Topic Guide - Academy Model United Nations

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AMUN XVII
February 4-5, 2016
In Somalia, an Imam, a worship leader in Sunni Mosques, attempts to heal mentally ill patients by reciting verses
of the Quran through a megaphone.
A Background Guide for the
World Health Organization
Chairs: Princess Ibeabuchi and Valerie Rome
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AMUN XVII
February 4-5, 2016
Contents:
Letter from the Chairs ….……………………………….……………………..….. 3
Topic A: Mental Health Care in the Developing World ………………………….. 4
Committee Introduction …………………………………………………… 4
Topic Introduction …………………………………………………………. 4
Impact ……………………………………………………………………… 5
Invisible Problem ………………………………………………………….. 6
Mental Health Spending ..………………………………………………….. 6
Past International Action .………………………………………………….. 8
Questions to Consider .…………………………………………………….. 8
References …………………………………………………………………. 8
Topic B: Treatment of HIV/AIDS in the Developing World ……………………. 10
Topic Introduction .……………………………………………………….. 10
Topic Brief .………………………………………………………………. 10
Past International Action …………………………………………………. 11
Questions to Consider ……………………………………………………. 13
References .……………………………………………………………….. 13
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AMUN XVII
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Bergen County Academies Model United Nations
- The 17th Annual Conference Dear Delegates,
My name is Princess Ibeabuchi and I will be serving as the your chair for the World
Health Organization (WHO) at AMUN XVII. I am currently a senior with interests in debate, the
United Nations, and political systems. My participation in Model UN started in freshman year
when I took the elective. The class really opened my eyes to a realm that I had never been
exposed to before, and sophomore year I attended my first conference - AMUN XV. Since then, I
have attended AMUN XVI, EmpireMUNC, and WAMUNC. While this is the novice committee,
I ask that you have an applicable understanding of parliamentary procedure. I don’t expect you to
be experts, but I recommend that you have sufficient understanding of parliamentary procedure
so that committee runs smoothly and effectively. If you have any questions or concerns, please
do not hesitate to contact me. I hope that everyone is as excited about the conference as I am, and
wish you to know that what you are doing is extremely important in helping to make our world a
more united and cohesive place.
Best Regards,
Princess Ibeabuchi, Co-Chair, WHO
priibe@bergen.org
Dear Delegates,
My name is Valerie Rome and I am super excited to be chairing the World Health
Organization (WHO) at AMUN XVII. My past experience in MUN is vast, and I plan only to
expand it in coming years. In this time, I have had my fair share of great chairs and not so fair
chairs, so I plan to use these experiences to be the best chair I can be. When I’m not participating
in MUN, I’m either playing tennis or traveling. This summer I will be spending a month
exploring Peru. I’m especially looking forward to the journey to Machu Picchu and seeing one of
the ancient wonders of the world. In school, I enjoy learning about the sciences, especially
chemistry. I am sure that this committee will be able to formulate smart and effective solutions to
the topics we’ve selected.
Best regards,
Valerie Rome, Co-Chair, WHO
valrom@bergen.org
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Topic A: Mental Health Care in the Developing World
Committee Introduction:
The WHO, the World Health
Organization, serves as a specialized
agency under the United Nations (UN)
that is centered around international
public health care. It was established
on April 7, 1948, a date that now has
come to be known as World Health
Day. WHO headquarters are located in
Geneva, Switzerland and it is from
there that the agency tackles the
majority of the most pressing medical
issues of today such as communicable
diseases, the mitigation of noncommunicable diseases, sexual and
reproductive health, as well as mental
health care.
The WHO is constantly revising
its priorities and objectives.to stay up
to date with the latest medial issues.
One of the ways WHO seeks to do this
is through the release of an annual
international publication known as the
World Health Report. Each report
includes an expert analysis of a
specific , global health topic that
concerns all member state countries of
WHO. A member state is a country that
is a member of an international
organization or federation. The WHO’s
Constitution states that its main
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objective is the “attainment by all
people of the highest possible level of
health.”
The constitution of the WHO
committee had been signed by 61
countries on July 22,1946, and as of
present day it now has over 190
countries as member states. Under the
constitution. some of the major aims of
WHO include monitoring the health
situation, assessing health trends,
providing technical support, and
articulating ethical and evidence-based
options. When engaging in open
debate, it is important to be aware of
the functions of the actual WHO
committee, so as to know the
jurisdiction WHO has when tackling
the presented topics which, in this
particular conference are Mental
Health Care in Developing Countries
and the treatment of AIDS in
Developing countries.
Topic Introduction:
Mental health, as stipulated by
the World Health Organization, is
“more than the mere lack of mental
disorders.” WHO opts for a more
holistic definition and defines it as a
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state of well-being in which an
individual realizes his or her own
potential, can cope with the normal
stresses of life, can work productively
and fruitfully, and is able to make a
contribution to her or his community.
