Young Fine Gael (YFG), the youth wing of the Irish Fine Gael party, on Friday urged the Irish government to support Taiwan’s bid to obtain observer status at the WHO, adding that it was also drafting a statement regarding the party’s stance on Irish-Chinese relations.
The WHO, the US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control have been instrumental in helping nations around the world obtain vaccines through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access program, YFG president Art O’Mahony said.
Global pandemics transcend national borders and affect everyone, and the WHO must include all countries and share information for state-to-state collaborations.
Photo: Screenshot from Young Fine Gael’s official Web site
Taiwan is a world leader in its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it should be allowed to share its experiences, O’Mahony said.
Taiwan’s handling of the pandemic differs greatly from the brute-force methods adopted by China, he said.
Global public health should not be driven by politics, and admitting Taiwan to the WHO would make the WHO better prepared for the next public health crisis, he said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said that Taipei knows that WHO acceptance would be difficult, but the government should do its best to approach countries to help support a bid.
International support for Taiwan obtaining observer status at the WHO has been growing over the years, he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday listed the people supporting such a bid, citing US Deputy Secretary of State Brian McKeon, who publicly asked WHO Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to allow Taiwan observer participation.
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