Researching Your Country

Good research is the foundation of everything else in MUN. Your speeches, your position paper, your negotiation strategy — all of it depends on understanding what your country actually thinks.

The 4-Step Research Method

Step 1: Country Overview (30 minutes)

Start broad. Learn the basics about your country:

• CIA World Factbook — government type, economy, demographics
• BBC Country Profile — quick political context
• Your country's Wikipedia page — fine for orientation, never cite it

Step 2: Foreign Policy Positions (1-2 hours)

Now get specific to your committee's topic:

• Your country's UN mission website — official statements
• UN General Debate speeches (gadebate.un.org) — your country's leader explains priorities
• UN Digital Library (digitallibrary.un.org) — voting records on relevant resolutions

Step 3: Alliances and Blocs (30 minutes)

No country acts alone. Find out:

• Which voting blocs your country belongs to (G77, EU, NAM, etc.)
• Who your country's closest allies are on this specific topic
• Who opposes your country's position

Step 4: Recent Events (30 minutes)

Search for news from the last 6 months about your country + topic. Positions shift.

Source Quality Matters

The golden rule: if your country voted on a resolution about your topic, that vote is the strongest evidence of their position. Everything else is interpretation.