The World Medical Association (WMA) has called on WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to facilitate the meaningful participation of Taiwan at the World Health Assembly (WHA).
The WHA, the decisionmaking body of the WHO, is to hold its annual meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 22 to 28.
The WMA General Assembly in October last year voted 91-16 in favor of a resolution supporting Taiwan’s participation in all WHO health programs and the WHA.
Photo courtesy of Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Tai-yuan
“We all have to strive now for inclusion, diplomacy and peaceful cooperation of those who are willing to live in peace,” the WMA said in an open letter dated Tuesday to Ghebreyesus.
Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the WHO “would be a clear signal for a peaceful cooperation on the international level,” the WMA said.
The WHO should grant “Taiwan observer status to the World Health Assembly, ensuring Taiwan’s participation in all its health programs on a substantive, timely and professional basis,” it said.
Photo: AFP
The WMA said that Taiwan should be included “as a fully participating party to the International Health Regulations, thus allowing its critical contribution to the global health protection network.”
Sending the letter to Ghebreyesus was not at the request of the Taiwan Medical Association (TMA), but an initiative taken by the WMA, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator and TMA president Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said.
“We have to be very careful,” Chiu said, warning against Beijing’s increasing hostility toward Taiwan.
China has insisted on having three representatives in the WMA, instead of one, Chiu said, adding that resolutions critical of China are rarely passed.
However, the letter is crucial to inspiring people and gathering support, which might open the door to people’s right to health being protected, Chiu said yesterday.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) thanked the WMA’s friendly act of support for Taiwan.
The government is formulating a proposal for participation in the WHA this year, she said, adding that details would be announced.
Ou said that the COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the importance and urgency of Taiwan’s participation in the WHO, with many countries voicing their support.
Taiwan’s allies and other like-minded countries have backed Taiwan’s participation in the WHO through speeches and written statements, she added.
In a statement in February, the UK and Australia reiterated their support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations, Ou said.
Last month, the Danish Parliament passed a resolution supporting Taiwan’s participation in the WHA as an observer, while earlier this month, US Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Brian McKeon spoke on behalf of Taiwan’s participation in the WHA in a meeting with Ghebreyesus.
DEATH THREAT: A MAC official said that it has urged Beijing to avoid creating barriers that would impede exchanges across the Strait, but it continues to do so People should avoid unnecessary travel to China after Beijing issued 22 guidelines allowing its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death “Taiwan independence separatists,” the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday as it raised its travel alert for China, including Hong Kong and Macau, to “orange.” The guidelines published last week “severely threaten the personal safety of Taiwanese traveling to China, Hong Kong and Macau,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a news conference in Taipei. “Following a comprehensive assessment, the government considers it necessary to elevate the travel alert to orange from yellow,” Liang said. Beijing has
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said that the Chinese Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since late 2022, when restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. The world’s second-largest economy is beset by a debt crisis in the property sector, persistently low consumption and high unemployment among young people. Policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner,” Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military