The Formosa Club and 926 lawmakers from 29 countries signed a letter advocating for Taiwan’s inclusion in the World Health Assembly (WHA) and all WHO meetings, mechanisms and activities, as the 76th WHA began yesterday.
Formosa Club cochairs and members, along with lawmakers from the European Parliament and parliaments of 28 European countries and Canada, jointly signed the letter sent on Friday.
The Formosa Club, inaugurated in 2019, is a platform for cross-party European and Canadian legislators to work to enhance relations with Taipei and connect Taiwan with the world.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan United Nations Alliance
The signatories urged WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to invite Taiwan to participate as an observer in the WHA, the letter said.
Taiwan notified the WHO of suspicious cases of “atypical pneumonia” when most of the world was still unaware of COVID-19 and “impressed the world with its effective and resourceful control of the virus,” it said.
The nation also donated masks and medical supplies to more than 80 countries around the world during the early stage of the pandemic, when global supply chains were overwhelmed by the sudden spike in demand for epidemic prevention equipment, it said.
Photo: Screenshot from livestream
Taiwan’s success in combating the pandemic “demonstrated its capabilities and willingness to contribute to international public health,” it said.
“A comprehensive public health network cannot tolerate any breaches,” it said.
Taiwan also joined the international community in providing timely assistance to Ukrainian refugees, donating 27 tonnes of medical supplies and more than 700 tonnes of humanitarian relief supplies, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan United Nations Alliance
Taiwan also donated more than US$41 million to Ukraine’s neighboring countries to help settle refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion and a further US$2 million to three Ukrainian cities to help provide relief during the winter months, it said.
“Our collective efforts and solidarity remain essential if we are to uphold the universal values of freedom and democracy, and the rules-based international order,” it said.
Including Taiwan in the WHO system would help realize its goal of “health for all,” but failing to do so would be “unjust,” it said.
Taiwan’s exclusion would not only be detrimental to the health rights of Taiwanese, but also “denies the international community the opportunity of benefiting from Taiwan’s contributions,” it said.
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday on Twitter thanked the lawmakers for the letter, and asked Tedros: “Why not just let Taiwan help?”
Despite strong support from democratic allies around the world, Taiwan as of yesterday has not been invited to participate in this year’s assembly for the sixth consecutive year.
The WHA is to run until Tuesday in Geneva.
Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元), who is leading a mission to Switzerland, held a news conference yesterday conveying Taiwan’s wish to participate in the WHO.
He also expressed regret and dissatisfaction that Taiwan has been excluded from taking part due to political interference.
The Republic of China was expelled from the WHO in 1972 after losing its UN seat to the People’s Republic of China over the issue of China’s representation.
Since then, Taiwan has not been able to attend the WHA due to objections by China, except from 2009 to 2016, when it was invited as an observer under the name “Chinese Taipei” during the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration.
Additional reporting by staff writer and CNA
ESCALATING TENSIONS: The US called for restraint and meaningful dialogue after Beijing threatened Taiwanese independence advocates with the death sentence The US on Monday condemned China’s “escalatory and destabilizing language and actions” toward Taiwan after Beijing last week announced new guidelines to punish supporters of Taiwanese independence. Asked about the guidelines, which included the death sentence for “diehard” independence advocates, US Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller said: “We strongly condemn the escalatory and destabilizing language and actions from PRC [People’s Republic of China] officials.” “We continue to urge restraint and no unilateral change to the status quo,” he said at the press briefing. The US urges China to “engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan,” Miller said, adding that “threats and legal
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
WATER CONCERNS: The CWA encouraged people to conserve water, as fewer typhoons would bring less rain, and the plum rain season brought in only 60% of average rainfall About two to four typhoons are forecast to come close to Taiwan between now and November, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, as it also forecast that extreme heat would persist throughout the week, only dropping by 1°C after Friday. The number of typhoons is slightly lower than the average of three to five, reflecting a weakening El Nino weather pattern and the possibility of a La Nina pattern approaching, CWA Weather Forecast Center Director Chen Yi-liang (陳怡良) told a news conference in Taipei. While typically fewer typhoons develop under such conditions, their routes would be more likely to pass near