Download this WHO Taiwan Petition to print, sign, and deliver to your Senator!

May 20, 2007

Dear Senator:

I write to you today about an issue of grave concern to your constituents, to Taiwanese-Americans, to the people of Taiwan, and to our international community.

On May 14, Taiwan's first effort to obtain full membership in the World Health Organization (WHO) under the name "Taiwan" failed as the World Health Assembly (WHA)—the WHO's highest decision-making body—ruled out the inclusion of the bid as a supplementary agenda item. It marked Taiwan's eleventh attempt to join the international health body.

It goes without saying that we are very disappointed.

Furthermore, we are dismayed as well that the United States voted against putting Taiwan's bid to join the WHO on the agenda. All this despite the fact that over the past years, both Houses of Congress have passed resolutions calling for Taiwan's inclusion in the organization, and the President has signed these resolutions into law twice.

Today, the U.S. merely supports Taiwan's WHA observership. Such an arrangement would at best give Taiwan the right to attend a week-long meeting in Geneva. What happens to the health rights of the Taiwanese people for the remaining 51 weeks of the year? What happens for the international community during another SARS or the Avian Flu? As Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian argued in his recent Washington Post op-ed, “While disease heeds no national borders, Taiwan has had to fight pandemics without help from the World Health Organization… The systematic shunning of Taiwan is unconscionable not only because it compromises the health of our 23 million people but also because it denies the world the benefit of our abundant public health and technical resources.”

Moreover, opponents argue that the WHO is an UN-affiliated organization and thus requires statehood of its prospective members. However, Article 6 of the WHO Constitution provides that states such as Taiwan that are not members of the United Nations may apply to become Members, and shall be admitted as Members when their application has been approved by a simple majority vote of the Health Assembly.

As the global leader for human rights and democracy, America must fully support Taiwan’s inclusion.We therefore ask that you call upon the State Department urging the department to modify U.S. current policy and support Taiwan's membership in the WHO.

As your constituent, I thank you very much for your support for Taiwan!

Sincerely,