The pandemic and the different responses
First of all...
Who is this?!
I was born on March,13th 1998 (22 years old)
Graduated this year in Business Management
Member of the United Nations Student Association of Barcelona and The Netherlands
My MUN experience
No experience whatsoever until University
3 Models of the United Nations
In three countries
Countless internal simulations
Chaired in two simulations
My MUN experience
HDMUN '19
EuroMUN '18
Chile
Best Delegate Award
Best Delegate Award
C'MUN '19
Best Delegate Award
Russia
Israel
My MUN experience
Topics debated
Ending international drug routes
Securing food supply during world famines
The monetary integration of South America
The death penalty
Humanitarian situation amid Lybia's Civil War
Ending foreign intervention on democracy
My MUN experience
Other topics debated
The Pope has been murdered!!!
The aliens are attacking the world
European nationalisms declare independence
The Mexican-American war
What have I gained?
Tons of knowledge on otherwise unknown topics
Crucial public speaking skills
An English level I wouldn't have gotten by other means
What have I (REALLY) gained?
Making good friends
Meeting +50 nationalities
Access to restricted areas
Travelling the world
Meeting real politicians
Party nights
Some context from the UN perspective
The World Health Organization
It was founded on 1948 by the ECOSOC
committee and it is formed by 195 countries
It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and has offices in every continent
Its official languages are Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, French, English and Russian
What powers does the WHO have?
Launching vaccination campaigns (like the one that ended the smallpox)
Oversee the development of new medicines to ensure its quality
It cannot decide country-wide measures like lockdowns, that is a State matter
The States' responses
There have basically been two responses
The States that decided to go on lockdown and save lives or the ones who decided to keep their economy open
Lockdown option
Most European countries, as well as China, South Korea or New Zealand went into lockdown
Keep open option
Although it has been minoritary, countries like Sweden, Brazil or some US states decided to keep open
Pros and Cons
It helps cut the spread of the virus faster
The economic activity suffers a big hit
It helps minimize the loss of life
Big impact on the morale of the population
Pros and Cons
Minimal impact on daily life
Faster spread of the virus
Reduced impact on the economy
Bigger chance of sanitary collapse
Current situation
According to the World Bank, the global economy will shrink by 5.2%
19M people are unemployed due to COVID-19, according to the OECD
Many countries are now facing the second/third wave of the COVID-19
Most hit countries
Countries dependant on low value-added industries like tourism
Countries not prepared for general remote working policies
Countries with less skilled workforce
Poland's case
Poland's case
Quick country facts...
37,970,000 people
March, 10th to May, 3rd
Poland's case
Measures taken
Strong emphasis on contact tracing
Ban on massive events and gatherings
Early mask mandate
Poland's case
How is it going?
April, 26th (Lockdown end date)
September, 5th
November, 7th
Ways forward
Although there are many opinions, almost everyone agrees that to avoid similar crisis, countries should invest in R&D, economy digitalization and automation and develop work-from-home policies to protect the rights of its workers and help remote working to reduce social contact.