A total of 25 countries have voiced support for Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA), including the European Union, which reiterated its backing through a statement delivered by Poland, the current holder of the rotating presidency. The EU, though only an observer at the WHO, emphasized this year’s WHA theme of “One World for Health.”
The WHA, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), is meeting in Geneva from May 19 to 27. Taiwan has been excluded for the ninth consecutive year. Fourteen non-diplomatic allies and eleven official diplomatic allies spoke in favor of Taiwan during their allotted two-minute statements.
Among those calling for Taiwan’s participation as an observer were Luxembourg’s Health and Social Security Minister Martine Deprez, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam, and Radek Policar, Director-General for Legislative and Legal Affairs at the Czech Ministry of Health.
Simon Manley, the U.K.’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. in Geneva, urged the WHO to reinstate Taiwan’s observer status, last granted between 2009 and 2016, and to involve Taipei in all relevant technical meetings.
Lithuanian Health Minister Marija Jakubauskienė stressed that Taiwan has helped many countries address health crises, yet remains excluded—raising questions about the WHA’s stated commitment to inclusivity.
Other supportive nations included the Netherlands, Estonia, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Japan, and Belize.