Taiwan’s foreign friends gather in Geneva on eve of WHA to voice support

Taiwan’s foreign friends gather in Geneva on eve of WHA to voice support

2023-05-21

Despite not having received an invitation to the WHA, Taiwan’s representative office in Geneva invited its supporters to a reception over the weekend. Guests included representatives from all 11 of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies. The health minister of Tuvalu said his whole country was behind Taiwan and rallying for its bid to be part of the WHO. Also present was a Swiss lawmaker who said that Taiwan and Switzerland are both countries that value freedom and democracy, and that the two countries should strengthen their relationship.

On the eve of the World Health Assembly, Taiwan’s representative office in Geneva held a reception for foreign diplomats. Those who came to show support included not only representatives of Taiwan’s 11 diplomatic allies, but also members of the Swiss parliament.

Nicolas Walder
Swiss National Council member
Taiwan is a country which is open to the world and attaches to freedom exactly like Switzerland, holds a special place for our hearts, and which has repeatedly expressed delivery to intensify the relations between our two countries.

Isaia Taape
Tuvalu health minister
Tuvalu is a small island. We have only 10,000 people, and the team of Taiwan, they managed to go through 400 in a very very tight program lasting only for two weeks. One of my duties as the minister of health is to stand firm and then continue to support Taiwan to be a member of the WHO.

The representative from Taiwan’s ally Tuvalu stressed that his whole country supported Taiwan’s bid to join the WHO. He said that in terms of medical capabilities, not only is Taiwan living up to its motto “Taiwan Can Help,” but has already been helping. While Taiwan’s health minister Hsueh Jui-yuan confirmed that this year Taiwan would not receive an invitation from the WHA, Taiwan is gaining more and more international allies.

Hsueh Jui-yuan
Health minister
It doesn’t look like our chances of getting an invitation letter this year are very high. Actually, Taiwan can help many countries around the world, but we have not been given this opportunity. The countries that respect freedom and democracy should come together to respond to the World Health Organization about this.

Chiu Tai-yuan
DPP lawmaker
We should gather together all the important topics of the WHA meeting, the medical and health issues, and simultaneously broadcast them via video conference in our Legislative Yuan, so we can respond to all the things that the WHO is discussing. That’s how Taiwan can respond and absorb it.

A medical doctor by profession, legislator Chiu Tai-yuan suggests using video conference to transmit the latest information coming out of WHA to Taiwan. After all, medicine knows no borders, and the 23 million people of Taiwan should not be left outside the gate of the international health body.

日內瓦"台灣外交酒會" 11友邦出席挺台入WHO

2023-05-21

世界衛生大會WHA召開前夕，台灣駐日內瓦辦事處也舉辦了外交酒會，邀來11位友邦衛生部長出席，吐瓦魯代表感謝台灣在醫療上的貢獻，且全國上下都力挺台灣加入WHO，瑞士國會議員也在會中發聲，強調瑞士和台灣都重視民主與人權，瑞士國會更將持續要求加強兩國關係。

世衛大會召開前夕，台灣駐日內瓦辦事處的外交酒會。來相挺的，不只11國台灣友邦代表，還有瑞士國會議員。

[[瑞士國會議員瓦德]]
“(台灣)這個國家在世界上與瑞士同樣對世界開放，崇尚自由，對我們國會來說是非常特別的地方，瑞士國會並持續要求加強兩國關係。”

[[吐瓦魯衛生部長田和沛]]
“吐瓦魯是個小島，我們只有1萬人。台灣的團隊在短短2週內，非常緊湊的看了超過400個病人。我身為衛生部長的其中一個重要任務，就是確認並持續支持台灣，成為WHO的會員。”

友邦吐瓦魯強調，全國一心挺台灣加入WHO，因為在醫療上，不只是Taiwan Can Help，台灣更早已經在幫忙，儘管衛福部長薛瑞元證實，今年可能還是拿不到WHA邀請函，但台灣確實有越來越多的國際盟友相挺。

[[衛福部長薛瑞元]]
“看你來今年要拿到邀請函機會並不是非常大。台灣其實可以幫助世界各國，但是沒有給我們這個機會，尊重自由民主的這些國家一起來向WHO世界衛生組織來反應。”

[[立委(民) 邱泰源]]
“把WHA會議所有最重要的議題，醫藥衛生議題把它集中起來，在我們立法院同時視訊，可以把所有WHO現在正在講的，我們來做，台灣如何因應，台灣如何吸收。”

身兼醫師身分的立委邱泰源強調，將以視訊方式，將WHA最新資訊同步傳送回國，畢竟醫療無國界，台灣2300萬人民，不該被拒於門外。

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Chan Chia-lung has spent five years studying and filming the purple crow butterfly, of which four subspecies can be found in Taiwan. Its wings are covered in small iridescent scales that shine in striking hues of blue and violet depending on the angle of the light. Capturing their beauty in full requires specialized equipment.

