World Health Organization Simulation Trade and Health PreEuRegMe Briefing World Health Organization Simulation Interested in learning Global Health Diplomacy skills? Enjoy challenging debate and discussion to bring together a set of ideas? Want to contribute to the ACTUAL World Health Assembly? Then this workshop is for YOU!! The WHO Simulation is a 3 day workshop modelled on the World Health Organisation’s annual World Health Assembly. You will learn and practice skills in diplomacy, negotiation, lobbying and networking; and get an insight into the political and economic forces that determine the health of humanity. Together, we will practice drafting position papers and will learn the forma t and official language used in United Nations resolutions. By understanding the decision-making processes in WHO, and how they are influenced by geopolitics, you’ll be equipped to follow and engage with the World Health Assembly in May. Before the workshop, you will be expected to prepare by reading some introductory material on Trade and Health. You will also research and write a position paper describing your country or organization’s position on the issue. This workshop is aimed at IFMSA members with some prior expertise in global health. Goals and Objectives - To share and develop skills in advocacy, public speaking, lobbying, resolution writing; and knowledge about Trade and Health, as well as greater global health issues. - To increase understanding of the political processes in global health. - To provide practical experience in global health diplomacy. Theme: Trade and Health The World Health Organisation estimates that one-third of the world’s populations lack access to essential drugs and over 50 per cent of inhabitants in low-income countries do not have access to the most basic essential drugs. It remains a fact that life-sustaining and lifesaving drugs are not accessible to the poorest populations, in part because of the pricing and patent protection put into place by World Trade Organisation (WTO). Many of these “access problems” and other health issues, such as not having access to affordable and/or nutritionrich food, leading to malnutrition, are directly linked to international trade. Providing trade, policies and legislations that are fair to both high-, middle- and low-income countries is essential to maximize health benefits and minimize health risks. Existing international trade agreements have implications on health whether they are linked to WTO or linked to regional trading systems such as NAFTA, EC, ASEAN or SADC. The General Agreement on Trade on Services (GATS) that aims to liberalize trade in various services has led to some health professionals emigrating from resource-poor settings to seek better economic opportunities elsewhere. The Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement affects patent protection on pharmaceutical drugs making drugs unaffordable to many. It is important that WHO assists its member states in this complex environment and protects global health. The theme Trade and Health aligns itself neatly with that of the EuRegME (Sustainable Development), where discussions will be centered on global health-related issues that need to be focused on in the coming decades. Since the negotiated Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnerships (TTIP) between the EU and USA appears to involve significant consequences for the access of affordable medicines, biomedical devices, surgical procedures, food, sustainable energy production, etc., we recognize this theme’s decisive importance in the coming year’s crucial days of negotiation. The participants from this PreEuRegMe will get back to their home countries with extensive knowledge to use for advocacy and raising awareness on Trade and Health. The concept You will take on the role of an actor in the WHO. These roles include member states (countries), NGO’s, industry (e.g. pharmaceutical companies) and reporters (e.g. “New York Times”). In your application you will be asked to pick several choices from a list of countries and organizations. Over 3 days, we will simulate the process of decision making within WHO. Preparation A briefing on the theme will be included in the welcome pack, sent to you on the 1st March. We will ask you to research your assigned country/organization’s interests and priorities in global health, and to learn a bit about the theme, especially some of the big trade deals. You will then write a short position paper before the conference outlining your country’s position, and send it to us by the 1st April. We’ll read your paper and send you some feedback. Regional Sessions Member states will meet in regional sessions during the first part of the process (emulating the WHO regional meetings), to discuss and debate issues pertinent to their regions. Discussion will be moderated, with several unmoderated sessions for resolution writing. The goal is to draft a set of resolutions for discussion at the plenary session. The secretariat and committee chairs will help you to draft resolutions in an appropriate format. Plenary During the last part of the workshop all member states will meet in plenary and discuss and debate the resolution, merge similar paragraphs, and work with other delegates to make their final resolution stronger and more comprehensive. Once the final set of resolutions are submitted to the secretariat the plenary will move into voting procedure. The final resolution should be representative of what the WHO might have agreed upon, based on the positions and negotiations of the delegates. The final resolution will be compiled and sent to the WHO for consideration at the upcoming World Health Assembly. Provisional Agenda This is the provisional agenda for the conference. The mixture between regional blocks and plenary is dependent on the number of participants that sign up! As you can see, there will also be sessions to deepen your knowledge on the theme, and to train you in relevant skills. Day 1 Day 2 Introduction Recap Keynote speaker Speaker Speaker Regional Session Regional Session Plenary Skill training Regional Session Regional Session Speaker Day 3 Plenary Awards There will be an awards for the best portrayal of a country in each region, for the best NGO, and the best overall delegate. Want to find out more information? If you have any questions, then please get in touch with us at [email protected]. You can find out more information about the logistics for the Pre-EuRegMe at www.euregme.com