Position Paper MUN

Committee: World Health Organisation
Country: People’s Republic of China

Delegates: Aina Merino, Sonia Monfort
Topic: Coronavirus
As our world has become increasingly globalised, we have benefited from a wide variety of
opportunities and we have received numerous advantages. Nevertheless, this globalization has come
with downsides as well. One of them is the topics that brings us here today, the complications our world
faces when there is a disease outbreak such as the Covid19.
Advancing worldwide health is a significant piece of advancing social development and
executing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This is not the first time our society faces a
health crisis, some years ago we faced epidemics like SARS and Ebola, and concrete and effective
measures were taken1. The organization in which are we here today, the World Health Organisation,
was created for a reason: achieve better health for everyone, everywhere, while striving to combat
diseases. In 1950 the International Health Regulations were made, by which we consented to notify
cases of certain infectious diseases outbreaks2.
Even though the disease we are fighting nowadays does not enter into these regulations, our
government has followed the IHR religiously and applied even more measures to tackle effectively the
crisis. In the words of the Ambassador Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of China to the United
Nations: China has applied rigorous prevention and control measures that far exceed the requirements
of the International Health Regulations, effectively curbing the spread of the epidemic. China cares
about the safety and health of foreign nationals in China as it cares about its own people. China has
reported the situation in a timely manner and provides all necessary assistance3. Being understandable
why, in 2019, the People’s Republic of China ranked 51st out of 195 countries on the Global Health
Security Index for our ability to prevent and respond to disease outbreaks4.
Fighting the coronavirus has become the priority number one in our country, but we are still at
a very critical stage. The People’s Republic of China, with a population of 1,394,015,9775, is the world’s
largest economy and leading trading nation. For this reason, our country has spared no effort in its fight
to contain the coronavirus outbreak, having taken the most comprehensive prevention and containment
measures. Our country has taken decisive actions and built two new hospitals within 10 days in Wuhan.
On the direct orders of our President around 20.000 medical and healthcare professionals have been sent
to multiple hospitals, who are fighting this epidemic with all might, demonstrating a spirit of fearlessness
and sacrifice.
These measures have been fully acknowledged by the international community, as Secretary-
General António Guterres expressed in various ways his full support for and confidence in China’s
prevention and control efforts.
1
(S/RES/2439)
2
(Giesecke, 2020)
3
("Statement by Ambassador Zhang Jun at General Discussion of 58th Session of the Commission for Social
Development", 2020)
4
("Global Health Security Index", 2019)
5
("China — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency", 2020)
Simultaneously, a few nations have applied the suspension of flights and limitations on the
passage of Chinese residents, which are in opposition to the expert suggestions of WHO. Rather than
forestalling and control the epidemic, these measures meddle with typical exchange of personnel and
have negative impacts. Nations that politicize the battle against the flare-up and the individuals who
make racist remarks and take a discriminatory mentality abuse human conscience, small voice and ought
to be severely condemned.
On these grounds, this delegation calls on the World Health Organisation to take concrete steps
to stop the Covid19, while being the main points of action aimed at containing the crisis these ones:
[1] The implementation of our method in the rest of the countries of the organisation, as it has been
proved to have positive effects.
[2] An increase in a proactive investment in public health infrastructure and capacity, in order to be able
to “cure the patients”.
[3] The creation of an international fund inside this organisation destined entirely to research.
This delegation is full of hope that our joint efforts during the upcoming days will succeed in
stablishing concrete measures in order to tackle and end with this this crisis. Quoting the words of our
president Xi Jinping, “Confronted with the grave situation of this accelerating spread of pneumonia
from infections with the novel coronavirus, we must step up the centralized and united leadership. We’re
sure to be able to win in this battle to beat the epidemic through prevention and control”6.
6
("Coronavirus Spurs China to Suspend Tours Abroad and Xi to Warn of a ‘Grave Situation’", 2020)
Bibliography
Security Council resolution 67/97, Peace and security in Africa, S/RES/2439 (30 October 2018),
available from http://unscr.com/en/resolutions/2439
Giesecke, J. (2020). International Health Regulations and Epidemic Control. Who.int. Retrieved from
https://www.who.int/trade/distance_learning/gpgh/gpgh8/en/index8.html.
Statement by Ambassador Zhang Jun at General Discussion of 58th Session of the Commission for
Social Development. China UN. (2020). Retrieved from http://www.china-
un.org/eng/zt/20200206/t1744170.htm.
Global Health Security Index. GHS Index. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.ghsindex.org/wp-
content/uploads/2019/10/2019-Global-Health-Security-Index.pdf.
China — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency. Cia.gov. (2020). Retrieved from
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html.
Coronavirus Spurs China to Suspend Tours Abroad and Xi to Warn of a ‘Grave Situation’. The New
York Times. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/25/world/asia/china-
coronavirus.html.
Aylward, B., & Wannian, L. (2020). Press Conference of WHO-China Joint Mission on COVID-19 [In
person]. The Presidential Beijing.
Wu, Z., & McGoogan, J. (2020). Characteristics of and Important Lessons From the Coronavirus
Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak in China. JAMA. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.2648
Xi Jinping meets with visiting World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China. (2020). Retrieved from
https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_662805/t1737014.shtml.
Yi, W. (2020). State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's Exclusive Interview with Reuters [In
person]. Berlin.

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Committee: World Health Organisation

Country: People’s Republic of China

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