Print

Mail

wiki links

Taiwan added to WHO's disease control framework

With the support of the US, Japan and a number of friendly EU nations, Taiwan was included in the International Health Regulations or IHR -- the World Health Organization's (WHO) global legal framework for infectious disease control -- on Wednesday, the Taipei Cultural and Economic mission in Geneva said yesterday.

The WHO's Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG), which launched its second-round revisions of the IHR this week, amended Article 2 of the regulations to include Taiwan in the framework, a move hailed by Taiwanese diplomats in Geneva as the biggest breakthrough in the nation's bid to join the UN body.

The amended article, 2b, is on "principles" of the IHR. It states that the implementation of these regulations shall be with full respect for the dignity, human rights, and fundamental freedoms of "all persons."

The article also reads that the implementation of these regulations shall be guided by the goal of the "universal application" for the protection of all people of the world from the international spread of disease.

The IGWG's revisions of Article 2, which extends the IHR to cover "all persons" and makes the regulations universally applicable, revealed that a significant number of countries have recognized the importance of Taiwan's participation in the global health network, said Shen Lyu-shun (沈呂巡), chief of the Taiwanese mission in Geneva.

"Delegates from the US, Japan and the EU told us that the IGWG's decision on Wednesday laid the legal foundation for Taiwan's participation in international health systems," Shen said.

He thanked the US, Japan and the EU for their firm support for Taiwan in revising the IHR.

Although the revised Article 2 of the IHR, which was proposed by Switzerland, does not directly mention Taiwan, diplomats said the framework would naturally include Taiwan, as it has been revised to protect "all persons" on Earth.

The Chinese delegation insisted at the beginning of the IGWG meeting on Monday that the amendment of Article 2 should not damage the WHO member states' sovereignty and intactness of territory.

China proposed that Article 2 should be implemented with respect for the WHO member states' sovereignty. The IGWG, however, dismissed the proposal after intensive negotiations between delegates from other countries.

"China's brutal intervention into the revisions process offended many delegates and posed severe challenges to Taiwan's efforts to be included in the IHR," the Central News Agency reported.

"Having been included in the IHR, Taiwan is half in the WHO already," Shen said.

Mary Whalen, ambassador of Ireland's permanent mission and Geneva chair of IGWG, played a vital role in negotiating the revisions of Article 2. Throughout the revisions process, US delegates informed Taiwanese diplomats, who were not allowed to join the meeting, of developments.

The revisions are not yet finalized and must still be passed at the World Health Assembly, the WHO's highest governing body, in May.

"Before that happens, we do not exclude the possibility that new changes may be made to the regulations," an official said yesterday, requesting anonymity.
This story has been viewed 2562 times.