World Health Organization

Topic: Virus Protection in developing countries

Climate change is currently causing many problems worldwide, one being thawing permafrost. Permafrost is intermittently frozen ground that has been frozen for at least 2 years. In most cases, extensive spans of permafrost have existed for thousands of years and can be thousands of layers deep. Melting permafrost brings forth a plethora of issues, including the introduction of new viruses to the ecosystem. These “zombie viruses” can lay dormant and frozen for years before the ice melts. Currently, many viruses are being introduced to ecosystems in Canada, Alaska, Russia, Greenland, Iceland, Siberia, Tibet, etc. Delegates in the World Health Organization are encouraged to propose resolutions that can help increase research, vaccine production, testing and more to help combat the growing situation. Delegates must also consider that some of these areas are not as populated and do not have the resources necessary to combat the spread of a serious virus.

Meet your Dias!

Kashvi Bokria is a sophomore at the University of Connecticut and is director of the World Health Organization (WHO) this year. She is majoring in Physiology and Neurobiology and is planning on minoring in Healthcare Management. Kashvi has been involved with Model UN since her freshman year of high school. During high school, she chaired for the Security Council at her school and chaired Commission on the Status of Women at the CTWAC conference in Harford. She has also attended conferences as a delegate at the University of Hartford and Yale University. Outside of Model UN and school, Kashvi loves hanging out with her friends, watching Criminal Minds, and singing. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Kashvi at kashvi.bokria@uconn.edu.

Olivia Dhavale is a freshman at UConn and is excited to be the Topic Specialist in the WHO committee. She’s from Bryn Mawr, PA (about 25 minutes outside Philadelphia) and has been passionate about Model UN since high school, attending conferences in Philadelphia, New York City, Rutgers, and Georgetown. She is currently majoring in Business Management, and in her free time, she enjoys running, going to the recreation center, traveling, hanging out with friends, and relaxing at the beach.