The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday released a short film as it petitioned the international community to support Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA), which is scheduled for later this month.
My Second Home (第二次出生) solicits international support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the WHO and the WHA, which is to take place from May 27 to June 1 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Shot in Indonesia, the film tells a true story from the perspective of a mother of a child who received a liver transplant at National Taiwan University Hospital.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago via CNA
It showcases Taiwan’s advanced medical technology, the ministry said.
Taiwan in 2018 launched a medical and healthcare cooperation program with India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam as part of the New Southbound Policy.
Participating Taiwanese medical centers work with their counterparts in partner countries to share medical technology and resources, provide professional training programs, and help treat people in remote areas, the ministry said.
The film was released in Mandarin and English, and is to add subtitles in other languages, including Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai, French, Japanese, Spanish, German, Arabic, Ukrainian and Portuguese, it said.
The film can be watched on the ministry’s YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and X accounts, it said.
Separately, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, the Taiwanese American Association’s Greater Chicago Chapter and the Formosa Association of Student Cultural Ambassadors’ Chicago Branch joined the Polish Constitution Day Parade in Chicago on Saturday last week, the office said.
Participants held signs that read “WHA needs Taiwan,” while office Director-General Dennis Lei (類延峰) urged local political leaders to support Taiwan’s bid to join the WHA, it said.
The Polish National Alliance, which organized the event, expressed support for Taiwan and introduced the nation when the Taiwanese groups passed the platform, it said, adding that more than 10,000 people attended.
Meanwhile, overseas Taiwanese in Argentina on Sunday held a forum to seek support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the WHA.
The world needs Taiwan to participate in the WHA to jointly safeguard the health of people around the world, former Argentine lawmaker Ruben Manzi said, adding that Taiwan should be a member of the WHO.
Having demonstrated a high level of research and development capabilities, and adaptability during the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan cannot be excluded from the WHO due to political discrimination, Argentine Medical Association head Carlos Mercau said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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