Knowing how to research for MUN in India is the difference between a delegate who sounds confident and one who wins awards. This guide walks you through every step — from reading the background guide to building a country matrix that wins committees.
At Delhi MUN and every major conference in India, the delegates who win awards are rarely the loudest in the room. They are the most prepared. Country research is the foundation of every strong speech, every well-timed amendment, and every successful lobbying conversation.
When you know your country deeply — its alliances, its red lines, its voting history — you stop improvising and start leading. You speak with authority because you have evidence. You lobby effectively because you know who agrees with you before the conference even starts.
This guide gives you a six-step research framework used by experienced delegates at conferences like Delhi MUN, DSMUN, and HMUN India. Follow it in order. Each step builds on the last.
Before you touch the background guide, spend 30 minutes understanding your country's foreign policy identity. Is it non-aligned, like India historically? Is it a permanent UN Security Council member with veto power? Is it a small island state with climate as its primary concern?
Look at: geographic location and its influence on policy; membership in regional blocs (ASEAN, African Union, G77, EU, SAARC); key bilateral relationships (allies and adversaries); and the country's economic model — aid recipient, major exporter, oil economy.
This background shapes every position your country takes. A resource-dependent nation will oppose sanctions. A coastal state will prioritise maritime law. Once you understand this lens, your country's positions across all issues start to make sense.
The background guide (BG) from your conference is your most important document. Most delegates skim it. Award-winning delegates read it three times.
First read: understand the scope. What is the agenda topic? What are the sub-issues being debated? What does the committee have authority to do?
Second read: identify your country's stake. Where is your country mentioned? What resolutions has your country co-sponsored or opposed? What is the committee's history on this issue?
Third read: find the gaps. What does the BG leave unanswered? What are the contested areas where a strong working paper could make an impact? This is where award-winning positions are built.
UN voting records are public and searchable on UN.org. Go to the United Nations Digital Library (digitallibrary.un.org) and search for your committee and agenda topic. Filter by your country name to see every resolution it has voted on.
What to note: Did your country vote Yes, No, or abstain? Did it co-sponsor the resolution? Did it make an explanation of vote (EOV)?
EOVs are gold. They explain why a country voted a certain way. This language often tells you more about your country's position than the vote itself does.
Shortcut: unvoting.com lets you visualise your country's voting patterns with filters and charts — much faster than manually searching the UN Digital Library. Use it to spot voting blocs and identify which countries consistently vote alongside yours.
Researching an Indian committee instead? See our dedicated AIPPM and Indian Committee Research Guide.
Look at the full delegate list for your committee. For each country, make a quick judgment: are they likely to share your position or oppose it?
Strong indicators of alignment: same regional bloc, similar economic profile, shared historical disputes with a third country, co-sponsored resolutions in the past.
How to find treaty-based allies: Go to the UN Treaty Collection and check whether your country and potential allies have co-ratified key conventions relevant to your agenda. Countries that have signed the same treaties are structurally aligned — use this as evidence in lobbying conversations.
This is not just academic. At Delhi MUN, the unmoderated caucus begins within the first hour. Delegates who already know who to approach win the lobbying phase. Delegates who have not done this research spend their unmod wandering.
A country matrix is a simple grid. List all member states of your committee down one column. Across the top, list the key issues in the agenda (climate funding, sanctions enforcement, non-interference, etc.).
For each intersection, mark: Agree (A), Disagree (D), or Unknown (U). Your job during research is to move as many cells from U to A or D as possible.
This matrix becomes your lobbying map. During the unmod, you approach the A countries first to form a bloc. You approach the U countries to move them. You prepare counter-arguments for the D countries.
Pro tip: Cross-reference your matrix with UN Comtrade data. If two countries have high bilateral trade, they are unlikely to vote for punitive sanctions against each other — even if they appear ideologically opposed. Economic dependency is often a stronger predictor of voting behaviour than ideology.
Print or have this matrix accessible on your device. Update it in real time during committee. The delegate with the most accurate map at the end of Day 1 almost always leads the working paper process.
Every UN member state maintains a permanent mission to the United Nations in New York. Most publish official statements, press releases, and position papers on their website.
Search: [Country name] permanent mission United Nations or go directly to un.int/[countryname].
These statements are written in official diplomatic language and often directly address the exact topics debated in MUN committees. Quoting your country's actual UN mission language in your speech is one of the fastest ways to sound authoritative and earn chair credibility.
For Indian delegates representing India: visit India's UN Mission for official statements sorted by committee and year.
Cross-check with Reuters: After reading official mission statements, search Reuters World News for your country to see how its positions are being reported and challenged in real time. Official statements tell you what your country says — Reuters tells you what is actually happening.
Search all UN resolutions, voting records, and official documents. Filter by country and committee.
Country profiles covering government, economy, geography, and international disputes. Updated annually.
Neutral, wire-service reporting on international affairs. Use it to find recent developments in your country's foreign policy that postdate your background guide.
Visual, searchable database of every UN General Assembly vote. Filter by country, year, or resolution — far easier to navigate than the UN Digital Library.
Interactive map of ongoing global conflicts with country-level analysis. Essential for security council, DISEC, and any geopolitical committee.
Official UN database of global trade statistics. Use it to understand your country's economic dependencies — critical for ECOFIN and ECOSOC committees.
Annual freedom and democracy indices by country. Useful for UNHRC, human rights committees, and understanding a country's stance on civil liberties resolutions.
Quick statistical snapshots — GDP, population, HDI, and more. Good for building economic context into your country matrix fast.
Check which international treaties and conventions your country has signed or ratified. Reveals binding commitments your delegate cannot contradict.
Annual country-by-country human rights reports. Essential for UNHRC delegates and any committee touching civil or humanitarian law.
Policy analysis and country profiles from a respected US think tank. Good for geopolitical context.
The single most important document. Contains the agenda scope, country positions, and key questions for debate.
Next Step
Good research feeds directly into good MUN resolution writing. Use your country matrix to draft operative clauses that your allies will support.
Ready to Compete?
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