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The decision came after a deliberation that took place on Sunday regarding Taiwan’s participation in the assembly. After discussing a proposal to admit Taiwan on Sunday, as an observer at the WHA, a WHO decision-making committee said this would not happen. The Minister of Health, Nkosi, among other representatives from Marshal Island, Nauru and Berisa, tried to persuade the WHO to give Taiwan an observer status but China and its allies succeeded in blocking the island of Mainland China. Worth noting, the Republic of China (Taiwan) is permitted to attend some technical

MBABANE - The Kingdom of Eswatini will not stop advocating for Taiwan’s inclusion and recognition in United Nations (UN) agencies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), no matter how long it takes.

The assurance was given by Deputy Government Spokesperson Thabile Mdluli, following the decision that was taken at the 76th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva.

Mdluli said the kingdom would continue advocating for Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN. She said the world could attest to the fact that Taiwan was highly skilled, particularly when it came to health, as it was solely responsible for the well-being of all its 23 million people and had produced thousands of physicians, some of whom are serving in other countries.

“When it comes to the kingdom of Eswatini’s commitment to ensuring that the global community benefits from the rare Taiwanese medical expertise, no amount of politics will hamper the spirit of lobbying and influencing certain UN agencies to bring Taiwan on board,” she said.

Further, Mdluli stated that Taiwan was in the special diplomatic axis with some of the world’s greatest powers such as the United States of America and the United Kingdom. Therefore, Mdluli said the Kingdom of Eswatini was not isolated in its quest to ensure that Taiwan was brought into the UN family. “It’s a noble endeavour to which the country is committed. We do believe that one day, sanity will prevail on the matter,” she said.

WHO meetings but its exclusion from the WHO hindered efforts, for example, to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Delegate

A delegate from China told the assembly that the People’s Republic of China Government was the sole legal government representing the whole of China. The delegate added that Taiwan was an inalienable part of China’s territory.

“Any attempt to use the pandemic for Taiwan independence is doomed to fail.”

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry described China’s action to block its participation as contemptible.

“Only Taiwan’s democratically elected government can represent Taiwan’s 23.5 million people in the WHO and other international organisations and protect the health and human rights of the Taiwanese people,” said the ministry.

Taiwan’s Health Minister Hsueh Jui-yuan warned Sunday that the island’s continued exclusion from the