TEIMUN 2026

Topics

1. Addressing Gender-based and Conflict-related Sexual Violence against Women in the Context of Military Coups and Insecurity
2. Human Rights in El Salvador: Addressing the Rising Incidence of Arbitrary Detention, Torture and Internal Displacement

About the committee

Topic 1: The resurgence of military coups and unconstitutional changes of government, particularly in parts of Africa and Asia, has coincided with a deterioration in human rights protections, particularly for women and girls. In contexts of political instability and a weakened rule of law, gender-based violence (GBV) increases significantly, including conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) by armed actors such as state forces, militias and non-state groups. Women and girls are disproportionately affected due to pre-existing gender inequalities, limited access to justice, and inadequate institutional protection mechanisms. Survivors often experience stigma and are unwilling to report incidents, and have limited access to medical, psychological, and legal support. Furthermore, transitional governments following coups often lack the legitimacy or capacity to address these violations, while accountability mechanisms remain weak or non-existent. Key issues include the role of international humanitarian and human rights law, the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping mandates in protecting civilians, and the importance of gender-sensitive approaches in post-conflict reconstruction. Topic 2: El Salvador has attracted international attention due to its harsh security measures intended to combat gang violence, particularly since the state of exception was declared in 2022. While these measures have contributed to a significant reduction in homicide rates, they have also raised serious human rights concerns. Reports from organisations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have highlighted a substantial increase in arbitrary detentions, allegations of torture and ill-treatment in detention facilities, and violations of due process. Furthermore, this security crackdown has led to patterns of internal displacement. Individuals and families may flee their homes due to fear of wrongful arrest, retaliation, or violence from either state forces or remaining criminal groups. This puts further strain on social systems and highlights gaps in the protection of internally displaced persons (IDPs). Key questions include how to ensure accountability for abuse, strengthen judicial independence, and support victims of arbitrary detention and displacement.

Chairs

• RixtAnneRoos Ruedisueli
• Herve Heyndrickx

Countries

Topic

Leveraging International Trade for Decarbonisation: Supporting Developing Countries in Transitioning to Sustainable Manufacturing Economies

About the committee

Topic 1: With the increase in climate-related challenges, developing nations must strike a balance between attaining their industrial development goals and not adopting carbon-heavy models. This issue highlights the role that global trade can play as an enabler in transitioning agricultural-based nations into environmentally friendly manufacturing industries. Currently, non-tariff trade barriers, access to critical minerals, technology gatekeeping and geopolitical fragmentation are all constraining global green industrialisation. Through the lens of the UNCTAD, delegates will explore the opportunities presented by trade, investments, and technology transfer to achieve sustainable industrialization. Some of the critical areas of discussion are non-tariff trade barriers and guaranteeing equal access to markets, combating green protectionism, and sustainable and equitable development.

Chairs

• Yasmine Galea
• Mihnea Pasere

Countries

Topic

The End of the ROPE: The Future of NATO Under Uncertain Security Assurances

About the committee

Topic 1: As the fires of war keep raging across the Middle East, the temperatures in the West are plummeting to Absolute Zero. Decades of development of the Allied defence capabilities, trillions of dollars worth of equipment, ammunition, vehicles and ordinance spent, and scores of crises averted. The most powerful and successful military Alliance in human history. And yet, the aluminium shield of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation started to show cracks. In recent years, some leaders of Member States expressed their dissatisfaction with the Organisation, which sparked serious concerns regarding the preparedness of NATO in the case of a shrinking. Some leaders, experts, and the Secretary General of NATO have expressed their doubts and concerns regarding the resilience and defence capabilities if the contributions of certain member states were to be withdrawn. With that in mind, the question is rather simple: Is NATO doomed to fall apart, piece by piece? And if so, what can we do to stop it?

Chairs

• Tomáš Kučera
• Dominik Palkovič

Countries

Topics

1. Climate Harm as an International Wrong: Defining State Obligations and Accountability under International Law
2. Legal Pathways for Reforming the Use of the United Nations Security Council Veto Vote

About the committee

Topic 1: Climate change is increasingly framed not only as a policy challenge but as a potential international wrong. Around the world, states are facing legal action for failing to prevent or mitigate climate harm, signalling a shift toward understanding climate change through the lens of legal obligation, accountability, and responsibility. The recent ICJ advisory opinion reinforces this development. It clarified that states’ climate obligations arise from multiple sources of international law, including environmental treaties, customary norms, and human rights law. Crucially, the Court indicated that these obligations may be owed erga omnes, to the international community as a whole, and that failure to act could trigger consequences under the law of state responsibility. Yet significant legal uncertainties remain. Questions of attribution, shared responsibility, differentiated obligations, and the appropriate remedies for climate harm continue to divide states. This tension reflects a deeper divide: while climate‑vulnerable states push for recognition of climate harm as a matter of legal responsibility, others maintain that climate action remains primarily political, grounded in sovereignty, consent, and developmental priorities. The delegates must address not only whether states have binding obligations to act on climate change, but also how far international law can go in defining duties, assigning responsibility, and enforcing accountability in a system built on state consent and unequal contributions to harm. Topic 2: The veto power of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, established under Article 27(3) of the UN Charter, remains one of the most contested features of the UN’s collective security framework. While the veto was intended to preserve unity among major powers and ensure the functioning of the Security Council, its frequent use has led to institutional paralysis in situations involving threats to international peace and security. This raises fundamental legal questions concerning the balance between unity in decision-making and structural inequality embedded within the Charter. From a legal standpoint, the veto reflects a deliberate departure from the principle of sovereign equality enshrined in Article 2(1) of the Charter. As international law has evolved—particularly through the development of peremptory norms, obligations erga omnes, and doctrines such as the responsibility to protect—debate has intensified over whether the unrestricted exercise of the veto remains compatible with the purposes and principles of the United Nations under Article 1 The questions delegates must answer during the debates range from what the legal limits, if any, are on the use of veto under Article 27(3) UNC, and whether the unrestricted use of the veto conflicts with jus cogens norms or erga omnes obligations. Ultimately, the issue calls into question the compatibility of the veto with the principle of sovereign equality under Article 2(1) UNC, and whether legal criteria can or should be developed to restrict its use in cases involving mass atrocities, without undermining the foundational structure of the Charter itself.

Chairs

• Alicja Kowalczyk
• Karina Balaban

Countries

Topic

Sengoku Jidai: The Japanese Feudal Wars

About the committee

Topic 1: Japan, late 16th century. For nearly a hundred years, the country has been in a state of constant fighting. After the Shogunate collapsed and no authority capable of controlling Daimyo, war engulfed the whole country. Since then, the Daimyo have governed, expanded and strengthened their territories through warfare and diplomacy. Now, alliances have formed. Some march under one banner of unification, only a Japan united in belief can rise out of this broken nation. Others follow old beliefs and loyalties, holding on to an order from the past. And then there are those who only serve their own cause, hungry for power. But no group is strong enough to do it on their own. While diplomacy can do what the sword can’t, your ally marching with you today may burn down your castle tomorrow. There is no single way to success, and it is up to you to rewrite Japan’s volatile feudal history.

Chairs

• Carl Sjölin Fagerlind
• Simon Scheidler
• Nicolas Drew
• Matilde Minto
• Gabriela Grigoraș

Countries