Director: Jana Abualhuda

Topic 1: Barriers to Women’s Political Leadership

Despite decades of progress, women remain significantly underrepresented in political leadership worldwide. These barriers go beyond elections, ranging from structural discrimination in party systems to cultural expectations, safety concerns, and unequal access to funding and networks. This committee will debate how these barriers shape policymaking itself, and what it means for governments when women are excluded from positions of power. Delegates will be challenged to consider not just how to increase representation, but how to ensure influence within political systems.

Topic 2: Governmental Policy and Decreasing Birth Rates

Declining birth rates have become a major concern for governments around the world, but the way countries respond often ends up putting pressure directly on women. Whether it’s through financial incentives or even restrictions on reproductive rights, these policies can shape how women live and plan their futures. This topic debates how countries can deal with declining populations without reinforcing outdated gender roles or limiting women’s choices, and what it looks like to actually support both families and women’s independence at the same time.

Director: Jenney Huang

Topic 1: Corporate Responsibility in Relations to Child Labor

The increasingly consumerist nature of our world prompts a growing reliance on the sourcing and production processes of global supply chains, which often facilitate the exploitation of child labor. The enduring prevalence of child labor can largely be attributed to the absence of sufficiently enforced legal regulation and corporate accountability policies. In many primary production countries, political corruption, monetary greed, and ineffective inspections allow the exploitation of labor to remain unpunished. Hence, constant supply chain pressures from corporations prompt factories to search for cheap labor in the form of vulnerable children and families who lack social safety nets. In addition to legal barriers, it is also essential to recognize the underlying socioeconomic factors such as economic insecurity, lack of access to education, and intergenerational succession. Delegates should seek to propose solutions to child labor through the frameworks of corporate responsibility, and the integration of responsible sourcing across both domestic and global levels.

Topic 2: Protecting Youth from Child Marriage

Despite a steady decline in the last decade, child marriage remains a widespread and relevant global issue. Perpetuated by tradition, poverty, and sustained gender inequality, the practice disproportionately affects girls, depriving them of educational and individual rights while ultimately forcing them into spheres of domesticity. This attack on the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of children hinders economic advancement and traps communities in intergenerational cycles of poverty. Moreover, the lack of established and enforced legal protection, combined with limited access to healthcare, creates a rigid system that continues to put children at risk. With political turmoil and economic shocks intensifying existing vulnerabilities and threatening to reverse progress within unprotected communities, it is becoming ever so pertinent to address this humanitarian issue. The committee will navigate the systemic barriers of tradition, politics, and gender inequality to create solutions for child marriage that recognize its deep-rooted cultural sensitivities.

Director: Nathan Kwon

Topic 1: Global Debt Sustainability and Financial Sustainability

Global debt is at a critical, record-high level, with total global debt figures surpassing $315 trillion, which is over three times the size of the entire global economy. Crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, inflationary pressures, and tightening financial conditions have only exacerbated this problem. Many nations, both developed and developing, face constrained fiscal space and heightened vulnerability to external shocks, raising serious concerns about long-term financial stability and economic growth. The goal of this committee is to evaluate mechanisms for ensuring sustainable debt management while maintaining equitable access to development financing. Delegates are encouraged to consider reforms to cross-border financial systems, sovereign debt frameworks, and responsible lending and borrowing practices, while ensuring that needs for economic growth and financial stability are met.

Topic 2: Digital Economy, Taxation, and Inequality

The rapid expansion of the digital economy has transformed global markets, enabling innovation and growth while simultaneously challenging traditional taxation systems. Large corporations, particularly major technology firms, often operate across borders with a limited physical presence, further complicating efforts to ensure fair taxation. These developments also contribute to widening economic inequalities through the “digital divide,” where disparities in infrastructure, skills, and access to technology stand to solely benefit high-income earners and nations. The goal of this committee is to explore how international cooperation can create equitable and effective taxation systems for the digital age. Delegates are tasked with proposing policies that promote fair revenue distribution and address inequality while supporting innovation. These ideas must also ensure that developing economies are not left behind in our increasingly digital global landscape.

Director: Andy Lam

Topic 1: Moral Ethics of Gene Editing

Gene-editing technologies like CRISPR-Cas9 have revolutionized modern day medicine, offering the potential to cure genetic disorders from sickle cell anemia to cystic fibrosis. As these innovations continue to advance and become more widely accessible, however, they raise urgent ethical concerns surrounding human enhancement, consent, and equity. In 2018, the birth announcement of the first gene-edited babies sparked global controversy and highlighted the absence of unified international regulation. While over 70 countries currently prohibit germline editing, enforcement mechanisms remain inconsistent, and private sector research continues to push boundaries. Additionally, the global gene therapy market is projected to reach 18.2 billion by 2030, raising continued concerns about unequal access between high-income and low-income countries. Who decides what constitutes a “disease” versus an "enhancement"? How can international frameworks balance continued innovation with ethical responsibility, all while preventing a widening inequality gap in access to life-saving technologies?

