 |
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
|
 |
|
BACKGROUND GUIDE (.pdf) Hello and welcome to BosMUN 2002! My name is Paul Wanda and I will be chairing the World Health Organization for this conference. I am a sophomore at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, majoring in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and minoring in Biomedical Engineering. I have been involved in Model United Nations since middle school and have participated in the WHO several times as a delegate. Outside of classes and problem sets, I am most likely found playing or refereeing ice hockey, catching up on some much-needed reading, or chilling to some jazz. The World Health Organization (WHO) was established on April 7th, 1948, and currently has 191 members. The goal of the World Health Organization is to obtain the highest possible level of health for all people. The central dogma of the WHO states, "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." To this effect, it monitors the observance of international health regulations and cooperates with member states to provide assistance in emergency situations. In our session of the World Health Organization, we (somewhat tentatively) will be discussing the two topics of Antibiotic Resistance and Prevention of Biological Warfare. Combating and preventing antibiotic resistance has become an issue of major concern in our modern world, as the mutation rates of dangerous and deadly microorganisms are easily keeping pace with our efforts to develop better and more effective treatments to eliminate disease. Although medical advances will allow us to combat such resistances through development of more powerful versions of obsolete drugs, we are fighting a losing battle against the greater evolutionary advantages of infectious bacterial agents. Are there policies and guidelines we can place into effect regarding the handling and use of antibiotics? How would increased regulation of antibiotics affect regions that are currently wracked by disease and are in need of medical aid? The other topic we will consider for debate is the effects and prevention of biological warfare, not in the sense of putting a halt to biological attacks (that is not within the WHO's mission), but rather to examine the possible effects of the threat of biological terrorism and consider ways to prevent the resulting loss of life. This can come in the form of vaccinations and fast treatment, but costs are high. Additionally, we need to consider the psychological effects of terror-spawned biological attacks and the problems which may result. Your topic papers should discuss the history of the topic, your country's policy, and some possible solutions. Committee will be non-crisis, although a few surprises are likely to show up. Due to the changing nature of the world's current health situation and recent events, it is possible that a topic may be updated or added before the conference, so be sure to check the BosMUN website often. Also, if you have any further questions, email me at pwanda@mit.edu, and as the conference draws nearer, you can check my website http://web.mit.edu/pwanda/www as I may post additional information regarding WHO and BosMUN.
|
