Taiwan's admission as an observer at the World Health Assembly (WHA) meeting this year will pave the way for the country's further participation in the WHO's activities, Department of Health Minister Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) said yesterday.
Last week, Taiwan received via fax an invitation from WHO Director-General Margaret Chan (陳馮富珍) to attend the WHA meeting from May 18 to May 27 in Geneva as an observer under the name “Chinese Taipei.”
It will be the first time for Taiwan to attend a meeting or an activity of a UN specialized agency since it lost its UN seat to Beijing in 1971.
Yeh, who will lead a delegation to attend the WHA annual meeting, yesterday outlined the government's goals after being granted observer status this year.
Yeh said Taiwan also wished to become a member of the International Food Safety Authorities Network, the International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
“Our goals are not only to be present at the WHA meeting, but also to participate in the WHO's disease control programs such as influenza, tuberculosis and AIDS,” Yeh told a press briefing at the Government Information Office.
Taiwan was included in the International Health Regulations framework in February, Yeh said, adding that the WHO recently invited Taiwan to work with 10 countries to produce an influenza vaccine to contain the spread of the virus.
Yeh said Taiwan also hoped to join the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, the WHO's primary mechanism for monitoring a global disease outbreak, to let the WHO recognize Taiwan's influenza center and establish a collaborative center with the global organization.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
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