Where can I find information about a UN Member State's position on an event or topic?

There are various ways a Member States can inform the United Nations of their positions on current events or other topics.

• One is to make a statement in a meeting of a UN organ, such as the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, or any subsidiary body. Statements may be recorded in the meeting records of the body.
• The second way is for a Member State to send a communication (letter, note verbale) to the UN.
• Another option is to co-sponsor a draft resolution.

One strategy to search for a Member State's position is to search for documents or statements in the UN Digital Library. The following sample search strategy will find letters, statements and draft resolutions sponsored by the Member State.

• Search: author:"MEMBER STATE" AND topic
• Example: author:"United Kingdom" AND (climate OR environment)
• Example: author:Thailand AND (wom*n OR gender)

Another way to research a Member State's position is to look at their voting on a topic. The UN Digital Library has voting data for resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and Security Council. Select Voting Data from the main search page, enter keywords, then review results to find a country's vote.

• Search in Voting Data: keyword
• Example: nuclear
• Example: migra* (will search for migrant, migrants, migration, migratory, etc.)

Please note:

• Member States may not express explicit positions on all topics or agenda items before the UN
• Try a variety of keywords for your topic -- sometimes UN documents use unusual vocabulary or UN jargon
• Many resolutions are adopted without vote in the General Assembly
• Meeting records may be issued long after a meeting is held (the Meetings Coverage & Press Releases website may provide an informal advanced version of the statements)

UN Member States on the Record is a website that provides access to information about membership and statements of Member States at the UN, including links to searches in the UN Digital Library.

About Model United Nations

Model United Nations (Model UN, MUN) participants usually play the role of a representative of a UN Member State in a debate on a topic or agenda item in a UN body. They may take part in a mock debate in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) or in another body, such as the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). In order to prepare for the debate, participants research the position of their Member State on various topics.

The following information comes from the UN Membership research guide: