Committee Overview

Chair: Alyssa Vargas

Topic 1: Access to Maternal & Reproductive Healthcare in Conflict Zones and Crisis Settings

Armed conflict and humanitarian emergencies routinely dismantle the health systems that women depend on, with devastating consequences for maternal survival. Nearly two-thirds of global maternal deaths occur in fragile or conflict-affected states, where hospitals are damaged and supply chains for essential medicines collapse. Pregnant women may give birth without sanitation, emergency obstetric care, or safe delivery options, while access to contraception, prenatal care, and treatment for survivors of sexual violence is often cut off entirely. Humanitarian responses frequently treat reproductive health as secondary to food, shelter, and safety, leaving critical gaps in funding and coordination. Meanwhile, attacks on health facilities and restrictions on aid delivery raise serious questions about the enforcement of international humanitarian law. As crises grow longer and more complex, the committee must examine how states and international organizations can ensure that maternal and reproductive healthcare is treated as a core component of crisis response rather than an afterthought.

Topic 2: Protecting the Wellbeing of Female Migrant Workers

Millions of women migrate across borders each year in search of economic opportunity, often filling essential roles in domestic work, caregiving, agriculture, manufacturing, and the service sector. Yet the same systems that rely on their labor frequently leave them without adequate protection. Female migrant workers face heightened risks of wage theft, excessive working hours, confiscated documents, and exploitative recruitment practices, as well as gender-based violence and harassment from employers and intermediaries. Visa systems that tie legal status to a single employer can trap workers in abusive conditions, while language barriers, social isolation, and fear of deportation discourage them from seeking help. Access to healthcare, legal remedies, and social protections is often limited or nonexistent, and the informal nature of much of this work leaves it outside the reach of labor law. As global migration continues to rise, the committee must consider how countries of origin, transit, and destination can cooperate to strengthen legal safeguards and ensure that female migrant workers can work with safety and dignity.

Chair: Campbell Bas

Topic 1: Reconciling Indigenous Legal Authority with National Legal Systems

In 1978, under the landmark case Oliphant v. Suquamish Tribe, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that tribal courts and police generally lack criminal jurisdiction to arrest, prosecute, and convict non-Indian offenders on tribal lands. Despite this, American Indian and Alaska Native women in the United States face disproportionate rates of violence, murder, and going missing, in comparison to other groups, with the majority of the perpetrators being from outside the tribal community. Due to tribal courts being barred from investigating non-Indians, responsibility for investigating Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) cases is often delegated to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and with limited resources, most MMIW cases are left unsolved and unprosecuted. In 2007, the UN passed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), establishing a universal framework to protect Indigenous people’s rights to maintain their juridical systems; however, national legal systems differ in how they recognize and implement those rights. Drawing on the example from the United States, what legal mechanisms can the international community implement better to recognize Indigenous legal authority within national legal systems, and protect vulnerable Indigenous peoples while ensuring accountability for perpetrators of crimes against Indigenous peoples?

Topic 2: Indigenous Law and International Human Rights

In 1988, Brazil adopted its current constitution, which officially recognized Indigenous peoples’ social and cultural rights and their original land rights, making it the federal government’s responsibility to protect Indigenous peoples' lands and traditions. Despite their constitutional protections, Indigenous peoples located within Brazil’s territorial claims of the Amazon rainforest continually face human rights violations due to the gap between constitutional protections and practical enforcement of said protections. Illegal extractive resource practices like gold mining and logging have led to the environmental degradation of both the rainforest and the lands inhabited by Indigenous communities. Cattle ranchers have illegally stolen Indigenous lands for pasture space, and Indigenous leaders who steward and protect their lands have been threatened and assassinated by private militias. Brazil’s weak federal enforcement of constitutional protections for Indigenous peoples has enabled illegal encroachment on protected lands and has resulted in violent attacks against Indigenous leaders. The Legal Committee must consider the intersections between economic and industrial development, and how those developments lead to violations of Indigenous rights. Drawing from the example of Brazil, how can the international community ensure that Indigenous peoples’ legal authority and protections are upheld and enforced when these protections often conflict with the economic and industrial development priorities of the state?

Chair: Iverlyn Alicon

Topic 1: Building Equitable and Sustainable Urban Transportation Systems

As cities around the world, in both developed and developing countries continue to expand, the development of equitable and sustainable urban transportation infrastructure has become an increasingly bigger challenge. Through the use of transportation, communities are connected to employment, education, healthcare, and other opportunities, however there are multiple barriers that need to be addressed to improve upon the accessibility, affordability, sustainability, and reliability of transportation. Currently, around 56% of the global population currently lives in cities, a figure projected to climb to 60% by 2030 and 70% by 2050, driving an estimated 75% increase in urban passenger transport demand.

