Committee Overview

Topic 1: Intelligence Gathering, Espionage, and International Security

Espionage has always been a central feature of statecraft, but in the 21st century its scope and impact have expanded dramatically. From covert surveillance programs to cyber instructions targeting government databases, espionage now blurs the line between traditional intelligence gathering and acts of aggression. While most states engage in intelligence operations, the practice is rarely addressed openly in international law. Espionage can provide early warnings of threats and deter terrorism, yet it can also undermine trust between states, violate sovereignty, and raise concerns about human rights when surveillance targets civilians. International law provides little clarity on where to draw the line. Should espionage remain an accepted gray zone practice or should clearer international norms govern its limit? How should the global community address new forms of cyber espionage, mass surveillance, and interference with diplomatic communications? 

Topic 2: Weaponization of Outer Space

Since the Space Age, orbit has been seen as a domain for peaceful exploration. Yet as satellites have become essential for communication, navigation, and defense, outer space is increasingly viewed as a potential battlefield. Tests of anti-satellite weapons by several states have already created dangerous debris, threatening astronauts and vital space infrastructure. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans the placement of weapons of mass destruction in orbit but leaves many loopholes especially regarding conventional weapons and military satellites. With more states and private actors entering space, the risk of an arms race is growing. The debate centers on whether new rules and verification measures are needed to prevent militarization, and how to balance security concerns with the peaceful use of space as a shared global space.

Topic 1: The Human and Social Impacts of Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental and humanitarian challenges of the 21st century. While much attention has been given to its ecological effects, the human and social consequences are equally severe. Around the world, communities that depend on agriculture, fishing, and tourism face alarming threats to their livelihoods and health as plastic waste infiltrates food chains, water supplies, and local economies. Inadequate waste management systems and the global export of plastic waste have intensified these challenges, disproportionately affecting low-income and marginalized populations while raising questions about global accountability and the ethics of consumption in an increasingly interconnected world. In this committee, delegates will be challenged to examine solutions that balance environmental responsibility with social justice in order to protect the planet and the people who inhabit it. 

Topic 2: Indigenous Rights and Green Colonialism in Southeast Asia

Across Southeast Asia, indigenous communities stand at the frontlines of rapid economic development and environmental change. Projects like large-scale mining, logging, dam construction, and agricultural expansion are often pursued under the banner of sustainability or national progress, but have led to displacement, cultural loss, exploitation, and environmental devastation to indigenous peoples across Southeast Asia. As the region accelerates its transition toward renewable energy and climate adaptation, the challenge of green colonialism grows more urgent. In this committee, delegates will examine how governments and corporations can promote economic and environmental progress without compromising the sovereignty, rights, and livelihoods of indigenous peoples in Southeast Asia. The transition toward a greener future must be a just and inclusive one–ensuring that the pursuit of sustainability does not repeat the same patterns of dispossession that have persisted throughout history. 

Topic 1: Statelessness and the Protection of Displaced Peoples in Southeast Asia

To be without a country is to be invisible—to the law, to the state, and often, to the world. Across Southeast Asia, hundreds of thousands remain stateless: the Rohingya denied recognition in Myanmar, hill tribes lacking documentation in Thailand, and children born in refugee camps across borders. Their lives are marked by displacement, legal limbo, and a daily struggle to access basic rights. In this committee, delegates will confront the complex political and historical forces that produce statelessness, from colonial-era borders to modern migration crises. Can Southeast Asia balance state sovereignty with regional human rights obligations? How should citizenship be defined in an age of transnational movement? Delegates will negotiate frameworks for regional protection, explore models for inclusion, and reimagine what it means to belong. This committee calls not only for policy solutions, but for moral clarity in a region where millions live between nations, and outside the law. 

Topic 2: The Role of Political Education in Post-Colonial States

What we teach about power shapes who dares to claim it. In post-colonial states, political education is more than just civics. Often, it is a battleground of memory, identity, and ideology. Should political education reinforce national unity or encourage dissent? Whose version of history becomes official, and whose is erased? In this committee, delegates will examine how Southeast Asian nations, each shaped by colonization, resistance, and rapid modernization, craft political consciousness in classrooms. From Singapore’s emphasis on social harmony to Indonesia’s post-authoritarian reforms, approaches vary widely. Delegates will debate curriculum design, state influence, and the role of political education in either building democracy or entrenching control. This topic invites delegates to think beyond textbooks and toward the future: how should the next generation be taught to lead, to question, and to remember? At its core, this committee explores not only how citizens are educated, but how nations are imagined.

Topic 1: Green Urban Development

Today, over half of the global population lives in a city, and that number is expected to reach over two-thirds by 2050. Urbanization is an inevitable part of a country’s economic development, and if well-planned, can foster a circular economy. More often, however, the current system incurs a high environmental cost: habitat loss, increased energy consumption, and air pollution. Urban centers not only play a large role in climate change but will experience the consequences up close as well. Rising temperatures exacerbate the heat island effect, and rising sea levels threaten the displacement of many residents in coastal cities. Impoverished communities suffer disproportionately due to the lack of adequate ways to combat these effects and the fact that they are often located in hazardous areas. Delegates should consider mixed land use, renewable energy implementation, and integration of artificial intelligence technologies, all while creating plans to ensure equal access to resources.

Topic 2: Implementation of Green Energy

In order to adhere to the global warming goal of 1.5°C, policymakers are moving more aggressively to reduce carbon emissions. The necessity of a switch to renewable energy is well-established; now, the focus turns towards implementation. Current barriers are faced in insufficient renewable grid infrastructure and the storage issue posed by the transient nature of most renewable energy sources. Additionally, renewable energy, as a popular method, has yet to extend to particular uses, specifically heating and transportation. Solar and wind power are currently the most developed and cost-effective, but are they always the best choice? What roles should the public and private sectors play? While answering these questions, delegates should also find ways to address energy storage, encourage investment, and consider how new technologies can improve energy efficiency.

Topic 1: Online Exploitation and Child Sex Trafficking in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia has become one of the world’s fastest-growing digital regions, and one of the most dangerous for children online. As internet access expands, so do cases of grooming, child pornography, and sex trafficking coordinated through social media and encrypted platforms. Delegates will explore how UNICEF can work with governments, technology companies, and international organizations to combat these crimes. The discussion will challenge delegates to balance freedom of digital access with the urgent need for stronger victim protection and digital accountability.

Topic 2: Children in Conflict Zones and the Recruitment of Child Soldiers

Armed conflict continues to claim children as both victims and participants. In parts of Southeast Asia and beyond, thousands of children are forcibly recruited or coerced into serving as soldiers and laborers, leaving lasting physical and psychological trauma. Delegates will debate how UNICEF and its partners can strengthen international monitoring, rehabilitation programs, and reintegration initiatives for children affected by war. Delegates will also debate how community engagement and peacebuilding efforts can break the cycles that make children vulnerable to recruitment in the first place. The discussion will push delegates to design long-term solutions that restore both safety and hope for children growing up in war.