Home » Resources » Research Guidelines

• Partners & Sponsors
• Le Havre 2009
• Beijing 2008
• News
• How to apply

• About
• Contact
• Summits
• Conferences
• Simulation
• Participation
• Resources
  • Research Guidelines
  • Discussion Topics
  • Closed Sessions
  • Opening Statements
  • Declarations
  • Chair's Statements
  • Links

Research Guidelines

Where to research for the different topics might vary in different countries but the websites of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs usually offers summaries of the countries official position on different topics. Using official government information will reduce the risk of getting information that might be too biased. Try to find more than one source confirming the policy of your country.

Distinguish between opinions and facts. Facts are used to support opinions. Whenever possible use facts to support your arguments but don’t be surprised if there are instances when facts are not available. You will be presenting an opinion and must defend it against other opinions. It is therefore crucial to be familiar with different viewpoints of the different topics.

It is very important to remember that you will present the official standpoints of your countries. In the simulation you will represent your country not your own opinion on the topics chosen. If you find an official statement from your country on your assigned topic remember that these are sometimes vague or maybe too technical, therefore there is usually a need to supplement it with other information you have gathered.

Write 500 words about the topic and 500 words on the general information about your country, the country’s relation to ASEM and the political process. Remember that the written material will be a summary of your country’s position on the topic, when it comes to the actual simulation you will need to know more and also will most likely be discussing the topics in a more general way.

It is important that you have a good knowledge about the topic to be able to answer the more specific questions.

If you can’t find any information on the topic, try to find out what viewpoint your country promotes in as many related issues as possible. It is important to present a policy that makes sense for the country you are representing.

It is important that each participant will have some general information about ASEM. These sites contain very useful information and links about the political process and structure of ASEM:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/asem/intro/index.htm