The failure of Taiwan's latest bid -- its sixth -- to join the WHO may have disappointed people, but it should not drive them to despair. After all, the return to the international community is a long and arduous path. It took Taiwan 12 years of hard work to join the WTO. Success with the WHO will not come easily.
Taiwan's bid this year gained extensive international attention, thanks to the lobbying efforts in the US, Japan, the EU and elsewhere by delegations from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Health and the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission -- as well as the enthusiastic participation of non-government groups both at home and abroad. Support came from the US, where the president, Con-gress and many state governments backed Taiwan gaining observer status in the WHO. Support also came from the European Parliament as well as many other countries and health organizations.
This year's prospects were far better than in the past and generated high expectations among the Taiwanese and their friends. Nevertheless, Taiwan's bid was promptly killed when the World Health Assembly's steering committee met on Monday. The resulting disappointment has led to widespread media criticism in Taiwan that the government did not work hard enough. The usefulness of spending resources and energy on the WHO cause have also been questioned.
The health of 23 million people -- a basic human right -- is the reason why Taiwan wants to join the WHO. It is not a political issue. Taiwan has every reason and right to join the WHO and share health information and services with the rest of the world. Access to the services and resources of the WHO would not only benefit the people of Taiwan but those of other countries as well.
So there is no reason to get frustrated with this latest rejection and give up. The WHO bid is not a 100m sprint. It's more like a game of American football -- one cannot hope to score with just one play, but if some distance can be gained in each down, a touchdown will eventually be achieved.
The WHO's rejection of Taiwan has highlighted once again the dark political maneuverings that hover over international organizations. China's all-out blockade remains the biggest obstacle to Tai-wan's return to the international community. Apart from its machinations to shut the door on Taiwan's application, Beijing has repeatedly lied to the world by saying that it is taking good care of the health of Taiwan's people. While it is doubtful that anyone actually believes such pap, few countries are willing to risk Beijing's ire by openly showing support for Taipei.
But there is a silver lining to the dark cloud. Many countries did express sympathy behind the scenes at the Geneva assembly -- a sign that lobbying efforts are having an effect. The US and Japan did not show their support until after the steering committee meeting, but even that in itself was a major improvement. This year's battle may go a long way in encouraging other countries to publicly support Taiwan's bid next year.
The government should start thinking now about next year. It should be more pragmatic and expand its lobbying efforts to EU members and Africa, instead of just the US and Japan. It should also seek participation from more non-governmental organizations in the lobbying effort -- including the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi Foundation (
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