International Maritime Organization (IMO):
Ghost Fleets
Across the world’s oceans lies a hidden maritime network, outside the reach of ordinary regulation. Fleets of vessels are suspected of operating within this network and engaging in deceptive practices such as turning off transponders and flying false flags. Primarily used to transport sanctioned oil shipments, these aging vessels are also used in narcotics networks and shadowy weapons exchanges with non-state actors. As the boundaries between legitimate commerce and sanctions evasion become murkier, an international consensus is becoming increasingly important. Delegates in this committee will have to find a way to maintain global order and state sovereignty all while protecting global trade. Will nations strengthen maritime regulation, tolerate these fleets in the name of global trade, or take decisive action to end this deception? The future of maritime security and global trade lies in your hands.
Ghost Fleets
Across the world’s oceans lies a hidden maritime network, outside the reach of ordinary regulation. Fleets of vessels are suspected of operating within this network and engaging in deceptive practices such as turning off transponders and flying false flags. Primarily used to transport sanctioned oil shipments, these aging vessels are also used in narcotics networks and shadowy weapons exchanges with non-state actors. As the boundaries between legitimate commerce and sanctions evasion become murkier, an international consensus is becoming increasingly important. Delegates in this committee will have to find a way to maintain global order and state sovereignty all while protecting global trade. Will nations strengthen maritime regulation, tolerate these fleets in the name of global trade, or take decisive action to end this deception? The future of maritime security and global trade lies in your hands.
United Nations Economic and Financial Committee (ECOFIN): Rising Sea Levels
Since the Second Industrial Revolution in 1880, global sea levels have risen by 9 inches, with the rate of increase accelerating significantly in the past few decades. In the Arctic and Antarctic, over a billion tons of ice melt and fall into the ocean every day. With increases in greenhouse gases, oceans continue to absorb atmospheric heat, leading to water expansion. In 2050, oceans are estimated to rise another 10-12 inches, leading to increased flooding, storm surges, habitat loss, and the displacement of tens of millions of people. The UN Economic and Social Council was established to coordinate global economic policy, sustainable development, and financing for development. The general goal of ECOFIN is to manage the severe economic and societal disruptions caused by rising sea levels through coordinating macroeconomic policies and international financial governance. Through ECOFIN, we will either sink or float.
Since the Second Industrial Revolution in 1880, global sea levels have risen by 9 inches, with the rate of increase accelerating significantly in the past few decades. In the Arctic and Antarctic, over a billion tons of ice melt and fall into the ocean every day. With increases in greenhouse gases, oceans continue to absorb atmospheric heat, leading to water expansion. In 2050, oceans are estimated to rise another 10-12 inches, leading to increased flooding, storm surges, habitat loss, and the displacement of tens of millions of people. The UN Economic and Social Council was established to coordinate global economic policy, sustainable development, and financing for development. The general goal of ECOFIN is to manage the severe economic and societal disruptions caused by rising sea levels through coordinating macroeconomic policies and international financial governance. Through ECOFIN, we will either sink or float.
United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS): Space Debris and Satellite Congestion
Low Earth orbit is getting crowded. As of July 2026, about 15,900 working satellites circle the planet alongside roughly 46,950 tracked objects, and ESA estimates another 1.5 million fragments between one and ten centimeters too small to track. Ten new payloads launch every day. Each crash creates the fragments that cause the next one, and ESA's 2026 Space Environment Report warns that the debris population would keep growing even if launches stopped tomorrow. COPUOS has overseen the peaceful use of space since 1959, but its 2007 debris mitigation guidelines and 2019 sustainability guidelines are voluntary, and when an ESA satellite had to dodge a Starlink satellite in 2019, the two operators coordinated over email. Delegates must decide who owns the problem. Should mitigation become binding? Who pays for removal? And how much orbit can one nation or company claim?
