Model UN Resources

How can I write a position paper?

• What is the issue being discussed? What are the stakes and who are the stakeholders? Who are the various groups affected?

• How does the issue affect your country or entity? Why does it matter to the people you represent?

• What is my position on this issue relative to others? What are potential bloc positions? Which other countries or positions are ideologically or practically aligned with the views you represent?

• How can the problem be solved? What challenges do you anticipate facing?

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Example:

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Economic & Social Councils for United Nations Development Programme

Issue: Addressing Extreme Poverty within Displaced Groups

Kingdom of Spain

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From the Age of Discovery where maps were redrawn over wine to the 21st century where groups were displaced across the seas, Spain has been enclosed by a history of expulsion and forced emigration of its own people such as the 1492 exodus of thousands of Jews, the 300,000 Moriscos in the 1600s who had converted to Christianity, and the Spanish Republican exiles after the Civil War. From the 19th century to the mid-20th century, millions of Spaniards emigrated, particularly to Latin America and Europe, while the country also became a destination for immigrants, especially from the late 20th century onward. The Delegation of Spain, as the hymn of a nation who scornfully hosts over 704,000 refugees, asylum seekers and stateless people of which approximately 429,300 were refugees, has adopted the Sistema de Acogida de Protección Internacional (SAPI) since March 2022 and welcomes with great gusto various groups of displaced people, including refugees and workers. Nonetheless, The Delegation of Spain recognizes that displaced populations are not homogenous, and that children, women, labor migrants, and survivors of trauma face unique vulnerabilities. The SAPI and the Oficina de Asilo y Refugio (OAR) serve as reception systems for asylum seekers and displaced groups and has greatly expanded: from roughly 1,920 places in 2015 to 34,062 places by June 2025. It is unfortunate that such an issue remains prevalent in the century of change; torn apart by war, from tariffs to tanks.

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Thus, the Delegation of Spain proposes a comprehensive UNDP-supported strategy to alleviate extreme poverty among displaced groups by focusing on legal stability, dignified living conditions, and economic empowerment. Spain calls for the establishment of a Fast-Track Asylum and Legal Stability Programme (FALSP) developed in partnership with UNDP and UNHCR to accelerate asylum processing, recruit an additional trained caseworkers, and introduce a maximum 90–120 day processing period for vulnerable applicants, ensuring temporary work authorization to prevent reliance on informal labor. Simultaneously, Spain urges the strengthening of housing security through the Safe Housing and Poverty Prevention Framework (SHPF), expanding regional protection programs reception capacity by 10,000 additional places, providing time-bound rental subsidies, creating modular and child-protection housing units, and prioritizing regions such as the Canary Islands, Ceuta, Melilla, and Andalusia, where pressure remains most acute. However, these measures are destined for challenges: limited staffing and funding for asylum processing, public resistance to integration programs, logistical difficulties in delivering language and vocational training, risks of informal labor and exploitation, and the need for coordinated international burden-sharing to ensure sustainable support.

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 As a Schengen nation and a signatory to the Dublin Regulation, which determines which EU country is responsible for processing an asylum claim, Spain recognizes the heterogeneity of this issue; among thousands of applications, only a minority result in full refugee or subsidiary protection in a given year and with a high volume of applications, many are backlogged; these applicants in wait cannot legally work, access social services, or rent housing. Many are forced into informal or precarious jobs, increasing vulnerability to exploitation, low income, and poor living conditions–trapping displaced groups in poverty cycles. Despite multiple efforts made by Spain, irregular migration via Canary Islands and Mediterranean has risen and pressure put on SAPI and OAR has increased, subjecting displaced groups in Spain to face toils within their arrival. It is saddening that many displaced groups face overcrowded or temporary shelters, leading to poor living conditions such as the Moroccan and Western African migrants living in Almería, who are exploited through the 30,000 work vacancies under minimum wage and living in slums. In an increasingly globalized world, the economy depends on displaced populations for labor, entrepreneurship, and social contribution. Thus, Spain and the UNDP should abide to the utmost protection of displaced groups from extreme poverty by strengthening workforce stability, social cohesion, and economic growth. 

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Economic & Social Councils for United Nations Development Programme

Issue: Fostering Youth Development in the Middle East

Kingdom of Spain

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Sheltering one of the world’s largest tides of youth, the Middle East and North Africa stands at a crossroads where promise and paralysis coexist. Young people represent a demographic dividend with the potential to shape economic, social, and political futures–if empowered with sufficient opportunities and support. In the Arab States region, young people aged 15-29 make up roughly 60% of the population and yet, 25-27% of the youth in MENA is unemployed and 32% are NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training). The burden falls even heavier on young women, whose ambitions are too often confined by the walls of inequality, 44% locked out of opportunity compared to 19% of young men. Without decisive, compassionate intervention, this generation risks becoming an echo rather than a force. Spain views the Middle East not as a distant region, but as a partner across a shared sea, a neighbor in history, culture, and destiny. Youth development in the Middle East is a global matter. 

Additionally, Spain also understands these challenges personally. With national youth unemployment historically around 22.4%, Spain has valuable experience in implementing youth labor policies, education reforms, and skills initiatives that can be adapted to regional contexts.

 

Moreover, the Delegation of Spain commends Spain’s promotion of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation aimed exclusively at developing Youth including its support of the Union for the Mediterranean Youth Strategy 2030, prioritizing employability, mobility, and civic engagement, intra‑UfM student mobility increased from about 0.6 million to 0.77 million between 2017 and 2022; key for employability and intercultural skills. Spain has participated in EU-MENA education collaboration and vocational training initiatives and engaged in cultural exchange and youth leadership programs to encourage dialogue and mutual understanding. Furthermore, Spain calls for the immediate collaboration of the international community with UNESCO to expand vocational training, digital literacy, and entrepreneurship programs in schools and universities across the MENA region and proposes the use of micro-grants, seed funding and civic engagement to foster youth-led initiatives. Spain also supports INJAZ Al-Arab, a regional NGO that promotes entrepreneurship, mentoring, and financial literacy among young people. To address gender disparities, Spain advocates working with UN Women and UNICEF to develop programs targeting the region’s evergrowing female NEET rate. Additionally, Spain encourages backing the League of Arab States (LAS) youth initiatives to strengthen regional dialogue, youth representation, and participatory governance.

 

However, while vocational training and digital literacy programs offer promise, challenges include funding constraints, political instability in certain regions, and cultural barriers limiting female participation. Spain encourages the committee to anticipate and mitigate these hurdles through collaborative frameworks. 

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Ultimately, Spain views the youth of the Middle East not as a challenge, but as the region’s greatest opportunity. By partnering with key institutions to invest in education, employment, equality, and participation, the international community can transform demographic potential into sustainable and lasting development. The UNDP and Spain shall stand ready to collaborate with regional partners, international institutions, and youth themselves to ensure a prosperous future for the Middle East and the world.