Not all Taiwanese have been excluded from attending the World Health Assembly this year. One Taiwanese researcher who will be at the meeting in Geneva explains why gaining “observer” status is not all it is cracked up to be, and why Taiwan needs a new strategy that does not rely on its unguaranteed status at the WHA.
The News Lens
Date: 2017/05/15
By: Kai-Yuan (Kyle) Cheng
The 70th World Health Assembly (WHA) is scheduled to convene next week, and
REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Taiwan, for the first time since 2009, has not been invited to join the meeting as an observer because of continued pressure from China to narrow Taiwan’s international space.
Many in Taiwan, including President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), continue to protest the exclusion. Commentators and health experts have said Taiwan’s non-attendance could heighten the risk of the spread of disease in the region.
Why WHA matters
The World Health Organization was founded in 1946 as the specialized agency within the United Nations structure for health related issues. It bears the objective of “the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.” [FULL STORY]
