• The question of combating transnational organized crime, including the trafficking of narcotics and weapons

• The question of strengthening regional cooperation in response to climate-induced migration and natural disasters

• The question of combating and preventing electoral corruption in American states

Greetings honourable MUN directors, fellow chairs, distinguished delegates and most esteemed guests,

My name is Srinjoy Sengupta, and I am currently a sophomore at the British International School Hanoi. The 2026 UNISMUN March conference marks my 7th conference overall and my 2nd time being a chair. I am honoured to serve as your head chair for the Organization of the American States, and I look forward to working with all delegates!

This year's conference theme, “Is our rules based international system able to adapt to contemporary challenges to security and sovereignty?”, holds significant weight in today’s world; where security is of perpetual concern and national sovereignty is constantly challenged. With global debate intensifying over whether the laws governing our international forum have become static and outdated, and with concurrent security threats which challenge national sovereignty, delegates must carefully consider if our current rules-based system is able to effectively respond to these persistent challenges. 

The OAS in particular unites states in the Americas and leads discussions in advancing democracy, human rights, security and development, all of which closely resonate with the conference theme. As the leading regional organization for the western hemisphere, the OAS is crucial for developing legislative guidelines, promoting harmonization across systems, strengthening cooperation among its member states as well as working with other bodies of the UN to implement specific programs. 

Our first topic for this conference: "The question of combating transnational organized crime, including the trafficking of narcotics and weapons". This problem not only undermines the safety of citizens, but also challenges national sovereignty, tasking delegates with respecting national sovereignty while enhancing measures to counter this. 

The second topic: "The question of strengthening regional cooperation in response to climate-induced migration and natural disasters" highlights growing concerns with climate change and human security, allowing delegates to explore how regional cooperation can be enhanced. Discussions on shared frameworks and coordinated humanitarian responses are highly encouraged for this topic. 

The last topic: "The question of combating and preventing electoral corruption in American states" requires delegates to consider strengthening transparency and safeguard democratic institutions throughout the Americas, all the while upholding national sovereignty. This topic also invites delegates to evaluate the role of regional organizations and legal mechanisms in ensuring fair and free elections. 

I am sure that with a thorough understanding of each topic and country, everyone will contribute to a productive and exciting conference. I look forward to guiding you throughout this conference and hope that it is an enriching experience for all delegates! See you all in March!

Srinjoy Sengupta

Honorable Chairs, distinguished delegates, and most esteemed guests/

My name is Joonhoo Bae, a sophomore of the United Nations International School. It is my pleasure to serve as the deputy chair of the Organization of the American States. This will be my 9th ever MUN conference, and 7th as a chair. 

This conference’s theme, “Is our rules based international system able to adapt to contemporary challenges to security and sovereignty?”, has close relations with our 3 topics, as the American countries have been going through massive turmoil recently. OAS was founded in 1948, including 35 independent states of the USA, and islands of the Caribbean to serve as the main regional forum for political discussion and decision-making on issues like peace, anti-crime, and sustainable growth. Hence, it is one of the most suitable committees to discuss the issues amongst the American regions. 

The question of combating transnational organized crime, including the trafficking of narcotics and weapons demonstrates how to keep countries under a unified system to serve peace whenever dissonances occur among countries. This is a crucial step to take, as United States of America, and Mexico, one of the biggest drug cartels in the world, are struggling to prevent human/public casualties due to drug/weapong trafficking.  The question of strengthening regional cooperation in response to climate-induced migration and natural disasters tests whether countries can come to a consensus in accepting migrants despite less opportunities for students, or they ignore the migrants despite risks of potential conflicts with the country migrants are from. It is challenging the diplomacy between delegates. The question of combating and preventing electoral corruption in American states would discuss how justice will be determined by the American civilians, rooting for the rules of an international system. 

I believe that this conference will be a meaningful experience not just for the delegates, but also for the chairs as none of us are quite used to the American policies despite attending international schools. Due to the fact that the American continent and the Caribbean islands hold quite a lot of authority on an international stage, what goes on in the states are quite crucial for the chairs to be familiar with, and to dig in deeper with the topic not only for MUN but also for our future studies. Hence, the chair believes that this will be quite an experience for all participants, and we are looking forward to seeing you guys in March!

Let’s make this conference the best one we have had so far!

Joonhoo Bae

The Organization of the American States (Procedural Chair) - Cherie Sim

Greetings honorable directors, distinguished delegates, and most-esteemed guests, 

My name is Cherie Sim, and I am currently a sophomore at Seoul Foreign School. I am honored to be your procedural chair for this 2026 UNISMUN March conference! This marks my 2nd year participating in MUN, and 1st conference as a chair! I am truly excited to help make this conference a memorable experience for all delegates.

This conference’s theme, “Is our rules based international system able to adapt to contemporary challenges to security and sovereignty?”. This theme is greatly intertwined with the objectives and pillars of the OAS: democracy, human rights, security, and development. Founded in 1948, the OAS includes 35 independent states of the Americas–Central, North, South, and the Caribbean. Delegates will need to navigate their way between the complex balance of multilateral collaboration and the sovereign right of each state.

Our committee’s topics all highlight the ways the challenges of security and sovereignty confront the foundational international systems of the Americas: The question of combating transnational organized crime, including the trafficking of narcotics and weapons, the question of strengthening regional cooperation in response to climate-induced migration and natural disasters, and the question of combating and preventing electoral corruption in American states.

The first topic, combating transnational organized crime including the trafficking of narcotics and weapons–Delegates will learn much about the tensions between national jurisdictions and the exploitative nature of trafficking networks, allowing for them to test the system’s ability to evolve to counter borderless, non-state crimes without undermining the sovereignty of each nation.The second topic, strengthening cooperation in response to climate-induced migration and natural disasters, will challenge the international system to update its rules in order to address new climate-driven movements. Delegates will work to create legal frameworks for displaced populations and recreate existing legal frameworks to adapt to the current situations. Lastly, the third topic, combating and preventing electoral corruption in American states, will explore the democratic stability and legitimacy of the current system, and the limitations of involvement in domestic elections. Delegates will navigate between the boundary of safeguarding democracy and respecting the principle of non-interference in political processes.

As one of the chairs of the OAC, I hope to make this a memorable experience for all attending delegates. Throughout this conference, I’m sure each and every one of you will not only gain a broadened perspective on these prevalent issues, but also a deeper appreciation for MUN.

With that said, I will see all of you in March!

Cherie Sim