Therefore one who is diagnosed with
some variation of a mental disorder
would be someone that deviates from
this definition in any number of ways.
These mental disorders are generally
characterized by dis-regulation of
mood, thought, and or behavior. WHO
recognizes that these disorders can be
the root of unemployment,
homelessness, and other hardships for
individuals. Strong mental health is
recognized as a key contributor to
overall wellness and longevity, as it
promotes self-sustainability and the
ability of one to make contributions to
his or her own community. Despite
this, mental health has and continues to
be disregarded and strewn to the side in
order to allocate time to more
“pressing issues”. This remains a
problem faced by both developed and
developing countries. However
developing countries face special
challenges, due to their
underdeveloped infrastructure, and
systems, when answering the question
of how best to provide care for mental
illness. These challenges are financial,
practical, and social in nature, and can
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be attributed in part to the lack of
access to tangible and intangible
medical resources. While WHO has
begun to work toward this immensely
important global health goal, as have
individual member states and
communities within those member
states, it is an issue that continues to
proliferate and access to resources is
still yet to be made readily available to
a large fraction of the world’s
population.
Impact:
Mental illness is a global issue
that plagues almost a quarter of the
world's population. Approximately, one
in four people in the world will be
affected by mental or neurological
disorders at some point in their lives.
Currently, around 450 million people
suffer from such conditions, placing
mental disorders among the leading
causes of ill-health and disability
worldwide. On a global scale, the
magnitude of undiagnosed and
unaddressed mental health problems
continues to be high. It is estimated
that 120 million people globally suffer
from depression, 50 million from
epilepsy, 37 million from Alzheimer’s
disease, and 24 million from
schizophrenia. About 1 million people
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worldwide commit suicide every year,
and approximately 20 million
unsuccessfully attempt suicide. In the
United States, suicide is the eighth
leading cause of death - another life is
taken this way every 17 minutes.
According to a World Health Report
study, mental health problems are a
major cause of lost years of quality
life. In spite of that, allocations to treat
mental health problems in national
health budgets are disproportionately
small in relation to non-mental health
related diseases and the serious health
consequences they pose.
Invisible Problem:
Even though the issue is so
widespread, it has known to be
somewhat of an “invisible problem” in
many countries, especially third-world,
developing regions. WHO estimates
that mental and neurological disorders
are the leading causes of ill health and
disability globally, but there is an
appalling lack of interest from
governments and non-governmental
organizations, (NGOs). There is still a
stigma attached to mental illness and
this restricts the formation of any
meaningful social pressure to affect
individual or governmental action.
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Many countries also lack the
basic legal infrastructure to protect
those with a disability from violation
of rights. Human rights violations of
psychiatric patients are common, with
patients physically restrained, isolated
and denied basic rights. There are
therefore significant cultural barriers to
overcome to deliver mental health
policies.
Mental Health Spending:
Average global spending on
mental health care is still less than US$
3 per capita per year. In developing
countries, expenditure can be as little
as US$0.25 per person per year,
according to the WHO's Mental Health
Atlas 2011, released on World Mental
Health Day. The report also finds that
the bulk of those resources are often
spent on services that serve relatively
few people". Governments tend to
spend most of their scarce mental
health resources on long-term care at
psychiatric hospitals," says Dr. Ala
Alwan, Assistant Director-General of
Noncommunicable Diseases and
Mental Health at WHO. "Today, nearly
70% of mental health spending goes to
mental institutions. If countries spent
more at the primary care level, they
would be able to reach more people,
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and would start to address problems
early enough to reduce the need for
expensive hospital care." With so many
health issues affecting developing
countries, tackling mental health tends
to be seen as something of a luxury or
last resort. Aid spending remains
focused on the "big three"
communicable diseases which are
HIV/Aids, malaria and TB, with many
other health conditions receiving only a
fraction of the attention and funding.
Although mental health may
be thought to be secondary to
physical health, it is, in fact, a
widespread cause of morbidity and
mortality. Some disorders, especially
those that lead to suicide, can be
deadly in and of themselves. Others,
which can cause the affected to
engage in high-risk activities or to
be unable to care for themselves, can
lead to the development of chronic,
physical ailments, such as heart
disease and cancer. Those suffering
from depression, for instance,
comprise a disproportionately high
percentage of those also suffering
from hypertension, epilepsy,
diabetes, and HIV/AIDS. That is not
to say that the high physical cost of
mental illness is the only cost; in
fact, the costs of mental illness
frequently extend from the
individual suffering to society.
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According to WHO, “four of
the six leading causes of years lived
with disability,” are due to mental
illnesses, the most common one
being depression, which has reached
epidemic levels in many countries.
