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

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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

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-- 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