ROC and the World Health Organization

As introduced by the Yearbook of the Republic of China:

Humanitarian issues are a global concern, and disease knows no borders. In light of these truths, Taiwan launched a campaign in 1997 to obtain observer status at the WHO. Its allies have repeatedly submitted proposals to the annual meetings of the World Health Assembly (WHA) urging the international community to respect the health rights of Taiwan's 23 million people by inviting Taiwan to join the WHO. Such a move would on the one hand enable Taiwan to benefit from participating in WHO activities, and on the other, allow the WHO to benefit from Taiwan's resources and experience in promoting public health and combating infectious diseases.

The proposal made by Taiwan's allies has not been included in the agenda of the WHA over the past seven years. Taiwan's appeals and actions, however, have won the understanding and sympathy of many WHO members. Resolution 441, adopted by the US House of Representatives in March 2003, was also adopted by the US Senate in May 2003, and signed into law by President Bush on May 29 of the same year. This law requires the US State Department to seek concrete means to assist Taiwan in becoming a WHO observer. In a letter to the WHO's Director General, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, dated May 14, 2003, the US Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson, explicitly expressed US support for Taiwan becoming a WHO observer. In addition, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on March 14 in support of Taiwan gaining observer status at the WHO. Yoriko Kawaguchi, Foreign Minister, and Chikara Sakaguchi, Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan, expressed on separate occasions their hopes that Taiwan can join WHO as an observer. In addition, Taiwan's efforts have also won the support of members and sub-groups of the legislative and parliamentary bodies of Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, the European Parliament, Germany, Guatemala, Panama, the Philippines, the US, and the UK, as well as the California Medical Society, the Council of State Governments, the International Council of Nursing (ICN), the International Pediatric Association (IPA), the International Pharmaceutics Federation (FIP), the National Association of Secretaries of State, and the World Medical Association (WMA).

The SARS resolution passed by the 56th World Health Assembly also provided a legal framework for the WHO to work with Taiwan on the control and prevention of the spread of SARS. Moreover, the WHO for the first time invited high level health officials from Taiwan to the Global Conference on SARS in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, between June 17 and 18, 2003.

In the future, Taiwan will continue to strive for observer status in the WHO. In addition to seeking the support of individual countries, it will try to gain support from the international community through concrete medical and humanitarian relief assistance.