Untreated mental illness is also often
linked with substance abuse, the
consequences of which are well
recognized, and with high- risk
behaviors, such as unprotected sex,
which contributes to the transfer of
sexually transmitted infections. The
burden that is placed on families due
to poor mental health is also severe.
Individuals afflicted with mental
illness are subject to stigmatization
and disconnection from society, and
without a heightened awareness and
sensitivity to these disorders,
members of these individuals'
families suffer as well. Furthermore,
in areas where mental health care is
not always available, families of
those who are disabled by mental
illness become caregivers, placing a
significant financial and personal
burden on them. Suicide, which is
frequently a consequence of many
untreated mental illnesses, adds to
that burden by placing emotional
strain and distress on loved ones.
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Past International Action:
In order to combat the issue of
the stigmatization of mental health
illnesses, in the past there have been
several coalitions and committees
created for the purpose of increasing
the global effort put forth towards this
issue. In 1996, in recognition of the
particularly harsh burden caused by the
stigma associated with schizophrenia,
the WPA initiated a global anti-stigma
program, Open-the-Doors. In 2005, a
WPA Section on Stigma and Mental
Health was created, with a broader
mandate to reduce stigma and
discrimination caused by mental
disabilities in general. In 2008, WHO
launched the Mental Health Gap
Action Program (mhGAP) to address
the lack of care, especially in low- and
middle-income countries, for people
suffering from mental, neurological,
and substance use disorders.The WHO
mhGAP aims at scaling up services for
mental, neurological and substance use
disorders for countries especially with
low- and middle-income. The program
asserts that with proper care,
psychosocial assistance and
medication, tens of millions could be
treated for depression, schizophrenia,
and epilepsy, prevented from suicide
and begin to lead normal lives– even
where resources are scarce.
Questions to Consider:
1. How can stigmas associated with
mental illness be dissolved in favor
of seeking justice for the human
rights of those afflicted?
2. How can more awareness be
allocated to the “invisible
problem”?
3. How can resources be made more
readily available for those who live
in countries whose infrastructures
lack the funds and ability to
provide constituents with them?
How can mental illness be dealt
with in developing countries
without obstructing national
sovereignty?
4. At what point can the issue be
mitigated so significantly that it is
no longer considered a global
issue?
References:
1. http://www.nmun.org/ny_archives.html#wholink
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2. http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/mental_health/en/
3. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/may/10/mental-illnessdeveloping-world
4. http://www.globalmentalhealth.org/untreated-mental-health-issues-globalreality
5. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/may/10/mental-illnessdeveloping-world
6. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2011/mental_health_20111007/en/
7. http://www.who.int/topics/mental_disorders/en/
8. http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/
9. http://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/
9285.pdf
10. http://www.humanosphere.org/global-health/2013/06/visualize-mental-illness/
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Topic B: Treatment of HIV/AIDS in the Developing World
Topic Introduction:
The first five cases of Acquired
Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
were discovered June 5, 1981. Since
then, it has claimed the lives of more
than 40 million people. In 1983, the
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
was determined as the source of
infection. The total number of
individuals living with HIV has
reached its highest level: currently
there are 35 million persons living with
HIV, 95% of those infections and
deaths having occurred in developing
countries. It has also been reported
that, worldwide, more than 40% of
new infections among adults are found
in young people ranging from ages 15
to 25. The outbreak of HIV/AIDS has
devastated regions, leaving a path of
destruction, economies, and civil
societies crippled.
Asia has the second largest
prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in the
world. Even in Asia, the problem is
still the same as there are many
infected persons who cannot afford
treatment even when treatments are
available. Because Sub-Saharan Africa
and Asia both have large numbers of
infected persons much of the attention
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has been focused on these two regions.
35 years since the first outbreak, we
are seeing prevalence rates increase in
the western hemisphere, with Latin
America and the Caribbean States
leading the way and the United States
of America and Eastern and Western
European Nations falling shortly after.
Topic Brief:
Despite progress in treating
those affected by the disease in a small
number of countries, this epidemic
continues to surpass global efforts to
contain it. Currently, of the people
infected with HIV, only one in ten has
been tested and/or knows that they are
infected with the virus. Efforts to
expand and secure antiretroviral (ARV)
treatment and care will be undermined
if the cycle of new infections cannot be
broken. There is a growing consensus
that HIV prevention must be
intensified, as part of a comprehensive
response that will expand the access to
treatment and care and to get ahead of
this epidemic.
The majority of the cases are
coming from Sub-Saharan Africa and
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Asia, where many cases are caused by
mother-to-child transfer at birth.
