Belize among nations supporting Taiwan’s inclusion at the World Health Assembly

The WHA is scheduled to run from May 20-28,  and Taiwan had hoped to be invited to participate as an observer nation as it did from 2009 to 2016. 

 

Taiwan’s exclusion is a direct result of its ongoing territorial dispute with the People’s republic of China, which believes that Taiwan is not an independent nation but rather a wayward province of China.

Belize, Tuvalu, Nauru, Eswatini, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Palau, St. Kitts and Nevis, Honduras, Paraguay, the Solomon Islands, Haiti, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, all petitioned the UN, making up 14 of the country’s 17 diplomatic allies. Notably,  Guatemala, the Vatican, and Nicaragua, who are observer nations did not join the petition.

The World Health Organization reported that, following the petitions, the WHO General Committee will meet to discuss a proposal entitled”Inviting Taiwan to participate in the WHA as an Observer.”

In the meantime, Taiwan has been sending representatives to speak with participants on the sidelines of the WHA meetings, despite being excluded from the formal proceedings.