Topic Summary

The Economic Commission for Latin America Committee: Sustainability in the Lithium Triangle at HNMUN 2026 will be a fast-paced, high-stakes simulation placing delegates at the center of one of Latin America’s most urgent economic and environmental questions. Set in the present, this committee explores the future of the Lithium Triangle, where Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina hold some of the world’s most important lithium reserves amid surging global demand for clean energy technologies.

As governments seek development, corporations pursue investment, and Indigenous communities defend land, water, and sovereignty, delegates will confront the difficult balance between sustainability and extraction. The committee will examine who benefits from lithium production, who bears its costs, and how regional cooperation can respond to growing international pressure.

Without a traditional backroom, crisis elements will unfold through periodic News Updates and Intelligence Briefings delivered by the dais. Delegates may face sudden mining disasters, protests, environmental emergencies, or border tensions that reshape debate in real time. These developments will demand creativity, negotiation, and cultural awareness as delegates work to build a just and sustainable future for the region.

Director’s Letter

Dear Delegates,

I am so excited to welcome you to the UNESCO committee for this year’s version of Harvard National Model United Nations.

My name is Ana Marcela, and I am a sophomore at Harvard studying neuroscience on a biological track and philosophy. Born and raised in Cali, Colombia, I carry my city’s quintessential, sun-soaked passion in all of my endeavours. It is this spirited devotion that first led me to get involved in Model United Nations when I was 12 years old, and I have not stopped participating in conferences since.

At Harvard, I not only direct for our conferences, but I am also part of ICMUN, our competitive debate team. Furthermore, I am involved in projects such as the Harvard Organisation for Latin America, Harvard Modern Dance Company, Harvard Undergraduate Foreign Policy Initiative, and, First-Year International Programme, and the Harvard Undergraduate Photography Club.

This committee will be an opportunity to discuss the intricacies of language and education. I encourage you to be innovative and include history and culture in the debate. I look forward to the arguments and solutions you bring forth, in order to create a comfortable but rigorous intellectual environment. Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns — as someone who received a multilingual and multicultural education myself, I am personally invested in this committee.

Sincerely,

Ana Marcela

Director, UNESCO

ecosoc@hnmun.org