Throughout the development of this
pandemic, children are the ones who
seem to suffer. Many are left orphaned
after either one or both parents are
deceased, and those living with the
disease are shunned and denounced by
their societies because of the stigma
that comes with being infected and a
carrier of the virus. In most cases,
women and girls face worse
discrimination than men do. For
women, employment opportunities
become even scarcer and at times,
many refuse treatment due to the fear
of discrimination they may receive
from others. The advancement of HIV/
AIDS has led to an increasing number
of child-headed households. In any
case, such children are very vulnerable
to exploitation, which can also make
them even more vulnerable to
infection.
Past International Action:
UNAIDS is the main advocate
body for Global action against HIV/
AIDS. In 1996, the UN took an
innovative approach bringing together
six organizations to help form a cosponsored program. Working together,
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the goal of UNAIDS has been to
catalyze and strengthen the unique
resources of multiple previous
organizations. With an annual budget
of 60 million dollars and a staff of
more than 150 professionals, UNAIDS
prioritizes its attention on areas that
include helping young people cope
with the lasting effects of HIV/AIDS,
highly vulnerable populations,
prevention of mother to child HIV
transmission, developing and
implementing community standards of
AIDS care, vaccine development and
special initiatives for hard hit regions.
At the 8th plenary meeting on
June 27, 2001, the UN General
Assembly adopted a resolution to
commit to a global action against HIV/
AIDS. During the meeting, the
committee reaffirmed previous
commitments made through the
Millennium Declaration, Abuja
Framework Declaration, and
Framework for Action for the fight
Against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and
other related infectious diseases in
Africa, and the European Union
Program for Action. Convinced of the
need for urgent for coordinated a
sustained response to the HIV/AIDS
epidemic, member states declared
commitment to address the HIV/AIDS
issue by taking into account the diverse
situations and circumstances in
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different regions and countries
throughout the world. Five years after
the Declaration of Commitment made
by member states in 2001, a report
based on data supplied by countries on
the complete set of core indicators
developed by UNAIDS to monitor the
implementation on the Declaration of
commitment on HIV/AIDS showed
that while certain countries reached
their key targets and milestones set out
in the declaration for 2005, many
countries failed to fulfill their pledges.
WHO has called upon national
governments to take greater
accountability for the national
response, by allocating greater
resources to help decrease the spread
of HIV/AIDS in high-risk areas. The
UN General Assembly, in the
Declaration of Commitment on HIV/
AIDS, five years later also made
recommendations that included the
assistance of national governments
assisting with national programs and
other humanitarian organizations with
effective implementation programs that
have worked to decrease prevalence
rates in countries like Uganda, Kenya,
and Cambodia.
Ever since the rapid spread of
HIV/AIDS across the globe, there has
been a serious health movement by
humanitarian and private organizations
and International Campaigns to
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decrease, prevent, treat and even cure
the spread of HIV/AIDS. At the
forefront of such movements is the Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation,
followed by organizations such as
AVERT, AIDS Watch Africa, and the
World AIDS Campaign.The Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation focuses on
ensuring that lifesaving advances in
health are created for those who need it
most. The foundation also focuses on
increasing access to existing vaccines
and drugs in less developed countries.
Unlike the Gates Foundation,
organization like AVERT and AIDS
Watch Africa focus generally on data
and implementation programs that
seem to decrease the spread of HIV/
AIDS in certain countries. Many of
these organizations and campaigns that
were created in the wake of the HIV/
AIDS pandemic have been very useful
in spreading the message to the global
community about prevention and
treatment. All the same, statistics show
that throughout the years, the disease
continues to kill thousands and the lack
of treatment and preventative options
are begins to slow down any progress
that has been made. At this rate with
the lack of funding and access to
pharmaceuticals, global initiatives and
international organizations seem to
have a long road ahead.
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Questions to Consider:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What is the HIV/AIDS situation
in your nation?
Does the government offer the
support needed to carry out
certain programs or legislative
amendments?
What problems are blocking
potential progress regarding this
issues?
What solutions does your
country offer in halting HIV/
AIDS?
How can third world nations
become free from the
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
inaccessibility of treatment
because of money?
What are some of the proposed
short and long term goals
regarding this issue?
What resources are available for
prevention and treatment
campaigns?
How are those resources going
to be efficiently allocated?
What improvements can we
make on effectively determining
hardest hit areas
What research has been done
thus far in finding a cure? References:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications
http://www.globalissues.org/article/219/
http://www.etu.org.za/toolbox/docs/organise/webaids.html
http://aetcnec.ucsf.edu/sites/aetcnec.ucsf.edu/files/Evaluating%20Programs
%20for%20HIVAIDS%20Prevention%20and%20Care%20i%20Developing
%20Countries_0.pdf
http://www.aids.org/topics/aidsfactsheets/%20aidsbackgroundinformation/
whatisaids/
http://www.unaids.org/en/aboutunaids/unaidsstrategygoalsby2015 Page 13
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