UNCTAD
General AssemblyUnited Nations Commission on Trade and Development
The United Nations Conference on Trade And Development, or UNCTAD, focuses on equality in technological advancements and prevents the exploitation of other countries for one state's benefit. Established in 1964 with 195 member states, it promotes orderly conduct of trade while maintaining state sovereignty. UNCTAD has incentivized development of infrastructure in less developed countries and has helped every country participate fairly in the global economy.
AI is one of the most innovative technologies of the modern age. It provides assistance with daily tasks for many all across the world, and it also helps to abstract procedures necessary for development. However, these advancements don't come without downsides. In less developed countries, land is monopolized by large tech corporations to establish AI data centers, which take in large amounts of water. While claiming to benefit the community by offering jobs, minimal jobs are provided, and locals often aren't hired. These less developed countries also receive little to no access to the AI technology, halting the countries' economic development. In addition, AI can be more financially beneficial to large corporations, as it may be more financially beneficial to use AI instead of human personnel, which in turn causes a loss of jobs in many countries. This committee will try and look into how to make AI data centers more beneficial to the community, while also discussing sustainability factors in connection to the water usage of these data centers. The committee will additionally focus on limiting the usage of AI as a replacement for human labor. The delegates are responsible for making resolutions that are realistic and balance out sovereignty within delegate made policy.
Background Guides for VRMUN 2027 will be released at the beginning of the 2026 Fall Semester. The release date will be announced one week prior on the website and @granadamun on Instagram.