What's Cooking At YMAX 2025?

By Jervis Lim and Amy Nguyen

Delegates, YMAX is upon us! While you fret and worry over your preparations, here’s a broad introduction to the rest of the councils held in this year’s edition of the conference. 

FEALAC

The Forum for East Asia-Latin American Cooperation (FEALAC) is a unique event-an inter-regional forum bridging not only the physical, but also the cultural and economic divide between two very different regions. This year’s edition of YMAX sees FEALAC offer Dynamic Agenda-Delegates must prioritise Cyber Secretariat Reports that update delegates on the status of the various topics up for debate-dual-use technologies in private military trade, sustainable ocean governance, labour mobility, and many more! The scope of FEALAC’s discussions range far and wide. From strategic concerns to economic downturns, delegates have much to discuss during the four days of the forum. Alertness and responsiveness are key to efficiently resolve the problems introduced in FEALAC. Speed must be balanced with academic rigour. Fiery debate awaits!

AMMSWD

The leaps in socioeconomic development across various ASEAN nations hide an ugly truth- much of these gains are built on the backs of helpless children trapped in supply chains across the region. Despite the best efforts of the AMMSWD, child labour continues to proliferate. This exploitation runs deep, reaching all the way into the domestic setting. Delegates will explore various aspects of this issue, debating on business operations’ transparency and accountability, mitigating the negative effects of migration on children, and providing adequate education for these vulnerable individuals. The AMMSWD strives to promote social inclusion and protect the rights of marginalized communities in the region. It must live up to its role. 

AMMS

The AMMS fosters regional cooperation in sports development, promoting social cohesion, healthy living, and regional identity through sport. It also aims to enhance sports development through improving sports infrastructure, talent development, governance and cultural engagement. Delegates will aim to elevate the quality of talent development at the grassroots level, sporting policy longevity and improving each nations’ sporting culture. Countries in ASEAN have different things to offer. Some have strong private sectors willing to invest in sporting talent. Others have grassroots sports organisations and a strong sporting culture. Regardless of what it is each nation has, delegates in the AMMS must band together and cooperate for the enhancement of sports development in ASEAN, uplifting nations with weaker sporting infrastructure together with them. 

AMM

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting oversees ASEAN’s political-security cooperation and its relations with external parties. In short, it manages ASEAN’s foreign affairs. It sets the organisation’s strategic policy directions, reviews community-building efforts, and ensures the consistency of ASEAN nations’ conduct, among other things. The AMM will be tested in the next few days-countries must enhance the effectiveness of ASEAN’s regional conflict resolution, reduce the susceptibility of this process to third party intervention, and expand ASEAN’S role in conflict resolution on the global stage. Yet, ASEAN has adopted the principles of non-interference and consensus-based diplomacy, hindering the effectiveness of conflict resolution processes. Delegates must strive to strike a balance between effective conflict resolution and remaining faithful to the ASEAN Charter. 

ALAWMM

The ASEAN Law Ministers Meeting stands as a key platform within the ASEAN framework, strengthening legal cooperation across Southeast Asia. The ministerial-level meeting harmonises legal systems, promotes judicial cooperation and addresses transnational legal challenges in the region.  The ALAWMM convenes biannually and discusses pressing legal issues within the region. One such issue is streamlining the Exequatur Procedure in ASEAN, the topic for this year’s simulation. Despite the best efforts of law ministers across the region in recent years, member states have been unable to succeed in this area. Enforcing judgements across vastly different legal systems and deciding on the nature of this mechanism is no easy task. Will delegates come to a consensus on a common framework for exequatur procedures in ASEAN?  

AMEM

The AMEM is the highest policy-making body on energy cooperation within the ASEAN Economic Community, driving ASEAN’s efforts in shaping energy policy, advancing energy infrastructure, and strengthening energy resilience. This Committee will explore cooperative strategies to promote sustainable energy access, fostering regional growth and energy stability, through debating the Question of Strengthening Cross-Border Energy Infrastructure and the Mineral Supply Chain. Delegates will have to negotiate obstacles in implementing cross-border energy infrastructure, taking advantage of the mineral supply chain, and mitigating the environmental costs of the mining boom, among other concerns. 

AFMM

The ASEAN Financial Ministers Meeting conventionally proposes financial initiatives and join statements that reflect collaborative efforts. As of late, it has been overseeing monetary and fiscal policy coordination between ASEAN Member States, development of investor markets, as well as sustainable finance and climate action. In this edition of YMAX, the AFMM tackles private investments in green economies, addressing the issue of how to attract and distribute green investment and developing green monetary financial tools, while keeping considerations such as transparency, diversification, and accessibility in mind.

H-IMF

It is 2 July 1997, and the Kingdom of Thailand has floated its currency, sending ripples of shock through the region. Diminished investor confidence in the currency and the nation’s economic strength, together with rumours of a currency devaluation, have set off speculative attacks that have led to a sharp depreciation of the Thai baht. Could this be a catalyst for a much larger crisis? Delegates simulate Directors of the Executive Board of the H-IMF, battling against time to contain the fallout of this crisis. Faced with falling investor confidence in Asian economies and a chain reaction of currency devaluations, delegates cannot afford complacency- lest they set off a chain of cascading economic impacts that will shake the world for years to come. With Arria-Formula Meetings, lending arrangements, and an exciting Dynamic Agenda as part of this council’s Specialised Rules of Procedure, Directors of the H-IMF will certainly be kept on their toes!

SDD

The Special Defense Dialogue has been responsible for some of the biggest breakthroughs in security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific. Heads of state, defence ministers, military leaders, and academic scholars converge on the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore. The Asia-Pacific’s security is debated and challenged behind the closed doors of this conference. Expect tense negotiations, fiery rivalries, and strained alliances, carefully navigating the raging civil wars, violations of international law, and departures from the rules-based international order that have defined 2025. Delegates must stay vigilant during Special Sessions and adapt to pressing News Updates. Or perhaps, the council will move in another direction altogether… Stay tuned!

Press

Welcome, welcome, to the greatest council of them all- the Press Corps! A few words of admiration for the Editors of the Press Corps, the bestest, sweetest, smartest people there are. As the first and only triple-delegation council at this conference, the Editors look forward to seeing what delegates cook up over the four days of lively debate at this conference. Expect not only jaw-dropping investigative pieces, scathing satire, and eloquent op-eds, but also engaging press conferences and hilarious memes! The Press Corps is a space to explore and find one’s own writing voice-the Editors certainly hope that every single delegate manages to do so!

SMU Taster Sessions

What’s that, you ask? Well, SMU is offering taster classes for all YMAX delegates on Day 2 of the Conference from 0930 to 1130! Spanning the fields of law, social sciences, computer science, accountancy, and integrative studies, these sessions are sure to pique your interest. Hope you’re excited, because this admin sure is!  

Country Meetings

Watch out for this exciting event on Day 3! Delegates across YMAX’s ASEAN Committees will come together to coordinate their stances, learn about each other’s efforts in their respective committees, and work together to achieve their nation’s goals. This unique event adds another degree of realism to the conference, allowing delegates to understand the mutual cooperation that needs to take place for a country’s diplomats to present a united front. 

As always, communication is key! Delegates must remember to sound out their specific goals. Consider what your delegation can give up as well as what it cannot. Remember that the Country Memorandum should be a coherent document with a tangible agenda. May the best ASEAN Delegation win!

The Editors hope that this article has been an enjoyable read, and that all delegates have a meaningful and enjoyable time at YMAX 2025.