Topic 2: Global Health & Climate Change

In the 21st century, climate change is increasingly recognized as one of the greatest threats to global health. According to the World Health Organization, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year between 2030 and 2050 from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress alone. Rising global temperatures have already expanded the geographic spread of vector-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria, putting nearly half of the world’s population at critical risk. Extreme weather intensified by climate change further disrupts healthcare infrastructure, while 3.6 billion people already live in areas highly susceptible to its effects. Additionally, air pollution linked to fossil fuel usage accounts for an estimated 7 million premature deaths annually. Delegates within this committee must address how to strengthen global health systems in the face of escalating climate threats, mitigate climate-related health risks, and ensure that vulnerable populations are not disproportionately affected by a crisis they have contributed to least.

Director: Emily Seo

Topic 1: Youth Mental Health in Hyper Competitive Education Systems

The South Korean education system has resulted in top global performance among students in subjects including reading, math, and science within the OECD. However, South Korean youth are undergoing a severe mental health crisis driven by the hypercompetitive education system and relentless academic pressure. The “education arms race,” or pressure to attend elite kindergartens and rigorous testing, begin as early as ages three to five. At later ages, students often attend “cram schools” (hagwons) in addition to regular school throughout the academic day, resulting in high levels of burnout, exhaustion, and stress. The mental health consequences include depression, stress, anxiety, and suicide, the latter of which is the leading cause of death among youth in South Korea. While the demanding curriculum and structure enforces student preparedness for higher education and entering the ultra-competitive job market in South Korea, it is crucial to recognize the devastating impact on youth mental health. The international community must institutionalize preventative measures to ensure that academic pressure is minimized in the face of mental health challenges.

Topic 2: The Rise of Digital Sex Exploitation

In the 21st Century, digital sex exploitation in South Korea, including the distribution of non-consensual, explicit images online, has expanded rapidly, particularly in the form of “hidden cameras” (molka). Similarly, the crimes have increased in an unprecedented and rapid manner on a global scale, driven by higher Internet usage, new digital platforms, and technological innovations. In particular, the use of generative AI is a point of contention, as the “deepfake” epidemic, built off AI capacities, permanently harms victims, many of whom are underage. Additionally, the issue of digital sex exploitation is highly gendered: while females constitute a majority of the victims, males make up an overwhelming percentage of the perpetrators. Thus, beyond constraining criminal behavior and harmful technological advancements, it is crucial for the international community to address societal institutions which silence and repress survivors of sexual violence.

Director: Eniola Ajanaku

Topic 1: Bioweaponry and Biotechnology in Warfare

The use of biological agents is far from a relic of the past. Between 1962 and 1971, the U.S. military sprayed over 21 million gallons of Agent Orange across Southeast Asia. From birth defects and developmental disorders to lasting damage across ecological landscapes, the exposure of millions of civilians and soldiers to toxic dioxin created consequences that have persisted across generations. Today, the threat has evolved rapidly and become increasingly difficult to contain. Advances in synthetic biology, CRISPR gene editing, and artificial intelligence have dramatically lowered the barriers to creating and modifying dangerous pathogens, making biological weapons increasingly accessible not just to nation-states, but to non-state actors operating in legal gray zones and black markets. Nowadays, a DIY bacterial gene engineering kit can be purchased online for as little as $40. How should the international community modernize arms control frameworks to account for these advancing technologies? Furthermore, how do we prevent the weaponization of biotechnology without stifling the scientific breakthroughs it enables? Delegates must grapple with these questions as they work to build a more robust and enforceable global biosecurity regime before the next major biological catastrophe is a deliberate one.

Topic 2: Disarmament and Security in the South China Sea

The South China Sea is one of the most strategically and economically significant bodies of water in the world. Annually, roughly one third of all global maritime trade transit through its waters. This, coupled with vast reserves of oil, natural gas, and fishery stocks have established it as a resource that coastal nations have depended on for centuries. In recent years, the region has become a major site for international tension, driven largely by China’s expansive territorial claims under its “nine-dash line,” which overlaps with the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, and Indonesia. Between 2013 and 2015 alone, China constructed over five square miles of artificial islands in the Spratly Islands, deploying military infrastructure, advanced missile systems, and various acts of aggression. Despite a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration firmly rejecting China’s claims, Beijing has refused to recognize the decision. The consequences extend well beyond the immediate claimants. For instance, nations like South Korea, whose crude oil imports and trade flows are heavily dependent on these sea lanes, face serious economic risks if stability in the region deteriorates. Delegates will navigate these competing pressures to forge a framework that upholds international law and keeps one of the world’s most critical waterways open and secure.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Director: Bena Feng

