World Health Organization (WHO)

APPROXIMATE COMMITTEE SIZE: 160 Single Delegations

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a committee devoted to protecting and improving public health worldwide. Delegates in WHO collaborate to address pressing global health challenges and to promote health equity as well as effective and accessible healthcare systems, striving to create a healthier and more resilient global community. Topic A, Organ Transplantation and Medical Tourism, raises complex questions about ethical, legal, and healthcare issues globally. These include concerns about organ trafficking, exploitation of vulnerable populations, quality of care, and the equitable distribution of organs. Delegates will focus on preventing organ trafficking and exploitation, ensuring fair and equitable access to transplantation for all, regulating medical tourism practices to safeguard patient safety and rights. Topic B, Nuclear Waste Disposal will address concerns of the short- and long-term health risks associated with environmental contamination and nuclear waste. This committee encourages delegates to establish resolutions surrounding secure disposal methods, prevention for future contaminants, and aiding those who have been affected by the environmental contagions. 

Chairs: Rebecca Zhu & Wisteria Hu

TOPICS

Topic A: Organ Transplantation and Medical Tourism

Topic B: Nuclear Waste Disposal

lEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Understand the sociopolitical effects of medical tourism on developing economies, specifically those where this is an important source of capital. 

  • Grasp the intricacies of the legal framework of organ transplantation across transnational borders.

  • Learn more about the health effects of nuclear waste on populations that depend on contaminated ecosystems. 

about the chairs

Rebecca Zhu is a member of Georgetown University’s School of Health Class of 2026 majoring in Health Care Management & Policy on the Policy Analysis track. Rebecca is a proud Marylander and DMV local. She was first introduced to Model UN in middle school and the two have been inseparable ever since. Rebecca previously served as Under-Secretary-General of General Assemblies for NAIMUN LXI. She has also chaired for NAIMUN’s sister conferences, NCSC LII (collegiate) and DistrictMUN IV (middle school). Outside of Model UN, Rebecca enjoys debating with the Philodemic Society, being the photographer friend, and writing her heart out in cafes while on the hunt for DC’s best London Fog. She is incredibly excited to bring WHO to NAIMUN LXII alongside Wisteria and can’t wait to meet you all!

Wisteria Hu (she/her) is in the Walsh School of Foreign Service’s class of 2027, intending to major in Science, Technology, and International Affairs, possibly minoring in Economics with a certificate in International Business Diplomacy. She went to high school in Sydney, Australia where she competed in Model UN, but she was born in Beijing and spent some years in Belgium. Outside of Model UN, Wisteria is part of Hilltop Consultants. She also serves on the professional development board of the SFS Academic Council (but she hates the word “networking” – it will shiver her timbers). At times, she interviews experts and public figures for Georgetown’s flagship Journal of International Affairs (subscribe now!). When she’s not working, she spends hours in the National Gallery of Art, reads lots of tragic literature, or is browsing Elie Saab’s newest catalogues. She is obsessed with cheese – it is becoming a problem. If you see her around, ask her about her failed Olympic career in figure skating. She is so excited to be your chair for WHO!