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Collecting Country Information | Research Overview
Model UN Preparation Guide

First, you will need to learn about your country so you can address the issues raised at the conference as a real UN delegate from that country. To represent your country accurately, start by answering the following questions:

What sort of government does your country have?
What types of ideologies (political, religious or other) influence your country’s government?
Which domestic issues might influence your country’s foreign policy?
What are some major events in your country’s history? Why are they important?
Which ethnicities, religions and languages can be found in your country?
Where is your country located and how does its geography affect its political relationships?
Which countries share a border with your country?
Which countries are considered allies of your country?
Which countries are considered enemies of your country?
What are the characteristics of your country’s economy?
What is your country’s gross domestic product (GDP)? How does this compare to other countries in the world?
When did your country become a member of the UN?
Does your country belong to any intergovernmental organizations outside the UN system such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)?
Does your country belong to any regional organizations such as the European Union (EU), the African Union (AU) or the Organization of American States (OAS)?
Does your country belong to any trade organizations or agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) or the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)?

Tips for Researching Your Country

Look up your country’s permanent mission to the UN. You can also call the mission directly to ask questions or request a position statement on an issue.

Find your country’s voting records and read speeches on the United Nations Bibliographic Information System website.

Look at the CIA World Factbook for a general overview on your country, and for figures and statistics as well. The World Factbook is produced by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Would your country’s government agree with the way your country is characterized in the World Factbook?

Check out news and media sources for recent developments in your country.

Read the US State Department report on your country. Call the US State Department desk officer for your country to find out more about conditions there.