Ambassador: Nissanka Mendis
Global pandemics have been the cause millions of deaths in the past. The 1918 influenza pandemic caused havoc worldwide and killed up to 50 million people according to some estimates. Though drastic medical advances have been made since the Spanish flu, many people around the world do not have access to basic medical care. The state of Honduras is deeply concerned with the lack of resources to Third world countries during major disease outbreaks and looks forward to discussing collaborations not only with its neighboring states (as was done with El Salvador during the 2001/2002 Dengue hemorrhagic fever outbreak) but also with North America. Immediate access to medicine and the rapid distribution of vaccines in developing countries should be an obvious focus during the discussions. However, the delegation of Honduras impresses upon the delegations from other countries to also focus on other factors that influence the spread and persistence of communicable diseases. For example, some of main problems encountered in third world countries are malnutrition and poor sanitation of the local populations which aid in the rapid spread of diseases like malaria and HIV.
The delegation of Honduras proposes collaboration with other South/Central American Nations and the North Americas to develop protocols to be implemented during a given pandemic. It also suggests that members of the World Health Organization discuss the possibility of developing programs to improve sanitation and health in developing countries that can be applied not only to countries like Honduras but also to other Third world countries around the world. It is also important that these programs include community participation and communication strategies between local populations and international organization to be effective. This implies a somewhat personalized approach in dealing with different countries which can be a challenge.
The state of Honduras wishes to continue working with its neighboring states of El Salvador and Guatemala as was done during the 2002 Dengue outbreak and recognizes and appreciates the aid that was provided by Germany, Italy and Spain. Furthermore, the state is looking forward to collaborating with North America and other European nations to ensure the security of its people and the peoples of other developing nations.