- Taiwan is currently not a member of the United Nations, impacting its participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Health Assembly (WHA).
The Republic of China on Taiwan is currently not a member of the United Nations and, as such, has long been unable to participate in the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Health Assembly (WHA), both bodies functioning under the UN. However, between 2009 and 2016, Taiwan participated as an observer under the name “Chinese Taipei.” Since May 2017, due to obstruction by mainland China authorities, Taiwan has been unable to attend WHO meetings in any observer capacity. Nevertheless, Taiwan’s Minister of Health and Welfare, Tai-yuan Chiu, recently led a delegation in an action group to represent Taiwan’s interests. The group held a press conference at the Geneva Press Club in Switzerland, where, responding to Eat News correspondent, Minister Chiu unequivocally stated his insistence on using “Republic of China” or “Taiwan” for joining the WHA, showing no willingness to accept other names.
Eat News’ correspondent at the United Nations in Geneva questioned Health and Welfare Minister Chiu, asking, “Under what name does Taiwan wish to participate in the World Health Assembly?” and “How does Taiwan hope the international community will assist Taiwan in joining the WHA? Does Taiwan hope the United States, Japan, and other friendly nations will proactively propose Taiwan’s participation?”
To this, Minister Chiu expressed his firm stance, “Taiwan is Taiwan. The country’s name is the Republic of China. Therefore, using ‘Taiwan’ or ‘Republic of China’ is what we insist on when participating in WHO and WHA.”
Moreover, when asked if many countries support Taiwan’s participation in WHO and WHA related activities, Minister Chiu said, “I believe every year we see more countries that share our ideals, or nations that insist health is a fundamental human right, supporting us. We all observe this growing force, which gives the people of Taiwan even more confidence. There will be even greater opportunities in the future to share Taiwan’s exemplary medical, disease prevention, and public health standards with the world. We will continue to strive for more support in this regard.”
In response to the impact of China’s political influence on Taiwan’s international presence, Minister Chiu commented, “No matter the extent of China’s political influence, I believe the concept of health as a human right will always be WHO’s fundamental principle and an ideal pursued by all people around the world. It’s a positive movement. And Taiwan is continually striving in this positive direction.”
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