TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan will remain excluded from the World Health Assembly for the 10th consecutive year after a proposal by its diplomatic allies to invite it as an observer failed Monday.
CNA reported that the annual meeting opened in Geneva with a debate over whether to add Taiwan’s participation to the agenda. Two of Taiwan’s allies supported the proposal, while China and Pakistan spoke against it.
China’s representative to the UN office in Geneva, Jia Guide, said Taiwan’s participation must be handled under Beijing’s “one China principle.” He said UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 and World Health Assembly Resolution 25.1 support China’s position.
Taiwan and its supporters reject that argument. They say the resolutions do not mention Taiwan and do not give China the right to represent Taiwan in the UN system or the World Health Organization.
Palau Vice President and Health Minister Raynold Oilouch said Taiwan’s exclusion is harmful to global health security. He said it weakens disease surveillance, delays information sharing, and hurts international preparedness.
Oilouch said the World Health Organization’s own constitution says the health of all people is basic to peace and security. He said Taiwan’s exclusion from the organization is unjustified.
Paraguayan Vice Minister of Public Health and Social Welfare Jose Ortellado also backed Taiwan’s bid. He said Taiwan has proved it is a responsible and effective public health partner.
Ortellado said no global health system can be truly inclusive if barriers remain to technical and scientific cooperation. He said leaving out Taiwan means 23.5 million people are excluded from the global health security system.
Dominican Republic Health Minister Victor Elias Atallah Lajam, president of the 79th World Health Assembly, decided not to include the proposal as a supplementary agenda item. The decision confirmed Taiwan’s absence from the meeting.
The 79th World Health Assembly runs in Geneva from Monday to Saturday. Taiwan last attended the World Health Assembly as an observer in 2016, during a period of warmer cross-strait relations.
Taiwan has faced difficulty joining UN-affiliated organizations since it lost its UN seat in 1971. Beijing has continued to block Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Organization and other international bodies.
