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－ TAIWAN AND THE WHO
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Frequently Asked Questions
| Q |
Why should the WHO include
Taiwan? |
| A |
The preamble to the WHO
Constitution states: "The enjoyment of the highest attainable
standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human
being without distinction of race, religion, political belief,
economic or social condition." Such a lofty purpose cannot be
fully realized by excluding Taiwan's 23 million people from the
WHO.
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| Q |
What practical assistance does
Taiwan need from the WHO? |
| A |
Access to the WHO's expertise and
programs, including its collaboration centers, standard setting
processes, and health information network, would further improve
public health practice in Taiwan. For example, in 1998, a new
strain of enterovirus moving through Asia caught Taiwan unawares,
and the resulting epidemic cost 78 children's lives that year and
more thereafter. Active sharing of information with the WHO could
help prevent such tragedies in the future in Taiwan; in addition,
including Taiwan would strengthen early warning for all
neighboring countries.
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| Q |
Is Taiwan qualified for
membership in the WHO? |
| A |
Yes. It has a defined territory
and a population of 23 million, who have democratically elected
their own government. In addition to maintaining a comprehensive
public health care system, this government conducts an independent
foreign policy, and no other government can speak on behalf of the
people of Taiwan in the international arena. Although Taiwan is
not a member of the United Nations, neither are Switzerland, the
Cook Islands, and Niue, all of which are full members of the WHO.
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| Q |
Why is Taiwan seeking observer
status in the WHO? |
| A |
All too often, international
organizations become entangled in disputes where political
point-scoring overrides substantive advancement of their primary
goals. In order to avoid such disputes and relieve the political
pressures on the WHO, so that it may concentrate on achieving its
health objectives, Taiwan is currently seeking only observer
status, which may allow Taiwan to meaningfully contribute to and
participate in the organization's work.
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| Q |
What is observer status in the
WHO? |
| A |
Observer status is not directly
defined by the WHO Constitution, which only refers to the power of
the WHA "to invite any organization, international or
national, governmental or non-governmental, which has
responsibilities related to those of the Organization, to appoint
representatives to participate, without right of vote, in its
meetings or in those of the committees and conferences convened
under its authority." To date, Palestine, the Holy See, and
the Sovereign Order of Malta have received such invitations.
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| Q |
What can Taiwan contribute to
the WHO? |
| A |
Participation by Taiwanese medical
and public health practitioners and researchers in WHO programs,
particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, could significantly
strengthen such activities. Indeed, there are many eminent health
specialists in Taiwan, not a few of whom have served as WHO
consultants in key fields such as epidemiology, toxicology, AIDS
research, and pharmacology. Moreover, various Taiwanese NGOs and
other organizations have engaged in medical assistance projects
around the world, from relief projects in Afghanistan to capacity
building in Malawi to AIDS prevention in Chad, and many doctors
and nurses from developing countries have received advanced
training in Taiwan. Such knowledge and humanitarian commitment of
time and resources would contribute to a wide variety of WHO
programs and projects. |
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| Q |
Why does China object to
Taiwan's participation in the WHO? |
| A |
The government of the People's
Republic of China (PRC) claims that Taiwan is one of its
provinces, and it depicts Taiwan's participation in the WHO has a
threat to its territorial integrity. In fact, since the PRC has
never exercised any form of jurisdiction over Taiwan at any time,
such claims are simply fallacious.
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| Q |
Does China provide any medical
assistance to Taiwan? |
| A |
No, Taiwan takes care of its own
public health services. On the contrary, China has even been known
to block emergency assistance to Taiwan. For example, after a
massive earthquake struck central Taiwan in 1999, China prevented
WHO regional experts from visiting the scene, and it significantly
delayed relief assistance offered by the Russian Federation and
the Red Cross. In addition, the Chinese government often hinders
international medical associations and other organizations from
working with Taiwanese health professionals. Despite this, many
Taiwanese charitable organizations and medical specialists have
been working to improve the health of the Chinese people, for
example by providing emergency health care to flood victims,
conducting training, and even establishing new hospitals.
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| Q |
Does support for Taiwan's
participation in the WHO violate the "one China" policy
held by many countries? |
| A |
No. Taiwan's bid for observer
status in no way challenges the PRC's position that only it can
represent China in international organizations. Thus, the
"one China" issue does not arise, and each country is
free to apply its moral conscience when considering whether to
support Taiwan's bid.
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| Q |
Would Taiwan's participation in
the WHO contribute to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait? |
| A |
In fact, yes. Official dialogue
between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait is currently stymied by
political preconditions set by Beijing. Therefore, multilateral
fora, especially those focused on functional issues, provide the
best way for the two sides to build mutual confidence and lay a
foundation for future amicable dialogue. Such a process is already
underway in the WTO and APEC, and the WHO would be a further
constructive venue.
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| Q |
What international support has
Taiwan received for its bid for WHO observership? |
| A |
Taiwan's participation as an
observer has been strongly supported throughout the international
community. The US Congress passed House Resolution 2739 calling
for Taiwan's participation, which was signed into law by President
Bush; and the European Parliament passed a similar resolution on
March 14, 2002. In addition, groups of parliamentarians from
Canada, the Czech Republic, Guatemala, Japan, the United Kingdom,
and several other countries support the bid, as well as numerous
professional medical organizations, for example the World Medical
Association, the International Pediatric Association, the British
Medical Association, the Standing Committee of European Doctors,
the First World Congress of Traditional Medicine, and the
Philippine Medical Association.
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