World Health
Organization
(WHO)
Topic 1: Mental Health
Topic 2: Health Consequences of Air
Pollution
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Osbourn Park Model United Nations Conference V:
October 16-17, 2015
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Topic 1: Mental Health
Background and Current Situation
The issue of mental health is one that deserves
international attention and discussion in order to reach
a resolution that benefits the individual and a country’s
health infrastructure as a whole. Mental illnesses are
usually interpreted as severe and erratic disorders that
can be easily observed and documented (such as
Schizophrenia). However, more subtle disorders, such as
anxiety and depression, also make up significant portions
of psychiatric patients. The World Health Organization
now estimates that one out of five people on the
planet is clinically depressed or poses a mild form of
anxiety. In developed nations, people with minor mental
difficulties (such as mild anxiety and depression) make
up a much larger part of the mentally challenged
population than people that suffer from extreme
disorders, such as PTSD and Bi-polar syndrome.
However, in countries that are affected by a host of
other issues, such violent strife or inadequate living
conditions, mentally ill patients experience severe
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disorders (like post traumatic stress disorder) due to
their hostile environment. The mental discomfort and
strain that result from major disorders often leads to
the development of other mental disorders like
depression as well. Even though the prevalence of
mental disorders presents a large problem in itself, the
lack of adequate healthcare and funding poses an even
greater threat to global mental health. Most of the
health funding in developing nations is devoted solely to
physically harmful diseases, while mental and emotional
disorders are not given adequate funding or attention.,
There are large portions of the world (especially in
Africa and Asia) that have not yet passed legislation
that protect the rights of mentally challenged people.
Approximately 33% of Asian nations and 41% of African
nations have not ratified laws to ensure the safety of
mentally ill people, which leads to systematic oppression
and discrimination against mentally ill individuals. The
World Health Organization looks forward to substantive
debate on this topic, and hopes attending nations can
reach a resolution on this prudent topic.
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Bloc Positions
Europe: In past years, the European Union has been at
the forefront of the fight for mental health research
and rehabilitation. In November 2005, the European
Union declared a revived focus on improving mental
health in European countries. Since nearly 27% of adult
Europeans have suffered from some form of mental
disorder (primarily anxiety and depression), many EU
officials have expressed interest in preventing certain
types of mental disorders. Autism and Asperger’s
Syndrome have been prevalent in the European Union’s
education initiatives in order to inform citizens about
the signs and threats of such disorders. The EU’s
efforts at public outreach may be an initiative that
could find success at the international level as well.
Africa/Middle East: Mental health has not been a focus
in most African and Middle Eastern nations, which is
likely due to preexisting problems such as civil instability
and expansive poverty that have received more
immediate attention. Post-traumatic stress disorder is
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also a major problem in Africa as a result of these
widespread problems. The patient to psychologist rate
in developing African nations is astoundingly low (almost
1-100,000), and few mentally ill people are able to
receive adequate treatment. It was estimated that
mental health accounts for 1% of the health budget for
nearly 70% of African countries, and hospitals in the
region are not equipped to handle mentally ill patients
with sufficient assistance.
North America: Nations in North and South America
have taken efforts to reduce the impact of mental
health disorders on society. The United States has been
especially active on the issue of cognitive health, and
many American associations (including the renowned
National Alliance on Mental Illness) have been created
to gain public awareness on the signs and ramifications
of mental disorders. Approximately 60 million
Americans are affected by mental illness, which
constitutes about a fifth of the national population.
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South America: South American nations have put effort
into fighting mental illnesses, but patients continue to
encounter obstacles before treatment. Nearly 25% of
South Americans have been determined to possess f
mental illness, and almost 29% of documented cases are
found in adolescents (especially in poor communities).
The psychologist to patient ratio is also significantly
larger than that of North American and European
nations. Also, only one in five mentally ill people receive
complete treatment, which leaves numerous
communities devastated by the social and economic
burden of mentally ill populations.
Asia/Oceania: With a population exceeding 3.5 billion,
the nations of Asia and Oceania have significant
populations of mentally ill individuals. In the past, these
countries have suffered from extreme discrimination and
stigmas against mentally ill people. As a result, they
are not able to receive proper care. Another primary
problem (especially in south east Asia) is the lack of
substantial legislation to protect the rights of mentally
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ill individuals. Only 67% of Asian countries have laws
that ensure the safety of these marginalized
populations.
Questions to Consider in Research
1) Does mental health deserve more international
attention than physically detrimental diseases, such
as HIV/AIDS? Is it time to shift assistance and aid
to populations that suffer from mental disorders?
2)
Do mandatory mental health examinations
before obtaining a job or other before other tasks
to violate individual privacy?
3)
Should mental health disorders that occurred
due to genetic mutation (such as Asperger’s and
autism) be embraced as diversity in global
populations or should they be treated with
rehabilitation to integrate them into mainstream
society?
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4)
Should aid and assistance be postponed to
countries that actively discriminate against
mentally ill individuals?
5)
Should anxiety and depression be considered
“mental illnesses” even though overwhelming
populations of people experience them periodically?
6)
Should current mental health programs be
reformed, completely eliminated and rebuilt, or
kept the same?
