Taiwan’s 12 diplomatic allies that are UN members have called on the WHO to include Taiwan in the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, while eight other countries in a joint statement also voiced support for Taiwan’s inclusion.
The 12 countries have sent letters to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus asking that the issue be discussed as a supplementary agenda item during the 76th WHA, which is to take place from Sunday to May 30, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) told a news conference.
Despite not receiving an invitation to participate, Taiwan is sending a clear message to the WHO that it should maintain the principles of neutrality and professionalism, and invite Taiwan to join the WHA, he said.
Photo: CNA
It is regrettable that the WHO is ignoring the necessity and urgency of including Taiwan in the WHA, as well as the widespread support from around the world for its participation, he added.
Taiwanese should not be excluded from any international organization, Wu said.
“Only the elected government can represent Taiwanese in international organizations,” and China’s claim to represent Taiwan is unacceptable, he said.
This year, Taiwan has heard more supportive voices from higher levels of governments and parliaments worldwide, including in the form of letters addressed to the WHO and resolutions, he added.
The ministry expressed its deepest gratitude to those countries, as their support can be a major driving force behind Taiwan’s formal inclusion in the WHO, Wu said.
Taiwan has been contributing to global public health, such as helping more than 80 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic and providing medical supplies to Ukraine, he said.
Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) told the news conference that he would lead a mission to Geneva, Switzerland, tonight to hold exchanges with like-minded countries and “to faithfully convey the will of Taiwanese to participate in international organizations.”
Taiwan has arranged a bilateral meeting with the US to discuss health cooperation and issues such as digital health, the ministry’s technical superintendent, Liu Li-ling (劉麗玲), said last week.
The mission would also visit the Swiss Parliament Building in Bern and local shelter facilities, which can provide insights into Taiwan’s development in accommodating disaster victims, Hsueh said.
Being excluded from the WHO makes access to health-related information difficult, which would possibly undermine global efforts in disease prevention, he said.
The exclusion also does a disservice to the world, as Taiwan’s medical prowess and success in combating the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be shared, he added.
Meanwhile, in a separate joint statement, eight representative offices in Taiwan — those of the US, Australia, the UK, Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, Japan and Lithuania — voiced support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in WHO activities and the WHA as an observer.
“Inviting Taiwan as an observer would best exemplify the WHO’s commitment to an inclusive, ‘health for all’ approach to international health cooperation,” the statement said, calling the exclusion “unjustified.”
The WHA’s deliberations can benefit from Taiwan’s “significant public health expertise, democratic governance and advanced technology,” it said.
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