Low Earth orbit is getting crowded. As of July 2026, about 15,900 working satellites circle the planet alongside roughly 46,950 tracked objects, and ESA estimates another 1.5 million fragments between one and ten centimeters too small to track. Ten new payloads launch every day. Each crash creates the fragments that cause the next one, and ESA's 2026 Space Environment Report warns that the debris population would keep growing even if launches stopped tomorrow. COPUOS has overseen the peaceful use of space since 1959, but its 2007 debris mitigation guidelines and 2019 sustainability guidelines are voluntary, and when an ESA satellite had to dodge a Starlink satellite in 2019, the two operators coordinated over email. Delegates must decide who owns the problem. Should mitigation become binding? Who pays for removal? And how much orbit can one nation or company claim?
World Health Organization (WHO): Antimicrobial Resistance and the Global Antibiotic Crisis
More than 4.7 million deaths worldwide were associated with bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in 2021, highlighting the growing threat AMR poses to global health. AMR occurs when microorganisms (e.g. bacteria, viruses, fungi) stop responding to the medicines used to treat them, making infections increasingly difficult or impossible to control. Beyond affecting healthcare systems, AMR also deeply impacts agricultural societies that rely on the health of animals and plants, while disproportionately challenging populations with limited access to sanitation, healthcare, and effective antimicrobials. This committee will focus on the escalation of AMR by discussing equitable access to antimicrobials, economic constraints, sanitation measures, international surveillance, and the prevention of antimicrobial misuse and overuse. Building upon existing international efforts, including the Global Action Plan on AMR (GAP-AMR) and the One Health approach, delegates will draw upon their countries' diverse systems and resources to develop sustainable solutions to address the threat of AMR.
More than 4.7 million deaths worldwide were associated with bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in 2021, highlighting the growing threat AMR poses to global health. AMR occurs when microorganisms (e.g. bacteria, viruses, fungi) stop responding to the medicines used to treat them, making infections increasingly difficult or impossible to control. Beyond affecting healthcare systems, AMR also deeply impacts agricultural societies that rely on the health of animals and plants, while disproportionately challenging populations with limited access to sanitation, healthcare, and effective antimicrobials. This committee will focus on the escalation of AMR by discussing equitable access to antimicrobials, economic constraints, sanitation measures, international surveillance, and the prevention of antimicrobial misuse and overuse. Building upon existing international efforts, including the Global Action Plan on AMR (GAP-AMR) and the One Health approach, delegates will draw upon their countries' diverse systems and resources to develop sustainable solutions to address the threat of AMR.
United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC): Protection of Journalists and the Freedom of Information
Journalists are messengers of the most immediate and important events across the globe, and they empower people with the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions, understand the world, and live as an active member of society. Philip L. Graham famously said that “journalism is the first rough draft of history.” A large problem arises when that first draft isn’t allowed to be written. The freedom of the press is completely restricted by dozens of nations across the globe and severely curtailed by many more. Despite the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizing freedom of expression and access to information as basic human rights, journalists are constantly facing challenges, especially in war zones, that threaten to infringe on those rights. At the same time, governments argue that restrictions on the media are necessary for national security. In this committee, delegates will consider the challenges facing journalists internationally and work to develop practical solutions to ensure safety and freedom of the press while respecting national sovereignty and legitimate security concerns.
Journalists are messengers of the most immediate and important events across the globe, and they empower people with the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions, understand the world, and live as an active member of society. Philip L. Graham famously said that “journalism is the first rough draft of history.” A large problem arises when that first draft isn’t allowed to be written. The freedom of the press is completely restricted by dozens of nations across the globe and severely curtailed by many more. Despite the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizing freedom of expression and access to information as basic human rights, journalists are constantly facing challenges, especially in war zones, that threaten to infringe on those rights. At the same time, governments argue that restrictions on the media are necessary for national security. In this committee, delegates will consider the challenges facing journalists internationally and work to develop practical solutions to ensure safety and freedom of the press while respecting national sovereignty and legitimate security concerns.
