The status of irregular migrants remains one of the most urgent and divisive human rights issues of our time. At SunMUN XVI, the Human Rights Council asks delegates to consider the applicability of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) to individuals moving across borders without formal authorization, many of whom find themselves fleeing conflict zones, climate disaster, economic collapse, and political persecution. While international law explicitly protects certain classes of such migrants—like refugees—millions more remain in a legal gray zone, vulnerable to detention, exploitation, and abuse. How can human rights be extended to irregular migrants without undermining state sovereignty? What responsibilities do states have when addressing irregular migration?

Beyond irregular migrants alone, how can the Human Rights Council promote access to judicial reprieve for all? Around the world, marginalized groups face steep barriers to legal recourse. What role does the Human Rights Council play in discussing international standards for the equitable application of the rule of law? Explicitly, when and how might state sovereignty supersede international consensus on the subject of human rights?