Dear Delegates, Faculty, and Affiliates,

On behalf of the Executive Board and staff of Harvard Model Congress Asia, it is my distinct pleasure to welcome you to the 21st session of Harvard Model Congress Asia, which will be held at the prestigious National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan, from January 8-10, 2025! My name is Stephen Norris, and I am honored to serve as the President of HMCA 2025. I am a senior at Harvard College studying Applied Mathematics and Economics. I served as the Business Manager for HMCA 2023 and one of the Directors of Programs for HMCA 2024, so I hope to see both familiar and new faces at the 2025 conference.

Since 2004, HMCA has served as the premier forum for cultural and intellectual exchange in the Asia-Pacific region, bringing together thousands of students to foster a community of informed future change makers. After phenomenal conferences the last two years, we are excited to build upon and improve the successes of previous years to provide an even more immersive, meaningful educational experience for students. This year’s conference will feature 15 dynamic committees, ranging from House Science, Space, and Technology to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which will be chaired by 30 Harvard students who are eager, and ready to work with delegates. Through the three-day conference, we hope delegates will not only learn how to debate about and craft solutions for some of the most pertinent issues confronting Asia, the United States, and the global community, but also to take these skills back to their communities to continue the work. 

I am excited to announce new changes ahead of the conference that we believe will improve the conference experience for all. First, the Executive Board has spent the summer crafting extensive pre-conference training materials and videos for delegates. We hope these training materials, which include information about parliamentary procedure, bill-writing, and more, will help delegates in their preparation for the conference. Second, we have streamlined the Scholarship Application process so that we can award scholarships in a more timely manner. Third, we will be emphasizing the importance of cross-cultural connections in the different programming that will occur during the conference. Fourth, we will provide opportunities to continue engaging in civic conversations and initiatives after HMCA, since civic engagement should only continue, not end, after the HMCA conference. Lastly, we are extremely excited to bring HMCA to Taiwan for the first time in our storied history!

The challenges facing young citizens of the world have never been greater. In the decades to come, young people will be forced to grapple with global conflict, poverty, threats to global health, and eroding democracy. In light of the daunting challenges that our global community faces, I hope, through the HMCA conference, delegates will learn how to address these crises in their own ways and continue to confront challenges in their own communities. Once again, we emphasize that the HMCA conference should only be the beginning, not the end, of a student’s civic engagement journey. As we countdown to the start of the conference, please know that the Executive Board, Staff, and I are all looking forward to seeing you in Taiwan and welcoming you to the 2025 HMCA conference! Onwards to Taipei!

If you have any questions about the registration process or the conference itself, please reach out to the Faculty Liaison, Kait Vu, at faculty@hmcasia.org.

With immense gratitude,

Stephen Norris

President | Harvard Model Congress Asia 2025