TAIWAN'S PARTICIPATION IN THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION

That this House regrets that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has opposed including Taiwan's participation as an observer to the World Health Assembly (WHA) on its agenda since 1997; notes that the 61st WHA will convene between 19th and 24th May 2008; recognises that disease knows no boundaries or politics and there should be no gap or weak spot in the world's disease prevention network; contends that Taiwan should not become the only gap in the global public health network; applauds Taiwan's strong desire to work with international health institutions through medical co-operation and emergency humanitarian work; further applauds the valuable medical assistance and humanitarian aid provided by Taiwan's public and private sectors worldwide exceeding US$450 million over the last decade; further notes that Palestine, the Holy See, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the International Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union have been granted observer status to the WHA; regrets that the Government has not supported Taiwan's WHA observer status or WHO membership; welcomes the fact that Taiwan would be willing to accept an arrangement to be a WHA observer so as to engage in direct access to and communication with the WHO before attaining WHO membership; strongly encourages the UK Government to support Taiwan's justifiable bids for WHO membership and preliminary WHA observer status; and urges the WHO Director-General to invite Taiwan as a WHA observer before granting WHO membership to ensure no gap in the global public health network.