Taiwan for the first time is to apply for observer status at the World Health Assembly (WHA) as a "health entity" in what officials termed a move to mitigate opposition from China and other countries in the country's sixth annual bid to join the WHO.
But the nation would formally apply under the name of "Taiwan," officials said, a move that apparently changed the policy of previous applications since 1997, when the country applied under its formal designation of Republic of China.
"We aspire to take part in the World Health Organization not because we intend to confront China, nor to move towards Taiwan independence. It's based on the basic rights and welfare of the people of Taiwan in the health arena," said Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新).
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Taiwan decided to put forward the new concept of "health entity" to describe its capacity in joining the WHA, with an emphasis on the "functionality" of the organization, said Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Kau (高英茂).
"We've been quite pragmatic and flexible by applying under the concept of `health entity,'" Kau said.
"It is also a gesture of good will to the People's Republic of China. Both sides can enhance their cooperation in cross-border health issues under the WHO," Kau said, urging Beijing to adopt "an open, flexible and pragmatic approach" to Taipei's WHO bid.
Department of Health Director-General Lee Ming-liang (李明亮) said: "Our appeal by terming ourselves as a `health entity' is to put aside the sovereignty dispute, but this move is not to deny our own sovereignty."
As the WHA, the highest decision-making body of the WHO, is slated to be held in Geneva from May 13 to 18, the foreign ministry and the Department of Health yesterday held a joint press conference to raise the profile of Taipei's ongoing efforts in its bid.
The government also during the press conference formally released its position paper on the new concept of "health entity" in its WHO bid.
"Taiwan should be allowed to participate in the WHO as a health entity. Participation in the WHO is not a question of sovereignty. The WHO is the only global forum that coordinates the activities of health entities to ensure that all peoples around the world realize their inalienable human right to the highest level," the position paper said.
"To achieve this laudable objective, the WHO must include all health entities representing substantial populations, and must not exclude any segment of the world's people," the paper said.
But Taipei's decision to formally apply under the name of "Taiwan" raised some misgivings during the press briefing.
"In participating in international organizations, the best option for us is to join under the name of the ROC. But in reality China simply could not coexist with us, so China found the appellation `ROC' unacceptable," Kau said.
With regards to the prospects of success during the Geneva meeting, an official said: "By raising the new concept of `health entity,' we hope the discussion on Taiwan's case can move onto a different plateau.'
"We've made some progress, and we hope to build up the momentum," the official added.
Membership of the WHO, as an UN-affiliated agency, is limited to sovereign states, according to the WHO constitution. But the procedural rules of the WHA does not specify qualifications for its observers.
Taiwan would need the support of at least half the body's 191 members for its bid to become a WHA observer.
Taipei on Thursday held urban resilience air raid drills, with residents in one of the exercises’ three “key verification zones” reporting little to no difference compared with previous years, despite government pledges of stricter enforcement. Formerly known as the Wanan exercise, the air raid drills, which concluded yesterday, are now part of the “Urban Resilience Exercise,” which also incorporates the Minan disaster prevention and rescue exercise. In Taipei, the designated key verification zones — where the government said more stringent measures would be enforced — were Songshan (松山), Zhongshan (中山) and Zhongzheng (中正) districts. Air raid sirens sounded at 1:30pm, signaling the
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
The number of people who reported a same-sex spouse on their income tax increased 1.5-fold from 2020 to 2023, while the overall proportion of taxpayers reporting a spouse decreased by 4.4 percent from 2014 to 2023, Ministry of Finance data showed yesterday. The number of people reporting a spouse on their income tax trended upward from 2014 to 2019, the Department of Statistics said. However, the number decreased in 2020 and 2021, likely due to a drop in marriages during the COVID-19 pandemic and the income of some households falling below the taxable threshold, it said. The number of spousal tax filings rebounded
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked