Taiwan’s integrated diplomacy demonstrates the country’s public health and medical prowess and is a key element supporting its bid to participate in the World Health Organization and the World Health Assembly.
Chang Chih-sha, deputy director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of International Organizations, made the remarks at a news conference May 13 in Taipei City. She also said that the WHO has not yet invited Taiwan to attend this year’s 78th WHA taking place May 19-27 in Geneva, Switzerland, for political reasons.
According to Chang, a team led by Health and Welfare Minister Chiu Tai-yuan will travel to Geneva and host events to promote Taiwan’s numerous positive contributions to global health. An op-ed by the minister on Taiwan’s bid to join the WHO and WHA has also been published over 70 times by global media outlets including online U.S. news magazine The Diplomat, she said.
The deputy director-general thanked like-minded partners such as Japan and the U.S. for their continued support of Taiwan’s international participation, citing a statement released following the Group of Seven Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in March as an example. Japan, the U.S., and Taiwan’s allies also spoke out at the WHO Executive Board session in February, Chang said, adding that governmental bodies from parliaments down to local councils in countries including Ireland, Italy and Sweden have issued resolutions and statements supporting Taiwan.
She went on to condemn China’s deliberate misinterpretation of the 1971 U.N. Resolution 2758 to block Taiwan’s right to participate in global bodies, though the resolution does not make mention of Taiwan nor state that Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic of China; furthermore, it does not authorize the PRC to represent Taiwan in U.N. agencies.
Only the democratically elected government of Taiwan has the right to represent its citizens, Chang said, and expressed appreciation for the strong position the U.S. took during the April 23 U.N. Security Council meeting against China’s attempts to isolate Taiwan.
Chang stressed that the ministry urges the WHO Secretariat to stop aligning with China to exclude Taiwan and said that Taiwan is ready, willing and able to help the international body accomplish health for all. She pointed out this year’s WHA theme is “One World for Health” and said that the WHO must remember its intention to leave no one behind. (YCH-E)
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