MOFA thanks like-minded partners for backing Taiwan’s WHO bid

2019/04/16

The staunch support shown by like-minded partners such as Canada, the U.K. and U.S. for Taiwan’s participation in the activities and meetings of the World Health Organization is sincerely appreciated by the government and people, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs April 13.
 
 Canada’s Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said April 9 during a parliamentary session that the North American country continues to back Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international multilateral forums where its presence can provide important contributions to the global public good.
 
 Similar sentiments were stated earlier in the month by Jackie Doyle-Price, parliamentary under-secretary for the U.K. Department of Health and Social Care, and Mark Field, minister of state for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
 
 Patrick Murphy, principal deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of State, also voiced U.S. support for Taiwan’s involvement in international organizations. His remarks came April 9 in Washington during a special conference marking the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act.
 
 According to the MOFA, this backing demonstrates that a virtuous country like Taiwan is never alone, and underscores its potential to play an indispensable role in the global disease prevention network.
 
 The ministry also urged the WHO to uphold its Constitution and respond to calls by some member states for Taiwan to receive an invitation to the 72nd World Health Assembly—the global organization’s governing body—May 20-28 in Geneva.
 
 Rest assured, the MOFA said, the government will keep promoting Taiwan’s participation in U.N.-affiliated bodies so as to ensure the rights and well-being of the people, as well as make valuable contributions to issues of global concern.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)