______________________________________________________
Topic 2: Health Consequences of Air
Pollution
Background and Current Situation
Air pollution and climate change are two pressing issues,
both in the scheme of international politics and
environmental destruction. The consumption of fossil
fuels has led to a drastic increase in carbon dioxide
levels. Most scientists have suggested that humans are
the primary cause of global warming, and as a result
the world has begun to face the repercussions. The
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amount of smog in cities such as New Delhi, India and
Beijing, China has become bad enough to cause diseases
in the lungs and eyes. Aside from negatively impacting
health, climate change is also detrimental to ecosystems
and could start a massive displacement of the world’s
population. As challenging as this issue is, there are
already many forces at work against it. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as Greenpeace
are at the forefront of this fight. Among other things,
Greenpeace is working to help reduce the numerous
sources of harmful pollution in China. Other NGOs
working towards this cause are the World Wildlife Fund
(WWF), Peace Boat, and the You and I Foundation. In
addition to the multitude of NGOs, many international
governments are working on limiting their air pollution
and emissions. While some countries like Japan and
Indonesia have promised to reduce their emissions by as
much as 26%, there are still countries that have not
taken any steps to combat air pollution. These nations
argue that reducing emissions would hurt their
industry-based economies. The need for a concrete
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solution for this problem only rises as time progresses.
Now, it is up to the World Health Organization to
determine how the global community will attempt to
lessen air pollution and other detriments in order to
prevent future distress to international health.
Bloc Positions
Europe: Since the 1970’s, the European Union has
implemented many clean air initiatives and legislation,
including the comprehensive Thematic Strategy on Air
Pollution. However, in recent years, widespread smog
and air pollution have continued to cause significant
problems in Western Europe and the United Kingdom.
Urban areas have continued to face the wrath of this
destructive smog and pollution.
Africa/Middle East: The last decade has proven to be
critical for the nations of Africa and the Middle East.
The exponential growth of developing African economies
and well as increased urbanization have led to growing
levels of car exhaust and fossil fuel usage. The further
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construction of industry throughout the African
continent is beneficial in many ways, but has created
additional environmental pressures. Consequently, air
pollution has become a major problem in heavily
populated regions. As a result, large populations have
become affected with air quality-related diseases (such
as asthma), and are not able to adequately receive
medical treatment to cope with these harmful
problems. The World Health Organization will continue
to provide healthcare and aid to these developing
countries, but a long-term solution is needed to
prevent further suffering.
North America: Air pollution is a growing issue in North
American nations. In 1997, Canada, Mexico, and the
United States signed a doctrine that called for joint
action by the three countries to decrease air pollution
levels throughout the continent. This paper, which has
been instrumental in the creation of other air pollution
legislation throughout the world, emphasized the
importance of funding cross-border research as well as
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lessening the amount of fossil fuel emissions. Since the
heavily populated eastern seaboard of North America
possesses multiple power plants, air quality has been
especially poor in those regions (Pennsylvania and
Kentucky have considerable amounts of mercury and
other dangerous chemicals in their atmosphere).
Another notable air pollution legislative act in North
America is the American Clean Air of 1970, which
caused a significant drop in air quality-related health
complications.
South America: Recent urban development in Latin and
South America has led to large amounts of air
pollution. The metropolitan areas of Sao Paulo and
Mexico City have been drastically impacted by the
concentrated usage of fossil fuels. Unsafe sulfur dioxide
and carbon monoxide levels have been shown to affect
nearly 81 million people in Latin America alone, which
constitutes a staggering 26.5% of the total urban
population. There is also a lack of effective clean air
legislation in South America; Bolivia is the only nation
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that has passed any form of preventive legislation (Law
of the Rights of Mother Earth) for air pollution. The
health consequences that will occur as a result of
exposure to these chemicals is considerable, and the
World Health Organization must intervene before more
damage is done.
Asia/Oceania: Grave air pollution has been documented
in most Asian nations as a result of the prosperous
economies that have emerged in the past century. In a
recent study, most Chinese cities cannot achieve the
minimum air quality standard. Beijing, China failed to
attain passing air levels for 52% of last year. However,
Asian leaders (such as Chinese prime minister Li
Keqiang) have “declared war” on air pollution and
intend to improve air quality levels in coordination with
the goals outlined in the Millennium Development Goals.
While this recent support for change is encouraging,
most scientists agree that it will be at least ten years
before any change can be documented. WHO will
continue to aid Asian and Oceanic countries in this time
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of peril until they are able to achieve the healthy air
standard outlined by the United Nations.
Questions to Consider in Research
1) Should current clean air initiatives be reformed,
eliminated, or maintained as is?
2)
How can the United Nations ensure that
nations will abide by existing treaties such as the
Kyoto Protocol?
3)
Should there be punishments or incentives for
countries that either deny or accept global air
pollution initiatives into their governmental
policies? If so, how can the United Nations
implement these consequences effectively?
4)
Should research and money be invested in air
pollution management or the creation of ecofriendly technology? (Should the World Health
Organization place more emphasis on managing
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current pollution or trying to avoid future
complications in the future?)
5)
In a recent study by the World Health
Organization’s Department for Public Health,
nearly 1 out of 8 deaths are now linked to air
pollution. Should aid and international assistance
be shifted to air pollution instead of issues such as
hunger and poverty, which have gradually decreased
over time?
6)
How will the United Nations ensure that the
Millennium Development Goals relating to air
pollution can be reached?
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"Air Pollution." National Geographic. National
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