Restoring Taiwan’s Observer status with The World Health Assembly for the effective promotion of global health

Written declaration No. 771 | Doc. 15762 | 04 May 2023

Signatories:

Mr Markus WIECHEL, Sweden, EC/DA ; Ms Boriana ÅBERG, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Stéphane BERGERON, Canada ; Lord David BLENCATHRA, United Kingdom, EC/DA ; Mr Alexander CHRISTIANSSON, Sweden, EC/DA ; Mr Percy DOWNE, Canada ; Lord George FOULKES, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Brian FRANCIS, Canada ; Mr Paul GALLES, Luxembourg, EPP/CD ; Mr Oleksii GONCHARENKO, Ukraine, EC/DA ; Lord Leslie GRIFFITHS, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Christoph HOFFMANN, Germany, ALDE ; Ms Olena KHOMENKO, Ukraine, EC/DA ; Mr Norbert KLEINWÄCHTER, Germany, EC/DA ; Mr Eduard KÖCK, Austria, EPP/CD ; Ms Arndís Anna KRISTÍNARDÓTTIR GUNNARSDÓTTIR, Iceland, SOC ; Mr Ian LIDDELL-GRAINGER, United Kingdom, EC/DA ; Ms Lucie MONCION, Canada ; Mr Sorin-Titus MUNCACIU, Romania, EC/DA ; Mr Bob van PAREREN, Netherlands, EC/DA ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Ms Eka SEPASHVILI, Georgia, EC/DA ; Mr Virendra SHARMA, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Francesco SORBARA, Canada ; Ms Beatrice TIMGREN, Sweden, EC/DA ; Mr Robert TROY, Ireland, ALDE ; Mr David WELLS, Canada ; Mr Emanuelis ZINGERIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD

This written declaration does not reflect the position of the Assembly; only of those members that have signed it. It will not be considered further by the Assembly.

We, the undersigned, declare the following:

We deeply regret the decision taken in 2016 by the World Health Assembly (WHA) – the World Health Organization’s steering body – to revoke the Observer status of Taiwan with the WHA. Until then, Taiwan has been fulfilling this status to everyone’s general satisfaction for nearly a decade.

The loss of Taiwan’s contribution as an observer to the WHO/WHA’s work in fighting against future pandemics such as Covid-19 – and against global public health threats in general – is all the more regrettable, seeing the WHO/WHA’s inclusive approach to international health co-operation; Taiwan’s outstanding reputation as an advanced, engaged, highly capable and responsible member of the global health community; and its position as a pivotal international transport and travel hub.

We therefore call on the member States of the Council of Europe to work to restore Taiwan’s Observer status as early as possible, and ideally already on the occasion of the WHA’s Annual Conference in Geneva, to be held from 21 to 30 May 2023.