WHO Mission Team Returned after Having Completed its Mission and Staying True to its Principles of Professionalism, Pragmatism and Contribution- Ministry of Health and Welfare

The Ministry of Health and Welfare expressed its regrets and displeasure over the WHO’s failure to invite Taiwan to the 70th World Health Assembly (WHA) due to political circumstances. However, seeing that health is a basic, universal human right, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung still led his team to Geneva, held an international press conference on May 22, and handed in a letter of protest to object to the actions of WHO and China and to declare Taiwan’s determination to participate in international affairs.

Minister Chen said that the central mission of this trip was to optimize the current circumstances for our country. Following the principles of “Professionalism,” “Pragmatism,” and “Contribution,” his team worked hard to connect and exchange opinions with health workers from around the world despite being barred from the WHA. As of May 26, Minister Chen’s team has held 59 meetings with 28 organizations and 31 countries, including the United States, and dealt with major health and medical issues in-depth. Meanwhile, team members also actively participated in several other conferences and events, in order to stay up-to-date with the current global health news.

In addition, for the first time, our team held two professional forums in Geneva this year: a “Health Insurance Forum between Taiwan and Switzerland” with the Swiss Society for Health Policy (SGGP) on May 23, and a forum on “International Cooperation and Epidemic Disease Prevention” with several countries, including Japan and the United States, on May 24. These forums were intended as a platform for us to share our experiences with these countries, consolidate our friendship, and gain international approval for our medical and health system.

Minister Chen stated that things have taken a new turn after the new WHO Director-General was elected. He also believes that our efforts this year have opened a new chapter for Taiwan’s role in international affairs, and he hopes that in the future, we will work with our allies toward the greater good of global health.