World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) is the United Nations specialized agency for international public health, established in 1948 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. With 194 Member States, WHO works through the World Health Assembly, an Executive Board, and six regional offices to pursue its constitutional mandate: the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. WHO's authority is real but limited, it can issue binding regulations only in narrow circumstances, and otherwise works through resolutions, technical guidance, coordination, and diplomacy, so committee debate must build incentives, financing mechanisms, and monitoring systems rather than command sovereign states to act.

This year, delegates will confront two topics that sit at the intersection of hard science, contested law, and competing national interests. Topic A, "Governing Dual Use Pathogen Research and Biosecurity in a Fragmented Global Health System," asks the committee to address life sciences research that carries legitimate scientific value alongside real potential for misuse, from gain-of-function experiments to the erosion of global biosecurity norms, in a world where oversight is a patchwork of national policies, an under-resourced Biological Weapons Convention, and an unresolved question of how far international rules should reach into private industry and developing research capacity. Topic B, "Addressing the Role of Climate Change in Global Viral Patterns," narrows the broader climate-and-health conversation to directly zoonotic viral spillover, asking delegates to reckon with an evidence base that is real but uneven: from the ongoing global H5N1 panzootic to Arctic permafrost thaw, where the underlying climate trends are well established but their specific epidemiological consequences remain genuinely contested.

Both topics are designed to resist easy answers. No single article or search result will hand delegates a ready-made position, since experts in these fields disagree with one another in good faith. Delegates are expected to reason through real trade-offs, incomplete information, and competing values, articulating not just their own country's position but why an opposing position is coherent, and identifying precisely where an argument breaks down rather than dismissing it as simply wrong. A resolution that calls for "more cooperation" or "more funding" without engaging these tensions will not reflect a genuine understanding of the issues at stake.

Chair

Topics

1. Governing dual use pathogen research and biosecurity in a fragmented global health system

2. Addressing the role of climate change in global viral patterns

Rules and Procedure

This committee follows parliamentary procedure as defined in our Standard Committee Parley Pro Document. However, procedure during committee may be modified at the Chair’s discretion.

Position Paper

All delegates wishing to be considered for an award must submit a position paper before the start of conference. Position paper quality will be included in consideration of awards, however paper quality will not hold as much weight in award consideration as actual committee performance. Position papers are meant to ensure a basis for delegate research and help delegates feel confident while participating during the conference.

Detailed instructions for writing and submitting Position Papers can be found in the Position Paper Guidelines Document.

Questions

If you have questions about committee content or the format of your committee, please contact your Chair at contact@ctmun.org with “WHO” in the subject line.

For questions about CTMUN conference and logistics, please contact contact@ctmun.org.