Walaska resolution champions Taiwan
9:10 AM Mon, May 21, 2007 | Permalink
Email this author | Email this entry |
 |
Projo Politics Blog |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Projo Politics Blog |
For anyone wondering about the back story behind the General Assembly resolution asking the World Health Organization to grant Taiwan observer status … The resolution stems from a trip state Sen. William A. Walaska made to the island nation — whose government is formally known as the Republic of China — nearly 10 years ago, Walaska said last week. Walaska and then-Sen. Charles J. Fogarty were part of a New England delegation that traveled there at the invitation of Taiwan’s government. Since then, Walaska said, he’s submitted this resolution each year. This year’s version cleared the Senate on March 22, and is scheduled for consideration in the House tomorrow. Taiwan was a founding member of both the United Nations and the World Health Organization. It left both organizations in 1972 after the mainland People’s Republic of China was admitted. Taiwan’s latest effort to join WHO failed last week, after the organization voted 148 to 17 against debating the subject. The United States was among those to vote against opening the debate. According to the International Herald Tribune: “At present, all official communication between WHO and the self-ruled island must be addressed to China, a fact Taipei argues jeopardizes its ability to cope with major medical emergencies and creates gaps in the global health-monitoring system.” Taiwan is “one of the few democracies in that part of the world,” Walaska said about his reasons for submitting the bill. “They’re a very much industrialized, very friendly nation.” However true that may be, Walaska admitted he’s not sure how much clout a resolution from the Rhode Island General Assembly will have in shaping the United States' position on Taiwan, never mind the position of the entire World Health Organization. “Let’s face it,” said Walaska, D-Warwick. “My statements regarding foreign policy don’t carry a whole lot of weight, do they?” 
CommentsLeave a comment |
New comments
New photos
Authors
New posts
Projo blogs
Archives
Taiwan is not a founding member of either organization. That honor belongs to the Republic of China, the virtual state that now rules Taiwan. Should Taiwan get into the WHO under the name "Taiwan" that would be a first.
Michael
Report Abuse
The following are some basic facts about Taiwan, WHO and world health:
1) Taiwan's public and private sectors have donated more than $450 million in medical and humanitarian aid to more than 90 countries over the past 10 years.
2) Taiwanese doctors and other health-care professionals have the skills to provide services to the widest possible range of beneficiaries. At home, their dedication and implementation of a superior health-care system has led the Economist to rank Taiwan the second-healthiest nation in the world.
3) Article 3 of the Constitution of the WHO stipulates: "Membership in the Organization shall be open to all states". The WHO constitution also allows great flexibility giving "official relations" with organizations and countries. Observer status was given to the Holy See, Palestine, and the international Committee of the Red Cross. The WHO constitution deliberately allowed this wide range of participation to best meet its goal: to "promote and protect the health of all people."
4) China and WHO signed a secret memorandum of understanding requiring that WHO obtain China's permission before sharing information with Taiwan or inviting Taiwanese doctors or officials to conferences.
5) When SARS broke out in March 2003, WHO and China refused to share information with Taiwan at the critical initial stages of the outbreak, putting Taiwan and many other countries at greater risk. Help from the WHO did not arrive until seven weeks later, in mid-May.
6) Nearly 200,000 flights arrived at or departed from Taiwan annually, with up to 25 million international and domestic passengers entering or existing Taiwan. The H5N1 virus (bird flu) had been confirmed in 6 countries: China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. Taiwan is geographically close to these six countries and has frequent exchanges and interactions with them. This included 1,183 flights between Taiwan and these countries every week. Should an epidemic break out in Taiwan, it could spread rapidly around the world and pose a severe threat to the world's health and safety.
Keeping Taiwan out of the WHO is dangerous and contradictory to the organization's objectives. And the fact that Taiwan's participation in the WHO is subject to China's approval, even for technical meetings makes the rejection of Taiwan's bid inhuman and unjust.
Report Abuse