Historical General Assembly:
China's Seat in the United Nations (1971)
The Republic of China (ROC), a “Big Four” WWII victor, was the first country to sign the UN Charter in 1945. Three decades later, a single vote expelled the ROC from the United Nations. After the ROC lost the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) seized control of the mainland, forcing the ROC to retreat to Taiwan. Both governments subsequently claimed to be China’s sole legitimate representative, and despite the ROC’s defeat, it continued to hold China’s UN seat, raising concerns about China’s representation. As the PRC gained international standing during the Cold War, the ROC’s declined, and in 1971, Resolution 2758 passed overwhelmingly. Delegates in this GA committee will evaluate diplomatic options and debate who should hold China's seat in the UN and wield veto power in the Security Council.
Background Guide
China's Seat in the United Nations (1971)
The Republic of China (ROC), a “Big Four” WWII victor, was the first country to sign the UN Charter in 1945. Three decades later, a single vote expelled the ROC from the United Nations. After the ROC lost the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) seized control of the mainland, forcing the ROC to retreat to Taiwan. Both governments subsequently claimed to be China’s sole legitimate representative, and despite the ROC’s defeat, it continued to hold China’s UN seat, raising concerns about China’s representation. As the PRC gained international standing during the Cold War, the ROC’s declined, and in 1971, Resolution 2758 passed overwhelmingly. Delegates in this GA committee will evaluate diplomatic options and debate who should hold China's seat in the UN and wield veto power in the Security Council.
Background Guide
United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW): Bridging Women's Health Disparities
Despite making advances in legal and political equality, representation, and advocacy, women continue to face a crisis of health inequity worldwide. Medical research continues to underrepresent women, making many treatments and medications less effective for women. Social stigma and discrimination make it very challenging for many women to access reproductive healthcare, safe birth environments, and mental health support. Billions of women every year go untested for illnesses like breast and cervical cancers. Women are often dismissed by medical professionals and many face the risk of sexual violence while trying to access care. Research funding cuts continue to slow progress toward understanding menstrual health and menopause. At a moment of exponential medical advancment, women, especially those who are low-income, women of color, or residing in developing nations, are at risk of being left behind. This committee’s delegates will work to develop feasible solutions to address the systemic issues that create medical inequity for women around the world.
Background Guide
Despite making advances in legal and political equality, representation, and advocacy, women continue to face a crisis of health inequity worldwide. Medical research continues to underrepresent women, making many treatments and medications less effective for women. Social stigma and discrimination make it very challenging for many women to access reproductive healthcare, safe birth environments, and mental health support. Billions of women every year go untested for illnesses like breast and cervical cancers. Women are often dismissed by medical professionals and many face the risk of sexual violence while trying to access care. Research funding cuts continue to slow progress toward understanding menstrual health and menopause. At a moment of exponential medical advancment, women, especially those who are low-income, women of color, or residing in developing nations, are at risk of being left behind. This committee’s delegates will work to develop feasible solutions to address the systemic issues that create medical inequity for women around the world.
Background Guide
Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC): Cyber Warfare Regulation
As technology evolves, so do the weapons of war we use. Cyber warfare has emerged as one of the greatest security challenges of our time, able to devastate nations without a single shot being fired. Cyber operations now threaten not only national security and military systems but civilian infrastructure. Power grids, hospitals, bands, and communication networks that sustain daily life are all at risk. Yet, the international community has failed to agree on clear rules to regulate cyber operations, leaving governments and civilians at risk. In this DISEC committee delegates will confront the urgent challenge of regulating cyber warfare. Should cyberwarfare on civilian systems be outlawed completely? How can states hold non-state actors accountable in borderless digital spaces? And where does national sovereignty end when cyber operations pass physical borders?
Background Guide
As technology evolves, so do the weapons of war we use. Cyber warfare has emerged as one of the greatest security challenges of our time, able to devastate nations without a single shot being fired. Cyber operations now threaten not only national security and military systems but civilian infrastructure. Power grids, hospitals, bands, and communication networks that sustain daily life are all at risk. Yet, the international community has failed to agree on clear rules to regulate cyber operations, leaving governments and civilians at risk. In this DISEC committee delegates will confront the urgent challenge of regulating cyber warfare. Should cyberwarfare on civilian systems be outlawed completely? How can states hold non-state actors accountable in borderless digital spaces? And where does national sovereignty end when cyber operations pass physical borders?
Background Guide
Social, Cultural & Humanitarian Committee (SOCHUM): The Economic and Social Effects of Global Sporting Events.
