Harvard Model Congress (HMC) is the largest congressional simulation conference in the world. HMC provides high school students from across the United States and abroad an opportunity to experience American government firsthand. Although HMC is run entirely by Harvard undergraduates, it is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization operated independently of the university. Domestic Conferences Harvard Model Congress Boston, founded in 1986, is the oldest of the HMC conferences and is held annually in downtown Boston. Each February, nearly 1,500 delegates travel to Boston to handle important issues facing the nation at the time of the conference. Students assume roles in committees in the three branches of the United States government. Programs include committees acting as the House of Representatives, Senate, and Supreme Court as well as other functions associated with government like lobbying. Founded in 2001, Harvard Model Congress San Francisco is an American government simulation program based on the Boston model and the first conference of its type on the West Coast. The four-day conference, held in the San Francisco Financial District, is more intimate than the Boston conference and features a lower student-staff ratio and more individual attention from Harvard undergraduates. The conference was originally located in San Diego and subsequently moved to San Francisco, where it continues today. International Conferences Harvard Model Congress Middle East, formerly known as Harvard Model Congress Dubai, was founded in 2013. Harvard Model Congress Dubai 2013 took place at the American University in Dubai, UAE from January 24–26. It hosted over 300 students from 11 different countries in its first conference. Harvard Model Congress Asia was founded in 2004, holding an annual conference in mid-January (second weekend of January). HMC Asia was organized in Hong Kong for the first time in history in 2014. It then became the largest international Model Congress conference, attracting nearly 600 students from 19 countries and 4 continents. HMC Asia focuses on America's political system and international governmental institutions. The 2008 conference, supposed to be held from September 4–6, was cancelled due to rebellion in Thailand. As the substitution for the cancelled 2008 HMCA, the 2009 session of Harvard Model Congress Asia was held in Seoul, Republic of Korea from January 22–24. In 2020, HMCA moved to Tokyo, Japan for the first time in its history. In 2021 and 2022, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, HMCA was hosted entirely virtually. In 2023, HMCA will return to Seoul,