World Health Organisation

The World Health Organisation is the overarching authority for health within the UN. As well as providing leadership on global public and private health matters, shaping the health research agenda, creating policy solutions, and monitoring health trends, the organisation also works to provide direct technical support to countries. Through its six point agenda, it aims to address international health challenges through promoting development, fostering health security, strengthening health systems, harnessing research and information, enhancing partnerships and improving its own performance.

All member States of the United Nations can represent themselves in the World Health Organisation, however, for the purposes of this Conference, representation shall be limited to 35 States.

Topic: Successfully Implementing the Eradication of Polio

In 1979 the WHO declared the eradication of Small Pox, making it the first disease in history to have been successfully eradicated. Now there is the potential for the eradication of a second human disease, Polio. Polio (poliomyelitis) is a viral illness mostly afflicting children. In some cases it can lead to paralysis of muscles in the body including those needed to breath. Although the WHO has been striving to rid the world of polio since 1988, there still are some countries where polio remains endemic; Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria.

Save for some religious resistance to the vaccinations (likely for political reasons) the commitment to the eradication is relatively uncontroversial. The issues are related to the logistics of vaccinating a whole country, and of course the ever present issue of who should pay for it. Should the countries still suffering from polio foot the bill, or should the worlds developed nations pitch in due to their global obligations and the risk that polio may once again affect their largely unvaccinated populations, and how much of a role do NGOs like the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation play in the eradication of this disease

Registration

Applications for the World Heath Organisation can be made from the Registration Page

Committee e-mail: who@brizmun.org

If you have any questions, please contact committees@brizmun.org.