Taiwan to send delegation to Geneva despite WHA exclusion

Taiwan to send delegation to Geneva despite WHA exclusion

2024-05-15

Due to Chinese oppression, Taiwan will be excluded from the World Health Assembly for the eighth year in a row. The 77th WHA opens in Geneva on May 27. Taiwan has yet to receive an invitation, and it missed the registration deadline on Monday. Despite the exclusion, Taiwan will send a non-governmental advocacy group to the Swiss city, to advocate for its people’s rights on the sidelines.

Fists in the air, health minister-designate Chiu Tai-yuan, bipartisan lawmakers, and members of 21 medical groups call for Taiwan’s inclusion in the World Health Assembly.

Chou Ching-ming
Taiwan Medical Association head
Too much time has been wasted by the WHO. Its exclusion of Taiwan from the WHA has become an act of humiliation. This is the time to open the doors to Taiwan, a global model for health care.

Chiu Tai-yuan
Health minister-designate
We know that internationally, the voices supporting Taiwan’s WHA inclusion are only getting louder. All of our medical groups are joining hands and hearts, as we push onward in pursuit of our goal.

After taking office as health minister, Chiu will lead an advocacy group to Geneva.

The 77th WHA will take place from May 27 to June 1. This year’s summit will focus on climate change as a global health issue, among five other priorities. Due to Chinese pressure, the WHA has not invited Taiwan to participate for eight consecutive years. Beijing claims that Taiwan has no right to participate without central government approval. The argument has provoked strong reactions from Taiwan lawmakers.

Liu Chien-kuo
DPP lawmaker
The CCP’s mindset shows a lack of wisdom. It is unable to keep pace or integrate itself with the world on the level of health care. Taiwan’s central government is its own central government. Taiwan’s central government derives power from its own people.

Chen Ching-hui
KMT lawmaker
Since the pandemic, we have realized that the health issues we will face in the future are global and intergenerational. Therefore, for the welfare of Taiwan’s next generation and all future generations worldwide, we must all work together.

The Mainland Affairs Council has issued a stern protest against China’s campaign to exclude Taiwan from the WHA. It accused China of distorting the “one China” principle to exclude Taiwan from the international community, at the cost of the Taiwanese people’s safety and well-being. Given such actions, Beijing has no right to speak on cross-strait harmony, MAC’s statement read.

Following the presidential inauguration, Taiwan’s WHA advocacy group will set off for Geneva, to speak out for the medical rights and interests of the people.

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