World Health Organization (WHO)

About the Committee:

The World Health Organization is the United Nations agency dedicated to improving the global conditions of health and healthcare. The topics of focus for this committee will be the modern HIV/AIDS pandemic and the emerging threat of antimicrobial resistance. Delegates will tackle the disproportionate burden of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on particularly higher-risk demographics and developing nations where advanced antiretroviral therapy remains far less commonly available than in developed nations. Delegates will also be equipped to address and mitigate the main drivers of antimicrobial resistance, another increasingly-foreboding global health concern that exacerbates difficulties in treating infections, performing life-saving procedures, and reducing the spread of diseases. Both the crises of HIV/AIDS and antimicrobial resistance are intimately tied to concentrated poverty, healthcare system instability, underdeveloped water and sanitation infrastructure, and limited public awareness, and must be confronted on a global scale. While the WHO does not possess legislative power, and instead operates through conducting research, examining health trends, emphasizing global partnerships, and promoting policy changes to its member states, this committee will act as a crucial tool in remediating these challenges while nurturing improved health around the world.

A LETTER FROM THE DaiS:

Hi Delegates, my name is Eli Jones and I am delighted to be your director for the World Health Organization. I am a second year student studying international studies and political science, and minoring in French. I love MUNUM, and I’ve been involved in Model UN since I was a freshman in high school. Outside of Model UN, I am a cellist in the University Campus Symphony Orchestra, and I participate in Residential College forums. In my free time, I love to play my instruments (I dabble in guitar in addition to cello) and knit. I am a strong believer that it is not possible to have too many sweaters. I also love to read and I am a huge, huge science fiction fan, especially star trek and star wars. I am super excited to meet you all in committee, and I hope we have a wonderful conference together!

Hi everyone! My name is Samantha Malcolm (she/her), and I am so excited to be your assistant director for the World Health Organization committee! I am a third year student at UMich majoring in public policy at the Ford School and minoring in economics. Along with my involvement in MUNUM, I am a member of the Kappa Alpha Pi Pre-Law Fraternity and the Environmental Consulting Organization, as well as a writer for the Michigan Journal of Economics and the Foreign Policy Council. I am an avid reader, especially of the historical fiction genre; I love getting to explore unfamiliar time periods, geographical settings, and conflicts based in historical truth but told through a creative fictional lens with captivating storytelling. I also love being outside in nature; back home, I live on a ranch with a herd of cows! This will be my third year staffing MUNUM, and I am very much looking forward to seeing you all work together to craft solutions to the challenges you will face!

Please feel welcome to contact us with any questions or concerns that may arise as you prepare for the conference in January! Our email addresses are eeljones@umich.edu and smgoblue@umich.edu.

Best,

Eli and Samantha