Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

Issues and Reports

Issue of the Seafaring Neutrality

Issue of the illegal narcotics trade

Head Chair

Nguyen Hoang Thien Ngoc

Fellow chairs, distinguished delegates, and esteemed guests and directors of the Conference,

I am Nguyen Hoang Thien Ngoc, a junior at Singapore International School(Gamuda) and I feel honored to be your Head Chair for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) committee, and I look forward to working with the rest of the committee for this conference. This will be my first experience as chair UNIS after three years of being an MUN delegate, and I look forward to the agreements and compromises that will be made that comes with a fruitful conference.

The theme of this year’s November Conference expands upon the question: “How can we use multilateral diplomacy to surmount the challenges of rapid societal change?”. With globalization, technological advancements and trends towards digitalization that bring out these societal changes come seemingly overwhelming obstacles to conquer. This incites international cooperation as a way to bring about global sustainability. By cooperatively focusing on issues through multifaceted lenses, we can gain insight on means to forge through these intercontinental shifts towards worldwide social equity as well as environmental and economic development.

ASEAN focuses on promoting economic progress and initiating economic growth, more specifically closing up on the Southeast Asian nations. This encourages more detailed insights to be provided about a smaller sample that still achieves the merit of synergetic dialogue alluded to by the theme of the Conference while presenting significant impacts and initiatives to member nations involved, which provokes unique centered discussions with more vested interest for every member nation in formulating a solution.

Ultimately, the questions posed by this year’s conference for ASEAN will be on “The issue of seafaring neutrality” and “The issue of the illegal narcotics trade”, which are increasingly relevant due to Southeast Asia’s esteemed focus on its waters. As advancements occur in society as a whole, these issues will require further analysis while their nuances continue to grow. Delegates are expected to provide their insight on both topics and fight for their stance, whether it be to protect their priorities for seafaring neutrality or steer towards sustainability through compromises in resources, perhaps through the crackdown on narcotics trade. This once again reinstates the theme of this conference in exploring the potential of multilateral cooperation, and provides an interesting groundwork for delegates to develop and form insightful initiatives for the issues stated.

I am delighted to serve you all as head chair, and look forward to the engaging debate to be had ahead. See you in November!

Deputy Chair

Olivia Sohn

Fellow chairs and esteemed delegates,

My name is Olivia Sohn, and I am a junior at Concordia International School in Hanoi. I have attended three conferences as a delegate and it is my honor to serve as the deputy chair of the ASEAN Committee.

The theme of this conference, “How can we use regional cooperation to promote equitable development?” is a timely reminder of the importance of collaboration in addressing global challenges. It aligns with the ASEAN committee as regional cooperation has been a driving force for fostering economic growth, addressing regional security concerns, and promoting social development across Southeast Asia.

The ASEAN Committee plays a critical role in fostering regional solidarity as well as promoting peace, stability, and economic growth. It addresses security challenges, fosters economic integration via the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), and tackles transnational issues. By facilitating dialogue, enabling economic collaboration, and addressing shared challenges (security, environmental issues, and social development), the committee works to create a cohesive solution for all member states. The committee will work towards reducing disparities and encouraging sustainable development while upholding ASEAN principles.

The first topic in the ASEAN committee is the “Issue of Seafaring Neutrality,” which involves maintaining the security of vital maritime routes that facilitate global trade and economic stability. This issue is crucial in the context of ASEAN for protecting regional waters, preventing conflicts, and ensuring freedom of navigation. The second topic - “Issue of the Illegal Narcotics Trade” - poses a serious threat to both regional and global stability, contributing to organized crime, corruption, and public health crises. As it contributes to rising crime rates and undermines public health, ASEAN’s role in managing this issue is critical to disrupting trafficking networks and mitigating its harmful social and economic impacts.

That said, I once again look forward to serving as your deputy chair and seeing insightful debates and innovative solutions that will be brought to the conference.

Procedural Chair

Liz Park

Greetings honorable directors, distinguished delegates, and esteemed guests,

I am Liz Park, a freshman attending the United Nations International School of Hanoi. This is my third year being a part of MUN, with this UNISMUN November 2024 Conference marking my fourth conference, and second as a chair. At this conference, I will be the procedural chair of the ASEAN committee. Through my previous experience of being not only a delegate, but also chair, I have developed many skills to lead and communicate with numerous delegates, and am willing to share my knowledge and give support to any delegates needing help.

The theme of this conference is, “How can we use regional cooperation to promote equitable development?”. Especially in the ASEAN Committee, the delegates should approach this theme based on the keywords: Regional Cooperation and Equitable development. As this association particularly works towards cooperation between Southeast Asia countries, equality between those countries is essential.

As a student who lived in Hanoi for around 7 years, the committee of ASEAN connected to me the most, as ASEAN is about the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including Brunei Darussalam, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Our two topics,

‘Issue of the Seafaring Neutrality’, and ‘Issue of the illegal narcotics trade’ are both related to trading. Our first topic is about being neutral when major countries, such as China and the United States’ disagree. This is vital as many of the shipping routes go through Southeast Asia, and are crucial for global trade. Our next topic is about the issue of the illegal drug trade. Due to the fact that borders between countries are not well guarded, illegal drug trading is common between the countries.

With all this said, I acknowledge the struggles of being a delegate, but I am sure everyone will help each other improve on different skills. I look forward to working with you at the upcoming UNIS MUN conference. Thank you.