Chan Chia-lung
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We used the world’s best cameras from Hollywood. They are ultra-high-speed 4K resolution cameras that shoot 1,000 frames per second. That’s the only way we could capture the color changes. Previously, it seemed that only endangered animals needed protection. But perhaps you have noticed, even animals like sparrows are gradually disappearing from our lives. The same is true for purple crow butterflies. It used to be that we could see the butterflies everywhere. But now we’ve built houses in their habitat, so they are disappearing too. They can no longer thrive in urban areas because of the severe pollution there.

Chan’s love affair with butterflies began in the fifth grade, when he was given a book about them. He says purple crow butterfly populations have gradually dwindled in recent years due to climate change and urban development. In an attempt to turn the tide, the director started conducting ecological research and preservation work in the year 2000. In his latest project, he spent five years researching and filming a documentary titled “Lost Butterfly.”

Chan Chia-lung
Film director
I have studied butterflies since I was a child. I have a deep affection for them. Everyone knows about the purple crow butterfly, because it is the most common butterfly in Taiwan. But because of that we also overlook them. These butterflies, which were so common in our lives, are now facing a crisis and disappearing. This is what “Lost Butterfly” wants to discuss.

Every September, purple crow butterflies travel more than 150 kilometers for their seasonal migration. They overwinter in Southern Taiwan, in a place known locally as the “Purple Butterfly Valley.” Not all of them make it, as many are killed by cars on a freeway that crosses the valley. To create a safer path for the insect, the National Freeway Bureau sets up nets along the road. It even closes some lanes to traffic if more than 250 butterflies are detected crossing the road in one minute. This policy is unique in the world.

Lin Yu-chang
Interior minister
We hope to showcase Taiwan’s unique subspecies of the purple crow butterfly. In Taiwan, we have established an overwintering valley for butterflies. The purple crow butterfly is very special in their winter migrations. So for their sake, we launched protocols so that they can fly across the highway. This is very important.

Chang visited various places in Taiwan to conduct research for his documentary. He discovered that Kenting was a safe place for purple crow butterflies to reproduce.

Chan Chia-lung
Film director
We conducted a survey about the purple crow butterfly at Kenting Park National Park last year, and we discovered that the park is one of the largest breeding grounds in Taiwan’s plains. In the past, the purple crow butterfly could be found all over the plains and in low-altitude areas. Now, Kenting National Park is the only forested national park down in the plains. The purple crow butterfly is preserved at Kenting National Park, which receives a large number of butterflies in the annual migrations.

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The grounds of Kenting National Park have been preserved quite well. Our park is actually protected by the National Park Law. We have strict controls, so any digging has to first be approved by the national park. That’s allowed us to preserve many low-altitude habitats, which allow wildlife to breed here.

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Kishida Fumio
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Regarding the situation in Taiwan, the G7 believes in the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and will promote the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues. All G7 members have reached an agreement on this.

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When it comes to Taiwan, our position on Taiwan is longstanding and hasn’t changed. [It’s] a belief in a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

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Dos Santos’ fingers fly across the piano. He takes turns playing the piano as well as the guzheng, one of the oldest Chinese musical instruments.

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Fernando Antonio Dos Santos
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Fernando Antonio Dos Santos
Composer and founder
I was very young, like 20 or 21. I learned with the teachers at that time. There were no real schools to learn the things. My masters were two great sound music engineers Jose Fortes and Joao Rapazote. They were really big.

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Fernando Antonio Dos Santos
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She taught me how to cook the basics at very young like seven or eight. Around eight years old. We hope that this food is as healthy as the food that I give to Susana and Rafael, my daughters and sons. Or to my family or to my family or to my mother because that is what my grandmother made. She made the food that we would eat, was tasty but she want us to grow healthy. It is the same concept. We tried to use some woods that were in the shop. I used everything I could to recycle, to reuse or recycle another object.

Though his food is delicious, he believes the "strongest dish" he serves is his piano playing and he often invites others to join in with him.

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Fernando Antonio Dos Santos
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I try and we try to give this place what was not here. In the beginning to now, we are very happy. I think we don’t have clients. We have clients for the first hour or two hours they come in. They are clients. But after that, they are your friends.

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