Inadequate urban planning, traffic congestion, and unequal investment in public transportation have further exacerbated the existing challenges faced by low-income communities, persons with disabilities, and residents of underserved areas, reinforcing existing socioeconomic inequalities.

Beyond the issues of accessibility, there are also the environmental and economic challenges that arise from the planning and implementation of urban transportation. The transportation sector accounts for roughly 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions, highlighting the importance and relevance of exploring transportation alternatives. Potential approaches include expanding cleaner public transportation, developing pedestrian-friendly infrastructure and cycling networks, and improving connectivity between different modes of transportation. However, when implementing these solutions there are a plethora of things to consider, such as sustainability conflicting with affordability, equitable distribution of resources, and community displacement. 

In this committee, delegates will consider the intersection of social equity, urban planning, economic development, and environmental sustainability when exploring transportation with an inclusive urban development view. Delegates will explore ways in which transportation accessibility and affordability can be improved, talks on the first and last mile connectivity, and the financial and political barriers that may arise. 

Topic 2: Development of Accessibility Infrastructure

As urban populations continue to expand, the consideration of ease of life for all people has become an important component of inclusive and sustainable urban planning. Everywhere you go, there are many individuals that struggle with physical, social, and technical barriers that hinder their ability to fully participate in urban life. These challenges noticeably affect people with disabilities, elderly, and individuals with limited mobility, highlighting the need to incorporate accessibility into urban infrastructure. 

The present socioeconomic disparities experienced are further reinforced by the inadequate accessibility standards, aging infrastructure, and unequal investment in urban development. To address these inequalities, there must be a considerable amount of thought into efficiently developing methods to increase accessibility and inclusivity of all people into society. Such as knowing the difference between accessibility versus availability, ensuring accessible housing and public spaces, pedestrian accessibility, and maintenance of accommodations. However to ensure the upkeep and development of these measures there needs to be the overcoming of barriers, such as financial, logistical challenges, and regulation. Additionally, it is important to consider how the technological advancements that may be used to improve accessibility can also create additional barriers for individuals without access to digital resources, assistive technology, or lack of knowledge on how to operate the devices. 

In this committee, delegates will examine the intersection of disability inclusion, urban planning, and social equity in the development of accessible infrastructure. The committee will explore different strategies for maintaining and improving accessibility, financing the infrastructure projects, and ways to promote collaboration between affected communities, government, and urban planners. 

Chair: Jenney Huang

Topic 1: Regulating Corporate Social Responsibility in Multinational Corporations

Multinational corporations operate and control significant economic resources in multiple countries, making them difficult to effectively regulate as most enforcement mechanisms remain national. Their size, influence, and mobility allow them to take advantage of disparities in regulatory strictness and enforcement, while obscuring the placement of legal responsibility. Nevertheless, increased awareness regarding human rights and the dangers of uncontrolled corporate power have propelled corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, which aim to hold corporations accountable for their actions. Modern CSR requires companies to self-regulate and ensure that their operations enhance society, encompassing sustainability disclosures, human rights protection, and corporate governance. Despite growing regulatory efforts, ensuring compliance remains an issue, as concerns over business competitiveness and oversight costs continue to hinder the enforcement of CSR standards. As multinational corporations play an increasingly central role in the world economy, establishing a strong international CSR system is ever more pertinent. Delegates will determine the terms of CSR while exploring the challenges of balancing corporate accountability with national economic sovereignty to propose solutions for effective global CSR regulations.

Topic 2: Combatting Cross-Border Tax Evasion and Illicit Financial Flows

Money often crosses borders more rapidly than it can be traced, and alongside the presence of tax havens, shell companies, and offshore accounts, many gaps exist in international financial oversight. Globalization has further enabled capital to move efficiently across countries, creating increasingly complex financial networks that can be exploited to obscure wealth and move funds gained from illegal activities. Consequently, these issues undermine global economic stability by creating unequal tax burdens, facilitating corrupt institutions, and diminishing fair competition. Moreover, the increased development of crypto-assets and financial technologies prompt new challenges for monitoring financial activity. Much of the difficulty in coordinating international responses is rooted in conflicting economic policies and the differences in national tax and financial systems. Therefore, delegates will navigate the systemic nuances of politics, privacy, and market integrity to build solutions for combatting cross-border tax evasion and illicit financial flows.