Global sporting events such as the Olympics and World Cup can showcase culture, stimulate tourism, and generate short-term economic growth, but they also carry significant social and financial costs. Host nations often assume significant debt, while local residents may be displaced, excluded from new development, or left without long-term benefits. Investments are frequently concentrated in tourist-centered areas, deepening inequality within host countries. This committee will examine these challenges, focusing on how international sporting events can be made more economically equitable and respectful of human rights. Delegates will work to develop solutions that ensure both economic opportunity and fair treatment of affected communities.
Background Guide
Global sporting events such as the Olympics and World Cup can showcase culture, stimulate tourism, and generate short-term economic growth, but they also carry significant social and financial costs. Host nations often assume significant debt, while local residents may be displaced, excluded from new development, or left without long-term benefits. Investments are frequently concentrated in tourist-centered areas, deepening inequality within host countries. This committee will examine these challenges, focusing on how international sporting events can be made more economically equitable and respectful of human rights. Delegates will work to develop solutions that ensure both economic opportunity and fair treatment of affected communities.
Background Guide
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC): Strategically Important Minerals
Critical minerals, such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements, are essential to the development of renewable energy, advanced technologies, and global markets. Their extraction offers significant economic opportunities for both companies and governments. Yet they also raise environmental, social, and political challenges. Mining operations can impact local communities, strain natural resources, and usually result in an inequitable distribution of benefits. Governments, corporations, and interest groups all have stakes in how these resources are developed, traded, and regulated, often with competing priorities. This committee will explore the complex dynamics of strategic minerals extraction and use, encouraging delegates to advance their own interests while negotiating with others. Discussions will focus on balancing economic advantage, environmental management, and social impact.
Background Guide
Critical minerals, such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements, are essential to the development of renewable energy, advanced technologies, and global markets. Their extraction offers significant economic opportunities for both companies and governments. Yet they also raise environmental, social, and political challenges. Mining operations can impact local communities, strain natural resources, and usually result in an inequitable distribution of benefits. Governments, corporations, and interest groups all have stakes in how these resources are developed, traded, and regulated, often with competing priorities. This committee will explore the complex dynamics of strategic minerals extraction and use, encouraging delegates to advance their own interests while negotiating with others. Discussions will focus on balancing economic advantage, environmental management, and social impact.
Background Guide
Historical Security Council: The Partition of India (1947)
In 1947, the British government decided to relinquish control of India after the enormous cost of World War II and the mounting pressure of the Indian independence movement. Prime Minister Clement Attlee set a deadline of just over one year to leave the region, hoping it would provide enough time to create a singular Indian state. However, deep religious tensions quickly demonstrated that a partition of the subcontinent into two sovereign states, India and Pakistan, was (seemingly) inevitable. This committee will place delegates in the shoes of those who made this pivotal decision, where leaders faced the daunting task of withdrawing from a region containing 400 million people. The future of South Asia rests in your hands. Will the partition of India bring stability to the region or deepen existing divisions and unrest?
Background Guide
In 1947, the British government decided to relinquish control of India after the enormous cost of World War II and the mounting pressure of the Indian independence movement. Prime Minister Clement Attlee set a deadline of just over one year to leave the region, hoping it would provide enough time to create a singular Indian state. However, deep religious tensions quickly demonstrated that a partition of the subcontinent into two sovereign states, India and Pakistan, was (seemingly) inevitable. This committee will place delegates in the shoes of those who made this pivotal decision, where leaders faced the daunting task of withdrawing from a region containing 400 million people. The future of South Asia rests in your hands. Will the partition of India bring stability to the region or deepen existing divisions and unrest?
Background Guide
Joint Crisis Committee: The Gilded Age
Power, Wealth, and Unrest in Industrial America
Between 1870 and 1920, America underwent an era of immense transformation. Known as the Gilded Age, this period was defined by explosive economic growth, corrupt politicians, dazzling displays of wealth, and unprecedented social inequality. Monopolies in steel, oil, railroads, and banking allowed industrial titans like Carnegie, Rockefeller, and Morgan to amass fortunes that reshaped the nation. At the same time, the rise of unions, reform movements, and outspoken critics like Emma Goldman, Jacob Riis, Jane Addams, and Upton Sinclair exposed the darker realities of factory labor, tenement housing, and unchecked corruption. Delegates in this joint-crisis committee will embody figures ranging from “captains of industry” to journalists, labor leaders, and reformers, navigating crises that pit economic power against human dignity. Will America’s future be defined by unbridled capitalism, progressive reform, or revolutionary upheaval? The fate of the Gilded Age lies in your hands.
Background Guide