Taiwan Rallies for More Support as WHO Fails to Invite Taiwan to Annual Summit

People wear face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus in Taipei, Taiwan, Sept. 30, 2021. Chiang Ying-ying/AP Photo

Despite increasing support from the international community, Taiwan has yet to be invited to the 75^th annual World Health Assembly (WHA), the decision-making body of World Health Organization (WHO), which is convening May 22 to 28 in Geneva, Switzerland, after two years of virtual meetings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Taiwan, which has been excluded from the WHA since 2017, says it is grateful for support from thirteen diplomatic allies, who are also WHO member states, who proposed a motion to put Taiwan’s participation in the WHA on the meeting’s agenda.