Topic 1: Sustainable Agriculture

Agriculture is a great stressor on the environment, contributing to a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and occupying half of all habitable land. Industrial farming, characterized by monoculture regimes and high levels of pesticide use, leads to water pollution, erosion, and soil nutrient depletion. Even with these issues addressed, the global food supply must match the demand of nearly 10 billion people by 2050, a demand significantly composed of resource-intensive products such as meat and dairy. Delegates must consider solutions that strike a balance between sustainability and sufficient yield, taking into account the food system as a whole. How will governments incentivize farmers to adopt more sustainable practices? If dietary habits are a target, how can changes be encouraged?

Topic 2: Air Pollution Across Varying Economies

With industrialization comes air pollution; this was true for countries that industrialized during the Industrial Revolution, and true for industrializing nations now. With pushes for environmental action becoming more and more urgent in the past few decades, questions of responsibility are raised. Some argue that nations should take responsibility for their own pollution, while others believe that due to historical inequities, already industrialized nations have the responsibility to support industrializing nations in switching to cleaner manufacturing methods. If one turns to quantitative figures for answers, more complexity is introduced– numbers vary significantly depending on the type of comparison being made, and nations that lead in raw emission amounts differ from rankings based on consumption. Additionally, how should responsibility be divided for transboundary air pollution? Delegates must develop a framework that addresses the growing environmental and human health effects of air pollution, clearly outlining how duties– reducing emissions and pollution, financial funding, clean energy transitions– are to be distributed among the international community.

Director: James Kim

Topic 1: Addressing the Political and Humanitarian Crisis in Myanmar

Since the military coup of February 2021, Myanmar has descended into one of the most severe political and humanitarian crises in its modern history. The Tatmadaw’s seizure of power from the democratically elected National League for Democracy government ended years of fragile democratic progress, triggering widespread civil disobedience, armed resistance through People’s Defence Forces, and brutal crackdowns on civilian populations. The resulting conflict has displaced over two million people internally, with countless others fleeing across borders into Thailand, India, and Bangladesh, straining the resources of neighboring states. Meanwhile, the junta’s use of airstrikes, arson, and detention against its own population has drawn significant international condemnation. For ASEAN, Myanmar’s crisis represents an uncomfortable test of the bloc’s foundational principle of non-interference, a principle increasingly difficult to uphold when instability spreads across borders and undermines regional cohesion. The Five Point Consensus, adopted in 2021, has largely stalled, with the junta showing little willingness to cooperate. Delegates must grapple with the tension between respecting national sovereignty and fulfilling a moral obligation to the people of Myanmar, responding diplomatically and impactfully.

Topic 2: Combating Transnational Crime and Human Trafficking in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia has long been identified as one of the most active areas for transnational organized crime in the world, and in recent years the problem has grown more complex. Human trafficking networks exploit penetrable borders, widespread economic inequality, and inconsistent law enforcement to move hundreds of thousands of victims annually across the region, many into forced labor, sexual exploitation, or increasingly, scam compound operations in countries like Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. The rise of cyber-enabled fraud compounds, many of which are staffed by trafficked individuals themselves, represents a troubling convergence of human trafficking and organized cybercrime that existing legal frameworks have struggled to address. Compounding these challenges is the reality that trafficking networks often enjoy protection from corrupt officials and operate fluidly across multiple jurisdictions, making unilateral national responses largely ineffective. While ASEAN member states have adopted instruments, enforcement and implementation remain deeply uneven across the bloc. Delegates will need to move beyond broad declarations and design concrete, regionally coordinated mechanisms for intelligence sharing, victim protection, and border management, all while navigating the significant differences in capacity and political will that exist among member states.

Director: Hannah Yang

Topic 1: Joseon Between Empires

Set during the late 19th century, the Joseon Dynasty stands at the center of continuously intensifying geopolitical rivalry in East Asia. The royal court has faced significant foreign intervention, shifting from Ming China’s tributary system to intense regional conflicts, including through various interventions by the Japanese empire in the 16th century, invasions by the Manchus in the 17th century, and ongoing Western expeditions by France and the U.S. Shaped by its relationship with the Qing Dynasty, Joseon also faces intense pressure from a rapidly modernizing Japanese Empire, alongside Western foreign actors. As tensions escalate, the risk of foreign interference, whether directly in the royal court or quietly through other avenues, looms ever larger. Delegates are tasked with considering the balance between diplomacy and resistance, regardless of their political and social status.