Historical Security Council (UNSC): Congo Crisis (1960)
After 75 brutal years of ruling the Congo, Belgium abruptly withdrew in 1960, leaving behind a vast nation fractured by ethnic divisions and a weak political structure. Within days of independence, the Congolese military mutinied and started a wave of violence against Belgians throughout the country. Since Belgium denied higher education to most Congolese, the flight of Belgian colonials resulted in hospitals without doctors, courts without judges, and transportation networks shut down. In response, Belgium launched a military invasion without the permission of Prime Minister Lumumba and began occupying strategic areas. Additionally, the resource-rich territory of Katanga, which makes up over half of the nation’s economy, is now backed by a Belgian mining monopoly and attempting to secede. Their withdrawal from the country would bankrupt the government. With civil infrastructure wiped out, a foreign military occupying the country, and economic collapse on the horizon, delegates of this committee will be tasked with simultaneously addressing a severe humanitarian crisis with the sovereignty of a fragile republic. Will anarchy and foreign power consume the nation, or will the UNSC find a way for this young democracy to prevail?
After 75 brutal years of ruling the Congo, Belgium abruptly withdrew in 1960, leaving behind a vast nation fractured by ethnic divisions and a weak political structure. Within days of independence, the Congolese military mutinied and started a wave of violence against Belgians throughout the country. Since Belgium denied higher education to most Congolese, the flight of Belgian colonials resulted in hospitals without doctors, courts without judges, and transportation networks shut down. In response, Belgium launched a military invasion without the permission of Prime Minister Lumumba and began occupying strategic areas. Additionally, the resource-rich territory of Katanga, which makes up over half of the nation’s economy, is now backed by a Belgian mining monopoly and attempting to secede. Their withdrawal from the country would bankrupt the government. With civil infrastructure wiped out, a foreign military occupying the country, and economic collapse on the horizon, delegates of this committee will be tasked with simultaneously addressing a severe humanitarian crisis with the sovereignty of a fragile republic. Will anarchy and foreign power consume the nation, or will the UNSC find a way for this young democracy to prevail?
Historical United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP): Bhopal Disaster (1984)
As industries expanded, so did the risks created by large-scale chemical production. Stemming from the international community’s failure to establish clear global standards for chemical safety and corporate responsibility, the Bhopal disaster emerged as one of the deadliest industrial catastrophes in history, exposing hundreds of thousands of people to toxic gas overnight. The disaster threatened everything from individual human health, to the surrounding environment, and any communities living near the hazardous industrial facilities. In this historical UNEP committee, delegates will confront the urgent challenge of responding to the Bhopal disaster and preventing similar catastrophes. Should multinational corporations face stricter international environmental regulations? How can states balance industrial development with public safety? And where does national sovereignty end when corporate actions create environmental consequences across borders?
As industries expanded, so did the risks created by large-scale chemical production. Stemming from the international community’s failure to establish clear global standards for chemical safety and corporate responsibility, the Bhopal disaster emerged as one of the deadliest industrial catastrophes in history, exposing hundreds of thousands of people to toxic gas overnight. The disaster threatened everything from individual human health, to the surrounding environment, and any communities living near the hazardous industrial facilities. In this historical UNEP committee, delegates will confront the urgent challenge of responding to the Bhopal disaster and preventing similar catastrophes. Should multinational corporations face stricter international environmental regulations? How can states balance industrial development with public safety? And where does national sovereignty end when corporate actions create environmental consequences across borders?
Joint Crisis Committee:
The Russian Revolution
It is February 1917. Centuries of rule under the Romanov family have collapsed in a matter of days, leaving a power vacuum in a nation that has been battered by World War I. Out of the chaos and unrest, two fiercely opposed groups have arisen. The Provisional Government is fighting to stabilize democracy while staying in the war. The Bolsheviks, a disciplined rival minority gaining ground, are simultaneously determined to weaponize the people's anger towards a socialist uprising. In this JCC, delegates will assume key historical characters positioned on both sides of this divide. The Provisional Government must contain unrest and hold the state together, while steering the nation towards democracy and navigating wartime. Meanwhile, Bolshevik leaders must build influence and lay the groundwork for an armed takeover. Will fragile democratic institutions survive, or will radical revolution sweep them aside?