Support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the activities, mechanisms and meetings of the WHO is at an unprecedented high among the country’s allies and like-minded partners from around the world. (MOFA)
 

Staunch support from allies and like-minded partners for Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization, is sincerely appreciated by the government and people, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said May 31.

Over 10,000 lawmakers, political figures and friends from around 100 governments, law-making bodies and international organizations voiced support for Taiwan’s WHA bid, the ministry said.

Twelve of the country’s allies called on the WHO to invite Taiwan to attend the WHA as an observer during the 76th edition of the annual meeting, the MOFA said. Similar sentiments were expressed by representatives from like-minded partners including Australia, Canada, Estonia, France, Germany, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, the U.K. and the U.S., the ministry added.

Heads of government, ministers and officials from around the world also publicly expressed support for Taiwan. These included Guatemala President Alejandro Eduardo Giammattei Falla; St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves; U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken; Japan, Belgium, France and Sweden’s Foreign Ministers, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Hadja Lahbib, Catherine Colonna and Tobias Billstrom, respectively.

Foreign and health ministers representing the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations issued communiques that included explicit endorsement of Taiwan’s meaningful participation in technical meetings in the WHO and WHA, the MOFA said, adding that joint statements released following the Australia-UK and Australia-France foreign and defense ministerial consultations as well as the meeting between Blinken and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis also expressed support for Taiwan’s engagement in international organizations.

Furthermore, the ministry said lawmakers from around the world lobbied for Taiwan to gain a seat at the WHA table, with letters sent to the WHO and resolutions passed by bodies including the European Parliament, the Central American Parliament, the Formosa Club and the parliaments of Belize, Germany, the Czech Republic, St. Kitts and Nevis and the U.S. The MOFA added that international nongovernmental groups including the World Medical Association and the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) also expressed their support.

According to the MOFA, a delegation to Geneva led by Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan took part in activities and forums including a Global Cooperation and Training Framework workshop to expand global health cooperation. This was complemented by a short MOFA-released film entitled “The Doctor Is In” which obtained over 13.12 million views; in addition, articles including Hsueh’s op-ed, were published by international media outlets.

The MOFA condemned China’s false claim during the assembly that it had arranged for Taiwan to engage in WHO public health affairs. Neither the ROC (Taiwan) nor People’s Republic of China is subordinate to the other, the MOFA said, adding that only Taiwan’s democratically elected government can represent its 23 million people in the WHO.

The government is committed to working with like-minded partners and doing so can create a safer international health network, the MOFA said, calling on the global body to allow the country to take part in its meetings, mechanisms and activities in order to fulfill its mandate of Health for All. (YCH-E)