Important Notes About Committee

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to take a moment to clarify a number of things about committee that delegates often ask about before committee begins. However, if anything that I say doesn't explain enough and you want to know more, feel free to comment on this post or message me at ilolxvii@bmun.org.

• Tech Policy

The technology policy for ILO this year will be tech unmod. This means that you should feel free to use your devices during unmoderated caucuses to help you with resolution writing and collaboration as well as double-checking information online. However, if the chairs feel that technology isn't being used productively or is being counter-productive, we reserve the right to outlaw it completely in committee. We don't want to do this because we understand what a useful resource they are for resolution writing, so please don't be distracted by them while in unmod or have them out at any other time.

If you are in need of accommodations regarding laptops or mobile devices for special circumstances, please email me individually at ilolxvii@bmun.org so that we can discuss it.

• Position Paper Expectations

I think the position paper guidelines as outlined on BMUN's best site here are pretty clear. What I will add to them is that our committee truly is focused on ideas and solutions. We don't expect you to submit your position papers with fully formed resolutions or anything like that, but we want to see real evidence of thoughtfulness in your ideas. To say something like "create an ILO program to solve this issue" isn't really the kind of thing we're looking for. Where would this program be based? Who would oversee it? Where would its budget be coming from? What countries would it be directly involved in? These are the kinds of questions that we'd like to see you try to answer if you're really looking to impress with your position paper. I know how tedious doing this might sound, but I promise that it will help once we're in committee.

Beyond that, the only thing that I would add to the guidelines on our website is that Past and Current International Actions needs to be distinct from Country Policy. Past and Current International Actions should stay focused on the global community. Things like conferences, UN resolutions, or UN programs created are all very valid to include in this section. By contrast, Country Policy is specifically within the borders of your country. This could include government programs, laws, debates, court rulings, or numerous other platforms. The Past and Current International Action section is there to for you to show that you understand the historical context of these important issues and how they've been talked about before, whereas the Country Policy section is for you to show that you understand why your country has the policies that you're claiming it does.

• Preparation Expectations

My expectations for committee are pretty straightforward; come ready and willing to contribute to committee. For newer delegates, I know how difficult this can be. As someone who was once new to MUN, I understand how intimidating it can be to come up in front of people and present. But I still want to see effort. You don't have to be the loudest person or speak the most to really have an impact on committee. I'm just asking that you try to speak as much as you feel comfortable with. I want you to have the opportunity to show all of the hard work you've done to prepare for committee; and practice is the only way to get better at anything. And for more experienced delegates, I want your experience to shine through and for you to have an impact on committee. But beyond that, I'd also like to see you helping other delegates. Assist during unmod and build on others ideas, rather than being demonstrative and only letting your ideas be heard. I know that this can be difficult when you're passionate about a topic and have a lot to say. But remember to have empathy and realize how much you learned from experienced delegates when you were a novice and be a resource to the novices in our committee.

And lastly, I want to see everyone being diplomatic and kind to one another. MUN as a platform utilizes debate, but that doesn't mean being rude or aggressive to one another. Ultimately we're all here to learn and discuss novel solutions to important world issues. So be collaborative with others and learn from your peers. We as chairs want everyone to feel comfortable in committee and you should want the same.

• Committee Advice

I'm not sure that I have much more advice than to just summarize some of the things that I've already said that I really do think are important. Know that there's always more to add to your ideas. Develop your thinking as much as possible and work with others to help you build your ideas. This will assure that the resolutions we create are well-constructed and that you're engaging productively with your fellow delegates. And be kind to each other. Help other delegates build up their ideas. Make sure to ask other people what they think and listen to their ideas. And don't be intimidated by speaking in front of others. While it's our job as chairs to remember what individual people say and do, realize that no delegates will remember every speech given in committee- you're all thinking about too many other things. What I mean is that if you have trouble speaking, are a little quiet, or stammer a little, chances are that no one in committee will remember it by the end of the weekend. So be confident- this is a great platform to mess up and learn from it on your way to becoming a confident and comfortable speaker.

Lastly, when giving speeches, always lean towards fewer ideas with more development. To say ten aspects of the topic that you think are important isn't nearly as helpful as explaining more thoroughly one aspect. You could go into some of the specifics of how you want to solve the topic and the nuanced difficulty of solving the issue. This is more meaningful because it shows us as chairs that you've thought meaningfully about the topic, but also helps the entire committee. Other delegates get to hear some of what is important to your delegation and your plans during committee, which will help make voting blocs, and allows you to present your ideas earlier so others can help you build on them. And who knows, you might really inspire someone else with your ingenuity.

 

I really hope that this post was helpful. If you have any questions feel free to comment below, or if you're an experienced delegate, feel free to comment below with any advice that you have for novice delegates that I didn't touch on.

Hope you're as excited for conference as I am!