International society should support Taiwan’s participation in the WHO and other international healthcare organizations in line with the principles of fairness and professionalism, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said in Geneva on Saturday.
The annual World Health Assembly (WHA) — the decisionmaking body of the WHO — is to begin today in Genva, Switzerland. As of yesterday, Taiwan had yet to receive an invitation.
The Taiwan WHA Action Team led by Chiu, which includes health officials and legislators, attended the opening ceremony of the “Taiwan’s Tech for WHO’s Three Core Pillars” interactive exhibition on Saturday. The event, hosted by the civil group Taiwan United Nations Alliance (TAIUNA) in the lobby of Geneva Cornavin train station, is to run until this afternoon.
Photo courtesy of Lee Yan-hui
The ceremony opened with the Puzangalan Children’s Choir, made up of children from the indigenous Paiwan community, singing renowned Taiwanese folk songs.
The exhibition, a collaboration of many Taiwanese start-up teams, showcases healthcare technologies, including a chronic diseases information management system for large language models, a blockchain-based health credential platform and a fall detection system, TAIUNA said.
Exhibition curator and TAIUNA member Tung Nai-Yun (董乃昀) said the main topic of the exhibition is the WHO’s “Triple Billion” goals — “more people benefiting from universal health coverage,” “more people better protected from health emergencies” and “more people enjoying better health and well-being.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan demonstrated its technology governance and public health capabilities, so hopefully the exhibition can show the world how it can use technology to improve global health, she said.
The National Health Insurance system has shown its systemic resilience, allowing flexible responses and civilian mobilization, which is the implementation of the WHO’s goal of “more people benefiting from universal health coverage,” Chiu said.
Taiwan used digital technology to assist in border controls, vaccine distribution and medical resource allocation, which prevented its health system from being overwhelmed, he said.
“The international society should support Taiwan’s participation in the WHO and other international healthcare organizations, according to the principles of fairness and professionalism,” he said.
“Only when all who are capable of contributing are allowed to participate, can global health truly become sustainable,” he added.
TAIUNA executive director and New Taipei City Councilor Evalyn Chen (陳乃瑜) said that regardless of race and nationality, health is a common responsibility of the whole world, and Taiwan has long shown it has the medical capability to be a WHO member, so it would continue to communicate with the international community.
“Taiwan is not only a participant, but can be a contributor,” she said.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
RSS