Topic 2: The Donghak Rebellion

In 1894, mounting social unrest erupts into a rebellion across the countryside of the Joseon Dynasty. Beginning in March in Mujang, Jeolla-do, various peasant masses participated in the Donghak ideology, demanding a more just and equal Joseon. Faced with a rapidly escalating crisis, the royal court is faced with the challenge of responding to the rebellion, balancing the grievances by peasants, including the corruption in the ruling class and encroachment on Korea by foreign powers, and the ongoing looming threat (or opportunity) of foreign intervention. The committee is tasked with balancing the various interests represented in the room. The royal court must make a decision on how to respond to the demonstrations of Donghak followers and the costs and benefits of calling in support from foreign powers, while Chinese and Japanese officials must consider the incentives to involve themselves in this revolt. Citizens and commoners are asked to redefine and reimagine the future of Joseon. The fate of Joseon and the future balance of power in Asia lies in the hands of every delegate present in this committee room.

Director: Joseph Or

Topic 1: Designing the Miracle on the Han River

The "Miracle on the Han River" refers to South Korea’s rapid economic development beginning in the early 1960s, in the aftermath of the Korean War and under conditions of extreme poverty and limited resources. Over the following decades, the country transformed from one of the world’s poorest nations into a global economic and industrial powerhouse. In this committee, delegates will step into the roles of key policymakers, economic planners, and industrial leaders tasked with designing and implementing this accelerated growth. Taking into account political instability, domestic scarcities, and Cold War pressures, their goal is to effectively engineer economic transformation, exploring policies, such as state-led industrialization, export-oriented growth, infrastructure modernization, and national electrification. Along the way, delegates must successfully coordinate between government ministries, industrial stakeholders, and international partners to build a sustainable model of national development.

Topic 2: Managing the Social & Environmental Impacts of the Miracle on the Han River

In just a few decades, South Korea had established itself as the eleventh largest economy in the world. However, this rapid economic development came with a host of negative social and environmental consequences, including poor labor conditions, inequality, overcrowding, and severe air and water pollution. In this topic, delegates will work to address the negative externalities of the policies they proposed to accelerate growth, navigating critical tradeoffs to mitigate the collateral damage of the nation’s unprecedented economic rise. How can we balance rapid growth with labor rights while reducing urban-rural inequality? How can we advance environmental protection and social equity while sustaining economic growth? Delegates will have to navigate these dilemmas as they collaborate and negotiate across departments, industries, and perspectives to resolve the multi-faceted challenges resulting from the “economic miracle.”

Director: Jack Ludwick

Topic 1: Rise of the Bubonic Plague

In 1347, an unknown and mysterious illness was discovered in a small merchant port in Sicily from chips coming from the East.  By the end of the year, the entire continent is found ravaged by a wretched plague, leaving devastation everywhere it reaches.  Entire cities have begun to collapse as the plague brings death, fear, and social breakdown wherever it emerges.  With almost no information on the cause of transmission, a range of different symptoms, and zero development of a cure, leaders are left grasping at straws to help control and retain societal functions.  Delegates must help find a cause and cure, grapple with the rapid decline of population, and navigate social and religious turmoil across the continent.

Topic 2: Resource Allocation in Light of the Plague

While the Plague persists, an equal concern for the population of Europe is the revitalization of the economy.  The decline in population has caused numerous industries to rapidly disintegrate and famines popping up across the entire continent.  Surviving populations are demanding food, access to water, stability, and protection while the leaders are challenged with reallocating increasingly scarce resources.  With a disgruntled peasant population, a diminished battalion of knights, and an urban population far more decimated than the wealthier countryside, delegates must navigate the economic catastrophe of the continent, balancing immediate recovery efforts with a society nearing total collapse.

Director: Jack Carney

Topic 1: Addressing the Ramifications of Opium Addiction

By the mid-19th century, opium addition had spread rapidly across Qing China, invoking widespread social, economic, and political instability. What once was a controlled substance used only for medical reasons had become a tool of mass dependency leading to decreasing labor productivity and destabilizing local communities. Efforts by the Qing government to curb this opium crisis were often unsuccessful, even when implemented through strict enforcement and seizures. Resistance to limitations surged not only throughout China but abroad, raising mass conflict. The crisis raises many questions about state responsibility, public health, and economic survival. Delegates must consider how to address this mass addiction while balancing enforcement, rehabilitation, and economic stability.

Topic 2: Navigating International Affairs Amidst Opium

The opium trade was not only a local issue, but a vehicle for major international conflict, most importantly between Qing China and Great Britain. This was driven by trade imbalances and economic interests, and these powers used opium as a means of expanding their influence in Chinese markets. The tension that arose escalated into a very public conflict that reshaped the relations and sovereignty between regions. As these competing powers promote their own economic goals, we must ensure that states can protect their autonomy as they remain actively trading in an interconnected economy. Delegates must navigate alliances, trade, and power dynamics, while considering national interests to prevent further conflict. The future of East Asia is in your control!