Report Writing

Reports are similar to resolutions with a few fundamental differences. A report consists of several paragraphs each addressing one notion. Whereas resolutions can stand alone, reports are to be combined into a comprehensive document representing the entire work of a committee. For that purpose, delegates can work in addressing different facets of an issue or diverging views on an issue. The need for coherence is of grand importance when writing a segment of a report and must remain a goal of each delegation. Structure Introduction The purpose of the introduction is to present the context in which the committee was created and for what purpose. Example: The International Atomic Energy Agency was established in October 1956 following the fears and expectations ensued by the discovery of nuclear power for the purpose of nuclear verification and security, safety and technology transfer. Mandate The mandate establishes the official authority of the committee as well as the provisions under which the committee has worked under in the past. Example: The Committee has taken the traditional position that the formal name of Macedonia is The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Conclusions The conclusion section is meant to clarify the problem(s) as identified by the committee. This includes the effects, underlying causes, catalytic events etc. Example: The situation in the Gulf of Aden continues to affect the international maritime trade negatively. The present situation is exacerbated by the inexistence of a functioning government in Somalia and the poor logistical support provided by neighboring nations. Recommendations Recommendations articulate the solutions that the committee believes need to be taken to resolve or improve the situation. Example: The committee believes its previous recommendations still apply to this situation and decides to remain actively seized to the matter.

Sample Report
Because report writing committees are fairly new to TSMUN, we have taken the liberty to provide you with an extensive example of a Report. This was done previously at the National Model United Nations Conference with the Assistance of Tallahassee Community College Delegates. Please note that the length of this report is extensive and you are not expected to have

to write beyond your capabilities the day of the conference. As always if you need help with report writing, please Contact the TSMUN Staff. ______________________________________________________________________________ Code: WTO/1/1 Committee: World Trade Organization Topic: Furthering Trade Facilitation Based on the 2005 Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration Sponsors: Belgium, Canada, Demark, Signatories: Andorra, Armenia, Iceland, The Republic of Lebanon, The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Morocco, Panama, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden I. Introduction The Marrakesh Declaration of 15 April 1994 established the WTO headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland at the conclusion of the Uruguay Rounds as the successor of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a global international organization that deals with the rules of trade between nations with the goal of liberalizing trade between all member states. In order to realize this goal, trade facilitation must be fostered in all member state, with particular emphasis to the less developed countries. The 2005 Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration was issued at the 6th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization. The Hong Kong Ministerial took place under the provision of the Doha Work Program. The WTO has committed to achieving the objectives outlined in this conference. Among the many issues addressed in the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration, one of the most important issues, in light of the WTO goal of global trade liberalization, was the issue of trade facilitation which expanded the agenda to address administrative barriers, transparency, developmental investment, capacity-building and customs and transit policies. II. Mandate A. General background The Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration Annex E emphasizes the need to allow developing countries and LDCs to fully participate in and benefit from the negotiations of the document and calls for capacity building and technical assistance. Currently, the WTO works toward limiting technical barriers to trade through the Committee of Technical Barriers to Trade (CTBT) and smaller bodies such as the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation (ITTC) and the Technical Assistance Management Committee (TAMC). The Doha Ministerial Conference placed trade related technical assistance as proper within the general mandate of the WTO as a top priority for the organization. In the 2005 Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration, that mandate was further affirmed in light of the WTOs commitment to furthering trade facilitation.

B. AID FOR TRADE Aid for Trade is a program that provides the means for developing countries to improve trade capacity through loans and grants as a part of Official Development Assistance (ODA). This program facilitates technical projects such as the expansion of infrastructure, strategy development and adjustment assistance that will further investment opportunity. The Aid for Trade program lacks the funding to fully accomplish its goals in aiding the developing world. The WTO seeks to increase its funding in order to meet the goal of providing $10 billion to the developing world. First established in 1995, the Integrated Framework (IF) for Trade-Related Technical Assistance supports least developed country (LDC) governments in order to build trade capacity and integrate trade issues with individual nations development strategies. Participating agencies with the IF include the IMF, ITC, UNCTAD, UNDP, World Bank and the WTO. The combined efforts of developed states focus on responding to the development needs of LDCs in order to facilitate the assimilation of LDCs into the multilateral trading system. This will allow for economic growth and the enhancement of poverty reduction tactics. III. Conclusions and Recommendations A. Conclusions The WTO finds that barriers to trade and lack of technical assistance are the leading cause of economic inequality and the inability of nations to viably participate in international trade. Trade is often stalled with a lack of communication, lack of uniformity and lack of technology. The WTO recognizes the absence of a unifying body in place to organize and institutionalize the assistance to the LDCs. The WTO anticipates that as communication, cooperation and consolidation are increased; developing nations will rise to participation. i. Aid For Trade Although free trade has helped many countries, some states are unable to take part in global trade due to a lack of infrastructure and funds. While Aid for trade has helped improve opportunities for developing states, insufficient contributions have made the program less effective than it could be. Consequently many developing countries still fall far short of their potential trading capacity. While contributions to developing states through Aid for Trade have contributed greatly to increases in trade capacity, much of the donated money is lost to corruption and government seizure. ii. Transparency

The current global trading system is plagued by market barriers that withhold free transference of goods and services to the international community. Customs standards that do not provide for environmental protection, safety, and national security can cause a needless burden on exporters. While recognizing the right of members to protect their standards for the purpose of national security, excessive customs standards and procedures hinder trade facilitation. Lack of communication over customs procedures exacerbate the issue farther because exporters are not familiar with customs procedures they need to go through. B. Recommendations The WTO Doha Development Agenda states that its members will agree to launch negotiations on trade facilitation with the enforcement of stronger rules regarding this issue. Such enforcement will implement increased transparency of trade regulations (GATT Article X), the simplification, standardization and modernization of import, export and customs procedures (GATT Article VIII) and improved transit conditions (GATT Article V), and also respect sovereignty.

i.

Aid for Trade

Increased Aid for Trade will allow developing countries to raise standards of living for their citizens and, thus, decrease poverty within these countries. Aid for Trade will enable countries to prioritize their own individual government policies. In order to accomplish this goal, four issues need to be addressed: Countries must reform taxes, improve import/export processes, develop export industries, meet international health and safety standards without hindering the trading process, and encourage private sector/business development and investment in order to improve trade-related capacity. Non-trade specific economic infrastructure development needs used to improve transportation, roads, energy and communications, which can be accomplished through the use of public-private partnerships (PPPs). Increasing the Aid for Trade budget to $10 billion is strongly recommended and member states are urged to increase their official development assistance funds to meet this goal. In order to ensure that increased Aid for Trade is used effectively existing aid delivery mechanisms should be augmented and coordinated with measures which would include budget support, support for economic growth sector strategies within national development and poverty

reduction plans, as well as existing global mechanisms such as the Enhanced Integrated Framework. Member states are urged to increase their cooperation with the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) initiative, a multi stakeholder partnership to support the sustainable development of LDCs, as it will ensure mutual accountability in the administration, allocation, and the use of Aid for Trade. It aims to enhance the capacity of LDCs to integrate into the multilateral trading system through streamlining poverty reduction strategies, assisting in the coordinated delivery of trade related technical assistance, and addressing supply constraints. The EIF has all the necessary mechanisms in place to provide accountability in the use of Aid for Trade funds, while respecting state sovereignty. The use of the EIF will encourage greater contributions by providing a greater guarantee that the contributions reach their intended destination.