International Civil Aviation Organization
Topic A: Strengthening International Air Route Antitrust
Topic B: Increasing International Airline Safety Standards
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) plays a critical role in shaping global aviation policy and ensuring the safety, efficiency, and fairness of international air travel. In an increasingly interconnected world, the regulation of air routes and airline safety standards has become more essential than ever, as global travel continues to rise and aviation markets grow more competitive.
The globalization of the airline industry has led to an increase in cross-border alliances, joint ventures, and code-sharing agreements. While these arrangements can provide consumer benefits and operational efficiency, they also threaten competition and can induce market dominance. Some carriers may use these agreements to monopolize lucrative routes or marginalize smaller airlines. This topic will explore the balance between cooperation and competition in international aviation, examining existing antitrust frameworks and proposing strategies to enhance oversight, promote transparency, and protect the rights of consumers and smaller market players. While connectivity is valuable, an unregulated global air market could end up with excessive consolidation, and with that higher prices and worse service for consumers. Individual countries can take some action to ensure competition, but international cooperation is critical in this regard.
Despite remarkable progress in aviation safety over the past decades, disparities still exist in safety enforcement and oversight among member states. Variations in maintenance protocols, crew training, regulatory enforcement, and technological infrastructure have led to inconsistent levels of safety across international airspace. As aviation becomes more globalized, the need for harmonized and elevated safety standards is more urgent than ever. This topic will challenge delegates to examine how ICAO can support states in adopting robust safety practices, improving accident investigation mechanisms, and encouraging the implementation of improved safety technologies. Delegates will also consider how to assist developing countries in meeting these standards through funding, training, and international collaboration. Furthermore, collaboration between countries can allow every country to adopt the best safety standards and regulations from across the world, through collaborative sharing of expertise.
Dear Delegates,
Welcome to HMUN 2026! I’m so excited to meet all of you and lead this committee where you will work to improve the state of international aviation!
I am James and I will be serving as your Director for the ICAO committee for HMUN 2026. I am a junior at Harvard studying economics (hopefully with a secondary in astrophysics!) from New York City. I love to travel and can guarantee that I have been to the continent where you are from (sadly I have not been to every county yet, but I am working on it.) At Harvard I am also on the sailing team and am senior staff for Harvard Model Congress.
I have been doing Model Congress since seventh grade, and Model UN since ninth grade. I remember as a delegate how much I enjoyed working towards finding solutions to real world problems. Admittedly the resolutions you pass are not actually passed in the real UN, but I am convinced that the process of thinking about solutions, and how to collaboratively implement them across countries with very different goals is invaluable. Through Model UN, you learn to improve your speaking skills, your ideas and collaboration with others with different goals, your writing skills, and your leadership ability. I know that Model UN helped me develop all those skills, and I hope you learn these skills too from your time researching and in committee. Most of all, I hope you have a great time at the conference, meeting your fellow delegates and directors, and hopefully even getting to see some of Boston!
As you may have guessed from the topic, I am very interested in commercial aviation. I love to travel, and I am fascinated by both the business and technical side of aviation. There is a large domestic component to commercial aviation (which I will be addressing in my HMC committee this year), but international travel is a huge part of global air travel. In my opinion, it contains most of the most interesting flights and challenges faced by commercial aviation. Naturally, international aviation requires international cooperation, and I am hoping that you can all work towards that cooperation to help create a more interconnected and successful world.
I am very excited to work with all of you, and if you ever have any questions or challenges please tell me! I remember how big and sometimes a little bit intimidating these conferences can be, so if there is anything I can do to help you adjust and enjoy the committee I would love to. Much as I enjoy running committee, I am ultimately here for you because I believe MUN is a very valuable experience, and I want you to learn as much as you can, but also have the best time possible at the conference!
Sincerely,
James Bergstrom
Director, International Civil Aviation Organization
icao@harvardmun.org
Harvard Model United Nations 2026