TAIWAN SEEKS U.S. HELP WITH WHO EXECUTIVE BOARD

C O N F I D E N T I A L TAIPEI 001435 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/TC, IO/T (BLACKWOOD); GENEVA FOR HOHMAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2019 TAGS: PREL WHO SUBJECT: TAIWAN SEEKS U.S. HELP WITH WHO EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING, H1N1 VACCINE DONATION REF: A. DECEMBER 4 HUTTO-RANK E-MAIL ¶B. HOHMAN E-MAILS Classified By: Director Bill Stanton for reasons 1.4(b/d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Taiwan is seeking U.S. assistance in its efforts to participate as an observer at the January 18-23 World Health Organization Executive Board (WHO EB) meeting and to contribute 500,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine via the WHO. As a first step, Taiwan hopes the U.S. Mission in Geneva can engage the WHO Secretariat and like-minded WHO members to look for pragmatic solutions to these issues. End Summary. ¶2. (C) AIT Pol Chief contacted MOFA International Organizations Division Deputy Director General Lily Hsu on December 7 to discuss Taiwan's involvement in WHO activities (ref A). Hsu asked for U.S. support for Taiwan's effort to take part in the January 18-23 meeting of the World Health Organization Executive Board (WHO EB) as an observer. Hsu noted that there were precedents for World Health Assembly (WHA) observers, such as the Order of Malta, to take part in EB meeting, but admitted that observers often did not do so. Nevertheless, she argued, there was a strong substantive case for allowing Taiwan to do so. ¶3. (C) Substantively, Hsu said, Taiwan hoped to take part in the EB meeting because there were a number of items on the agenda that had been deferred from the May 2009 WHA meeting at which Taiwan was an observer. These items were left unaddressed when the WHA meeting was cut short to allow Health Ministers to return to their countries to deal with the H1N1 outbreak, she said. More important, the agenda for the upcoming EB meeting included items of direct interest to Taiwan, such as the effort to coordinate donations of H1N1 vaccines to recipient countries and International Health Regulations (IHR) implementation. ¶4. (C) Asked what specific assistance Taiwan needed, Hsu said a first step would be for the U.S. Mission in Geneva to engage the WHO Secretariat, to assess its attitude toward Taiwan's participation and, if appropriate, to urge it to extend an invitation to observe the EB meeting. Pol Chief agreed to convey the request, but noted that initial U.S. contacts with the WHO Secretariat (ref B) were not entirely promising. ¶5. (C) Hsu also noted that Taiwan was still having problems contributing 500,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine via the WHO. Taiwan had explored the possibility of making a bilateral donation, she stressed, but had determined that doing so would be impractical. Hsu asked for U.S. help in coordinating with like-minded countries represented in Geneva to find a practical way to make the contribution via the WHO. If there were a way to make a contribution through the WHO, Hsu emphasized repeatedly, Taiwan was prepared to be "very flexible on modalities." STANTON