The UN Office at Geneva (UNOG) refused yesterday to grant Taiwanese journalists media accreditation to cover the World Health Assembly (WHA), the World Health Organization's (WHO) highest governing body, and said it did so because Taiwan is not a state recognized by the UN General Assembly.
With the WHA slated to take place at the UN building in Geneva, the Palais des Nations, from May 16 to May 25, UNOG is in charge of media accreditation for the event.
On its Web site explaining the media accreditation process, UNOG said it required all journalists to present two forms of valid ID for photo identification.
"Valid ID must include a current passport from a State recognized by the United Nations General Assembly, along with a press card, work ID, driver's license or other form of photo ID," UNOG said.
The UN Department of Public Information (UNDPI), the office said, must be satisfied that the individual applying for accreditation is a bona fide media professional and represents a bona fide media organizations.
Bona fide media organizations, the office went on to explain, are those "formally registered as a media organization in a country recognized by the United Nations General Assembly."
When contacted by this newspaper yesterday, a UNOG official said only journalists holding passports of UN member states or observers and working for media organizations in such countries or places will get accreditation.
Reporters failing either of the requirements will be refused accreditation, the official added, citing UN resolution 2758 to explain why Taiwanese reporters are denied access to WHA proceedings.
In a resolution adopted in 1971, entitled "Restoration of the lawful rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations," the General Assembly decided to "expel forthwith the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations and in all the organizations related to it."
Elena Ponomareva, chief of the press and external relations section at the UNOG, told this newspaper that the UN does not recognize Taiwan as a state and that Taiwanese passports are merely considered "local passports."
The WHO headquarters in Geneva had been in charge of media accreditation for coverage of the WHA till 2003. In 2003, Taiwanese journalists had no problem getting press passes to cover the assembly proceedings.
However, the UNOG took over media accreditation for coverage of the WHA event last year and waffled over whether to grant Taiwanese reporters press passes a few days before the assembly.
Last year, only two Taiwanese journalists, one holding a British passport and the other a US passport, obtained press passes from the UNOG to cover the WHA. Other Taiwanese reporters had to sit in the public gallery.
This year, by stating its terms of issuing press badges to reporters on its Web site, the UNOG has made it clear that Taiwanese journalists would not be accredited to cover the WHA.
According to the terms, all journalists working for Taiwanese media organizations will be barred from covering the WHA, no matter what passports they hold.
When asked whether the terms on the Web site were listed to prevent last year's hassles with Taiwanese reporters, a UNOG official said the office was simply trying to improve its Web site.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese diplomats in Geneva, France and New York are trying to persuade the UN to issue press badges to Taiwanese journalists working for private media organizations in Taiwan, according to government officials.
Also see story:
EMBRACE CHANGE: Jensen Huang told NTU graduates that instead of worrying about AI itself, they should worry that people with expertise in AI would be taking their jobs Artificial intelligence (AI) is redefining the computer industry, and Taiwanese companies could play a major role in replacing the world’s traditional computers as they are the foundation of the industry, Nvidia Corp cofounder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said in Taipei yesterday. Huang made the remarks while giving the keynote speech at National Taiwan University’s (NTU) commencement ceremony. AI has created immense opportunities, and versatile companies can be expected to take advantage and boost their position, while less flexible firms would perish, he said. “In every way, this is a rebirth of the computer industry and a golden opportunity for the companies of
‘ARCHAIC’: An interpretation of a law that considered Chinese as Taiwanese nationals was scrapped after the death of a Chinese in Kaohsiung led to state reparations An administrative mandate to consider Chinese as Taiwanese citizens was outdated, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said yesterday, a day after the Executive Yuan ordered that agencies disregard the 30-year-old interpretation. Chen made the remarks at an event held by the Environmental Protection Administration in Taipei following changes to the administrative mandate concerning the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例). The previous interpretation of the law was archaic and contrary to the workings of laws and regulations, he said, adding that the order was made to avoid unnecessary problems created by the mandate. The Mainland
NOT BUYING IT: One of the goals of Beijing’s Cross-Strait Media People Summit was to draw mainstream media executives to discuss the ‘one country, two systems’ formula Taiwanese news media insist on press freedom and professionalism, and would never become a tool of China’s “united front” campaign, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said yesterday, responding to media queries about the lack of Taiwanese media executives at the Cross-Strait Media People Summit in Beijing. Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧) was reportedly furious that no Taiwanese media representatives attended a scheduled meeting with him on Thursday last week. “Beijing should take Taiwan’s determination to pursue freedom and democracy seriously. We also hope that it will not use vicious means to interfere with Taiwan’s development into a
IMMIGRATION REFORM: The legislative amendments aim to protect the rights of families to reunify, and to attract skilled professionals to stay and work in Taiwan Foreigners who are highly skilled professionals, top-prize winners in professional disciplines, investment immigration applicants or have made special contributions to Taiwan can soon apply for permanent residency on behalf of their spouses and minor or disabled children after the legislature approved amendments to the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法). The amendments, which were proposed by the Ministry of the Interior and approved by the Executive Yuan on Jan. 12, aim to attract foreign talent to Taiwan and encourage them to stay. They would take effect once they are signed by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). The amendments involved changing 63 articles, making it the biggest