The Taiwan United Nations Alliance yesterday said it would promote Taiwan’s visibility and publicize the nation’s contributions to global health on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly (WHA), which is to convene in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday.
Members of the alliance’s Here I Stand Project, which comprises young Taiwanese dedicated to speaking up for Taiwan at international events, as well as a number of doctors, are to depart for Geneva on Thursday, the alliance told a news conference in Taipei.
They are to join the delegation led by Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) to Geneva, even though Taiwan has not been invited to participate in the WHA, the decisionmaking body of the WHO, for a sixth straight year.
Photo: CNA
Project members would hold a “Taiwan creative exhibition” to introduce Taiwan to the world, as well as attend a party held by the Overseas Community Affairs Council and official forums, association executive director and leader of the mission Chou Te-wang (周德望) said.
Former Academia Sinica president Wong Chi-huey (翁啟惠) is to give a speech at the forum, titled “From SARS to COVID-19.” Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) is to participate in the forum virtually.
A Polish online influencer known as Stan is to report on the mission’s activities at the event.
Taiwan needs to explain its medical prowess and the contributions it made to other countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, because its international space has been continuously suppressed, dentist and mission member Shih Shu-hua (史書華) said.
“The WHA needs Taiwan’s viewpoint,” as the nation can offer more transparent health information than China, Taiwan Statebuilding Party Taipei chapter convener and physician Wu Hsin-tai (吳欣岱) said.
The mission is to carry banners signed by doctors from the Taiwan Medical Association, as well as participating doctors and experts from other countries, to show support for Taiwan, she said.
The association designed a new logo and visual corporate identity to mark its 20th anniversary this year.
The design drew inspiration from a dove of peace and a puzzle, sending the message that “Taiwan is the missing piece of the puzzle” in global health and beyond, association vice president Hung Chia-chun (洪嘉駿) said.
The EU yesterday expressed its support for Taiwan’s participation, with EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy spokesperson Nabila Massrali saying that Taiwan’s capabilities in medicine and the energy it puts into world health would bring added value to the WHO’s efforts toward health for all.
In other news, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday welcomed a delegation of Swedish lawmakers who, during last month’s Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), voiced their support for Taiwan’s participation in the WHA.
The delegation comprises Swedish lawmakers Markus Wiechel, Sara Gille, Nima Gholam Ali Pour and Rasmus Giertz, who arrived in Taiwan on Sunday for a six-day visit, the ministry said.
Wiechel, who is the vice president of PACE, authored a declaration during the council’s spring session to “call on the member states of the Council of Europe to work to restore Taiwan’s observer status [at the WHA] as early as possible.”
The document, which garnered 22 signatures, praised Taiwan as “an advanced, engaged, highly capable and responsible member of the global health community,” and called the loss of Taiwan’s contribution in the field “regrettable.”
Taiwan’s relationship with Sweden has become closer in recent years, the ministry said, adding that a delegation of Swedish lawmaker and members of the European Parliament in April last year visited Taiwan, despite China’s opposition.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson expressed concern over China’s military threat to Taiwan in his first address to the Swedish parliament in October last year, it added.
Taiwan will continue to work with Sweden and other like-minded countries to enhance democratic resilience, defend a free and democratic way of life and strive for mutual prosperity, it said.
Additional reporting by CNA
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
AMENDMENT: Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of high-temperature days, affecting economic productivity and public health, experts said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) is considering amending the Meteorological Act (氣象法) to classify “high temperatures” as “hazardous weather,” providing a legal basis for work or school closures due to extreme heat. CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣) yesterday said the agency plans to submit the proposed amendments to the Executive Yuan for review in the fourth quarter this year. The CWA has been monitoring high-temperature trends for an extended period, and the agency contributes scientific data to the recently established High Temperature Response Alliance led by the Ministry of Environment, Lu said. The data include temperature, humidity, radiation intensity and ambient wind,
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist