No one should be excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA), Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan is capable and willing to be a member of the global health forum.
Hsiao made the remark in a speech at the Aesthetic Medicine World Congress and Taiwan Dermatology Aesthetics Conference (AMWC Asia-TDAC) in Taipei.
The WHA, the annual meeting of the WHO’s decisionmaking body, is scheduled to begin its first day in Geneva, Switzerland, today, but as of yesterday, Taiwan has not received an invitation to participate as an observer.
Photo: CNA
Hsiao said that the AMWC Asia-TDAC provides an opportunity for experts from various fields to learn from each other and facilitate interdisciplinary cooperation, integrating medical knowledge from different dermatology-related fields, to create a healthier world.
Attending the conference allowed her to witness the participants’ focus and dedication to the medical fields, strengthening her belief that Taiwan can contribute to international healthcare advancement, she added.
A lesson learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is that “no one should be left behind,” she said, adding that Taiwan is capable and willing to be a member of the global health forum, and that the nation’s participation in international medical and health-related communities is necessary.
Meanwhile, a governmental delegation “WHA Action Team” led by Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源), a separate promotional group led by civic organizations and a bipartisan legislative group led by Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) have arrived in Geneva to promote the country’s participation in the UN agency.
On Saturday, they attended the opening of a “World Health We Share” exhibition at Geneva Airport train station that was held to promote Taiwan’s healthcare.
Health is a fundamental human right and a universal value, but Taiwan is denied participation due to political interference, Chiu said, adding that this is deeply disappointing.
Although it was not invited to the WHA, Taiwan has strong soft power in the medical and health fields, he said, adding that he is grateful that the civic promotional team is holding an exhibition at the train station for more WHA attendees to learn about Taiwan’s healthcare capabilities.
Taiwan participated in the WHA from 2009 to 2016 as an observer under the name “Chinese Taipei” when relations with China under the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration were better.
Since the Democratic Progressive Party took power in 2016, relations with China have deteriorated, and Beijing has blocked Taiwan’s attempts to participate in UN-affiliated organizations.
Facing China’s suppression, several democratic countries have voiced support for Taiwan’s participation.
Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoshimasa Hayashi on Friday said that the G7 countries, including Japan, have expressed their support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the WHA.
Some of the items that would be discusses at this year’s WHA include the global health governance framework, climate change and health, the 14th General Programme of Work as well as whether Taiwan should be invited to participate as an observer.
As some of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies have called for a motion on Taiwan’s inclusion on the agenda of the WHA, a review on whether to include the issue in the agenda would be held at the WHA General Committee at 8:30pm Taiwan time today.
Additional reporting by Yang Yao-ru and CNA
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
A tropical disturbance off the southeastern coast of the Philippines might become the first typhoon of the western Pacific typhoon season, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The system lacks a visible center and how it would develop is only likely to become clear on Sunday or Monday, the CWA said, adding that it was not yet possible to forecast the potential typhoon's effect on Taiwan. The American Meteorological Society defines a tropical disturbance as a system made up of showers and thunderstorms that lasts for at least 24 hours and does not have closed wind circulation.
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
RSS