A billboard erected in front of the World Health Organization headquarters building in Geneva during the World Health Assembly. (Reuters, May 18, 2020)
On the eve of the 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA), the United States and many other European and American countries and delegates sent a joint letter to the World Health Organization (WHO), calling for Taiwan’s inclusion in the upcoming annual assembly.
Due to the global pandemic of neo-coronary pneumonia this year, the WHA has been rescheduled to be held online from November 9-14. Taiwan did not receive an invitation to the online conference in May this year.
The United States requested
Recently, the United States urged World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to invite Taiwan to participate in the annual WHO General Assembly to be held next week, noting Taiwan’s tremendous success in the fight against neo-coronary pneumonia.
Washington has meanwhile moved to either withdraw from the WHO next year.
After Tsai Ing-wen was elected Taiwan’s president in 2016, Beijing has continued to pressure the WHO to block Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly because she does not accept the “one China” principle espoused by the “1992 consensus”.
European Appeal
On this occasion, according to a press release from Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on November 5, a total of 644 members of 25 European countries, as well as the European Parliament, signed a letter that day to World Health Organization Director General Tan Desai in support of Taiwan’s participation in the conference. The letter was led by the Formosa Club, a group of Taiwan-friendly groups from the European Parliament, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
The letter says: “We urge you to invite Taiwan to participate in the World Health Assembly as an observer and to include Taiwan fully in the meetings, mechanisms and activities of the WHO, which would be in the interest of all parties concerned.”
A press release from Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the joint letter praised Taiwan as a model in the fight against the new coronavirus and mentioned, among other things, Taiwan’s donation of supplies to more than 80 countries around the world during the pandemic.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its sincere gratitude for the “unprecedented strength of the high level of support for Taiwan” shown by many like-minded European partners across party lines.
Latin American Statement
Also according to a press release from Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 6 November, a total of 144 Taiwan-friendly parliamentarians from 17 Latin American countries and the Central American Parliament held a videoconference and issued a joint statement on 6 November, calling on WHO to address the importance and necessity of Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly.
The statement was issued at the General Assembly of the Formosa Club of Latin America, where Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Wu Zhao-Shiu delivered a videotaped opening address and Executive Vice Minister Tsao Li-Chieh attended the entire meeting.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan pointed out that the President of the Nicaraguan Congress Gustavo Porras, the former Speaker of the Peruvian Congress Luis Galarreta, the Paraguayan Congressman Del Pilar Medina and the Speaker of the Central American Parliament Fanny Salinas Fernández unanimously affirmed Taiwan’s success in epidemic prevention and supported Taiwan’s participation in the meetings, mechanisms and activities of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that 160 members of the Guatemalan Congress, 128 members of the Honduran Congress, 90 members of the Nicaraguan Congress, 123 members of the Central American Parliament, as well as Paraguay’s Senate President Oscar Salomón, Mexico’s Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Dolores Padierna, and 146 South American parliamentarians who support Taiwan joined in adopting the resolution and co-signed the statement.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan expressed its gratitude to the 17 Latin American countries and stressed that Taiwan, as a member of the international community, would continue to actively cooperate with the international community in overcoming severe global public health challenges in the spirit of “Taiwan can help”.
Recent Comments