TAIWAN ON WHO: IHRS, TWO-BY-TWO, AND OBSTACLES TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 001415 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/24/2016 TAGS: TBIO PREL PGOV WHO TW SUBJECT: TAIWAN ON WHO: IHRS, TWO-BY-TWO, AND OBSTACLES TO PARTICIPATION REF: TAIPEI 1246 TAIPEI 00001415 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: AIT Deputy Director David J. Keegan. Reason(s): 1.4 (B/D) ¶1. (C) Summary. Taiwan is considering making a unilateral pledge adhering to the WHO International Health Regulations (IHRs),though it has some questions about timing. No decision has been made yet on whether Taiwan will concur with a limited two-by-two debate in WHA Plenary Session and General Committee. Taiwan Center for Disease Control (TCDC) is focusing on removing impediments to Taiwan participation in WHO technical meetings. End Summary. MOFA on IHRs and Two-By-Two -------------- ¶2. (C) On April 19, AIT called MOFA International Organizations Director-General John Chen to reiterate two points the Deputy Director made on April 1 to Vice Foreign Minister Michael Kau (see reftel). First, AIT requested a response as soon as possible on whether Taiwan will go the two-by-two debate route in the WHA Plenary and General Committee, stressing that this is an opportunity for Taiwan to tell its story without disrupting progress on Taiwan participation in WHO activities. Regarding Taiwan's request (reported reftel) for support on an exchange of letters between WHO and Taiwan on "meaningful participation8 (reftel),AIT explained that the U.S. supports the goal of "establish(ing) systematic arrangements for Taiwan's 'meaningful participation' in the WHO" and will work closely with Taiwan to accomplish this. However, given time constraints in the run up to the WHA, it is important to move ahead on the two-by-two arrangement with WHO members, including the PRC, as early as possible. Second, AIT repeated the request for Taiwan to go ahead as early as possible before the mid-May WHA and announce unilaterally that it will take on the responsibilities of the IHR's. ¶3. (C) The next day, Chen called AIT to report that MOFA and Taiwan health officials had met the preceding evening to discuss AIT's twin requests. On the IHR unilateral pledge, Chen said, &We are almost ready and should be ready by the end of April.8 The Executive Board (EB) meeting in January, however, had requested early compliance after the resolution is adopted at the WHA. Shouldn't Taiwan wait until after the resolution has been adopted to make its pledge? Chen queried, 
otherwise there will be no basis for a Taiwan pledge before adoption. Chen also told AIT that there had been no decision yet on the two-by-two debate. Vice Minister Michael Kau called DDIR to say that Taiwan is inclined to support the "two-plus-two" arrangement. However, it would first like some assurance that progress will be made before the WHA on meaningful participation. ¶4. (C) Kau added that Taiwan is scheduled to hold general WHO consultations in Tokyo May 9; the Taiwan side will be led by Minister of Health Hou Sheng-cheng. Minister Hou would like to proceed to Washington to discuss the issues raised in the nonpaper MOFA had earlier presented to AIT: partnership in GOARN; participation in technical meetings; contact with WHO offices; and designation of Taiwan CDC as an IHR focal point. Taiwan and WHO: Late Notices and Missed Meetings -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Taiwan Center for Disease Control (TCDC) officials told AIT that TCDC has been barred from participating in seven technical meetings since the WHO-PRC Memorandum of Understanding was signed in May 2005. TCDC is currently awaiting WHO responses on applications to attend two meetings in Geneva in early May on pandemic vaccine supply and on clinical trials. The delay, TCDC Planning Division official Hsu Chen-yu explained, is because WHO first checks with the PRC representative for China's response before responding to Taiwan. (Note: TCDC's list -- e-mailed to EAP/TC last week TAIPEI 00001415 002.2 OF 002 -- is more specific than the list of 20 rejections that MOFA gave the Deputy Director on April 1, eight of which occurred before the PRC-WHO MOU.) ¶6. (C) TCDC told AIT it plans to send three representatives to the WHA in mid-May led by Deputy Director Chou Chi-Hao. In the past, Hsu explained, Taiwan has attended WHA meetings by obtaining public passes allowing its representatives to audit the proceedings from outside the meeting hall. There was some progress in the January 12-13 WHO meeting on Early Response to Potential AI Pandemic in Asia held in Tokyo, however, as TCDC Director Steve Kuo was able to participate directly in the technical discussions as opposed to being just an observer in the gallery. ¶7. (SBU) Following is a list of problems that TCDC has experienced in its efforts to participate in WHO technical meetings, and which TCDC hopes can be addressed: -- Taiwan does not receive notices of scheduled meetings directly from WHO but, rather, has to either rely on third parties to obtain information or check the WHO website. Often when TCDC learns about a meeting it is too late to register. -- Each time Taiwan sends an application to attend a WHO working meeting, WHO officials consult with the PRC first and then decide whether to invite Taiwan. This usually leaves Taiwan with one or two days, seldom more than a week, to organize a delegation. -- Eech time Taiwan applies to attend a meeting, it must send a list of participants to WHO, which vets the list. Often specialists who could make the biggest contributions are the ones who are rejected. For the upcoming May 2-5 meeting on Pandemic vaccines, for example, the technical expert was denied while his two administrative staff were approved. -- Taiwan wants to participate in WHA sessions because that is where the policy decisions are made that relate to future regulations and procedures. -- Taiwan would like to be able to invite WHO technical personnel to meet with their counterparts in Taiwan and attend meetings here. YOUNG