US report puts damper on WHA observer hopes

This article was published by the Taiwan Headlines on May 11, 2006. It reports that the U.S. State Department recently threw cold water on Taiwan's hope of gaining observer status in the World Health Assembly in the near future. However, the U.S. State Department also pledged to find new ways for Taiwan to work with the World Health Organization on technical activities outside the World Health Assembly.

In an annual report to the U.S. Congress on Taiwan's efforts to participate in the works of the World Health Organization and to take part in the World Health Assembly, the State Department said: "There is still no support from the overwhelming majority of WHO Member states for granting Taiwan observer status at the WHA. Observer status will therefore remain a long-term objective."

Despite this negative assessment, the U.S. State Department pledged to do more to involve Taiwan in the World Health Organization's affairs. "In the near term the United States continues its cooperation with Taiwan and others to identify additional practical measures to integrate Taiwan's health authorities further into health-related WHO activities," the State Department report said.

"In addition to our long-standing close bilateral cooperation with Taiwan on a range of health issues, the U.S. government has through the years remained in close contact with Taiwan's unofficial representatives in Taipei, Washington, Geneva and in other capitals. U.S. embassies have continued to stress to foreign governments that the U.S. supports increased participation, including WHA observer status, for Taiwan at the WHO," the State Department report said.

Nonetheless, the State Department report made no commitment for the U.S. to speak in favor of Taiwan's participation during the World Health Assembly's sessions in 2006, or to sponsor or support any resolution that calls for Taiwan to be given observer status.

Taiwan has been trying to gain observer status every year for the past 10 years. However, such efforts were foiled in the only two votes the World Health Assembly has formally taken on Taiwan's observer bid, in 1997 and 2004. In 2004, 133 member states voted to keep Taiwan off the agenda, while only the United States, Japan and 23 of Taiwan's diplomatic allies voted in the nation's favor.

In 2005, the European Union indicated growing support for Taiwan's participation. However, neither the EU parliament nor administration has officially gone on record to support Taiwan's immediate observer status at the World Health Assembly.

In the case of the United States, although congressional support for Taiwan's position has been strong in the past, only one piece of legislation has been introduced in the current Congress to support Taiwan's bid, in May 2005.

Nonetheless, in February 2006, the U.S. House of Representatives' International Relations Committee Chairman Henry Hyde and the committee's ranking Democrat, Tom Lantos, sent a letter to the World Health Organization's Director-General Lee Jong-wook and urged that Taiwan should be granted observer status at the World Health Assembly's meeting in 2006. In April 2006, 14 U.S. senators also sent a letter to Lee and urged him to include Taiwan in international efforts to fight avian flu. According to these senators, Taiwan's sophisticated healthcare system and medical expertise could be of use to other nations in fighting the bird flu.

In the aforementioned U.S. State Department report, some significant gains made by Taiwan in joining the world health community in recent years were cited. "Over the past year, meaningful participation by Taiwan health experts in WHO technical activities has become a regular occurrence from which all parties benefit," the State Department report said.

In 2005, Taiwanese health experts participated in more than 10 events sponsored by the World Health Organization. This is party the result of an agreement on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly in 2005, in which "representatives of China's Health Ministry and the WHO secretariat reached a significant new understanding on Taiwan's increased participation in WHO activities", the State Department report said. The new understanding involved participation by Taiwanese health experts in the World Health Organization's technical activities, and the organization's offer of technical assistance to Taiwan, particularly in the case of a public health emergency in Taiwan.