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Dear Delegates,
Welcome to the World Health Organization committee! My name is Winshen Liu and I am excited for the discussions we’ll have in Vancouver and the incredible delegates we’ll meet from around the world.
Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, I am now a junior studying Social Studies at Harvard with a focus on Education in Latin America. This will be my first year with Model United Nations, but I have been involved in debate organizations since my sophomore year of high school.
Outside of WorldMUN, I dedicate most of my time to work with a student-led non-profit organization and a women’s business organization. I also love ballet and yoga as well as traveling, baking sweet treats, watching comedies, and hanging out with friends and family.
In March, our committee will discuss the issues of contraception in developing countries and malnutrition. The UN Millennium Development Goals provide a foundation for our discussions, as both topics tie into poverty and infant mortality rates, among other aspects of socioeconomic development. Because each topic relies on and influences a multitude of other conditions, we will not only discuss a diverse range of issues, but also sort through the complexities of such interconnected challenges in order to implement a resolution.
I hope you find the topics interesting and, even more importantly, are excited to refine your world view as you listen to your co-delegates’ insights. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me with questions or comments. I look forward to meeting all of you in the spring!
Best regards,
Winshen Liu
Chair, WHO
World Model United Nations 2012
who@worldmun.org
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Topic A: Contraception in Developing Countries
Along with national governments and various organizations, the WHO has been increasing population control efforts in developing countries such as India. UN MDGs, including infant and maternal mortality rates, are directly connected to the use of contraception. A statement made in 2008 by the World Bank reported that, “Fifty-one million unintended pregnancies in developing countries occur every year to women not using contraception…If contraception were provided to the 137 million women who lack access, maternal mortality would decline by 25-35 percent.” With contraception, use of dangerous alternatives such as abortion could be minimized and population pyramids could be balanced, offering a more stable foundation for socioeconomic development.
Barriers to introducing contraception include low levels of literacy in most developing countries and lack of government funding for education programs and other family planning services. Cultural norms and accessibility of contraception or family planning programs also hinder development and implementation of a policy on contraception.
Should all women of childbearing age be mandated to participate in a family planning program? If so, how will the issues of illiteracy and cultural norms be overcome? How will the resources provided be made accessible and their use, incentivized?
Topic B: Malnutrition
Malnutrition is highly prevalent around the world, resulting in problems such as “disease, mortality, growth retardation, brain damage, and reduced cognitive and working capacity among children and adults” (Lochmann 2005). Economic development is thus severely stunted, as are nations’ key institutions of education, government, and health care. Malnourished children cannot function optimally in school and therefore, enter the workforce without basic skills sets. A poor labor supply sustains the cycle of poverty as people continue to suffer from health issues related to living in poverty. Providing for the poor from cradle to grave overburdens governments as well as health care systems.
However, science has provided a possibility for meeting nourishment needs by fortifying flour, salt, and oil with essential vitamins and minerals. The potential positive effect on labor (increased productivity) and health care (decreased costs) are promising.
Would sending synthetically enriched foods from developed to developing countries be a band-aid for addressing true problems of agricultural reform and economic instability or would it be a necessary means of prompting such progress? If implemented, how would corrupt and inefficient government agencies incorporate food safety regulations of fortified foods? Are there long-term physical side effects of fortified foods that need to be addressed or does socioeconomic development necessitate certain sacrifices?