. Latin American proposals should reference CELAC or OAS frameworks. African proposals should align with the African Union's Agenda 2063. Asian proposals should reference ASEAN or SAARC mechanisms.

Cross-bloc appeal: The strongest proposals bridge the Global North-South divide. A proposal that pairs technology transfer (appealing to developing states) with intellectual property protections (appealing to developed states) can attract wide support.

When chairs read a proposal and immediately see how it could anchor a resolution supported by 30+ countries, they know that delegate understands not just the topic but the dynamics of multilateral negotiation.