UNCTAD

Before this committee begins, I want you to consider a simple truth: in today’s world, wars are not confined to battlefields. Disruption takes place through trade routes, delayed shipments, rising freight costs, and shortages that affect millions who may be nowhere near the conflict itself.

Welcome to UNCTAD at the twelfth edition of Daly College Model United Nations. I am Shreya Dafria, your Chairperson, and alongside Vice-Chairs Naavya Seksaria and Dev Bam, and Rapporteur Aneeshka Mittal, it is our privilege to guide this committee.

Nearly ninety percent of global trade moves by sea. A small number of strategic chokepoints carry the economic lifelines of nations. When conflict disrupts these narrow passages, the consequences are immediate and far-reaching. Shipping costs surge, inflation rises, essential goods become scarce, and economies across continents feel the shock.

What makes this issue even more urgent is the changing nature of disruption. Trade today can be weaponized not only through military force, but also through sanctions, proxy warfare, cyberattacks, and climate-driven crises. The very systems that connect the world have also become some of its greatest vulnerabilities.

This committee will demand critical thinking, strong diplomacy, and meaningful debate. Speak with clarity. Negotiate with conviction. Debate with substance. Because in an interconnected world, no disruption remains isolated.