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Published Date: 2019-05-21
A proposal to grant Taiwan observer status at this year’s World Health Assembly meeting has failed to make headway. That’s despite backing from 14 of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies.
This means the proposal will not make it onto the agenda of this year’s meeting, and Taiwan will once again be excluded from the WHO’s decision-making body.
As this year’s World Health Assembly meeting got underway on Monday, two of Taiwan’s allies, eSwatini and Honduras, proposed including an invitation to Taiwan on the agenda. China and Cuba opposed the proposal, and engaged the two allied nations in a debate. Ultimately, the General Committee recommended against putting the proposal onto the agenda.
Later on Monday, two more allies, the Marshall Islands and St. Vincent and the Grenadines also stepped forward on Taiwan’s behalf. Once again, China and Cuba voiced opposition, and another two-on-two debate followed. The World Health Assembly sided with the General Committee and kept the proposal to include Taiwan off the agenda.
After the proposal was rejected, several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, voiced their support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the assembly meeting.