Good Morning!
It is my great honor to have been invited to attend the 2006 Global Forum for Health Leaders and meet with health officials and experts from Taiwan and abroad, including leaders of important international organizations such as the World Medical Association. This Forum provides us with an opportunity to exchange opinions and discuss issues related to the promotion of a sustainable global healthcare system. On behalf of the government and people of Taiwan, I would like to express our highest respect for and warm welcome to our distinguished guests, especially those who have journeyed from afar to participate in this event.
In an ever-more globalized world, greater interaction between countries has made issues of public health, including the prevention of communicable diseases, increasingly able to affect the safety of people's lives and property. As a member of the global community, Taiwan has the responsibility to contribute to the health security of people around the world.
Although Taiwan was forced to vacate its seat at the World Health Organization in 1972, we have never neglected or been absent from the promotion of global healthcare matters. Over the past decade in particular, Taiwan's endeavors to overcome various difficulties to implement the National Health Insurance Program and participate in international medical relief work have earned it the approbation of many nations.
The past few years have seen many disasters all over the world, such as a tsunami in the Indian Ocean, earthquakes in Central Asia, and landslides in the Philippines. In the wake of each of these, Taiwan's medical relief teams and relief supplies were often among the first to arrive. In addition, the recent polio control program launched in The Gambia, AIDS prevention measures implemented in Malawi, medical facility expansion in Swaziland, and malaria and cholera prevention and treatment work in São Tomé and Principe are all remarkable accomplishments achieved jointly by Taiwan's medical teams and local health personnel in these countries after overcoming numerous hurdles.
To take on a more active role in dealing with global health matters, Taiwan's government established the Taiwan International Health Action Team in March of this year, a move aimed at effectively promoting international health exchanges of all kinds. These examples show that, in order to safeguard the principle of universal application stated in the latest revision to the WHO's International Health Regulations, Taiwan has undertaken concrete actions to reach objectives set by the United Nations and the WHO to help the poor and the disadvantaged.
Although Taiwan is neither a member of nor an observer to the WHO, we are working hard to contribute to improvements in health all over the globe. As a nation that has been very fortunate, it is our conviction that, based on our belief in health professionalism and humanitarianism, Taiwan should shoulder its responsibility as a member of the international community and engage in work on global health issues.
Today, we are faced with unprecedented and severe global health challenges. The scourge of AIDS has plagued humanity for the past two decades, and a cure remains elusive. No country, no region is safe from this disease and no people, regardless of gender or age, is invulnerable to it. As well, for a period of time, tuberculosis was under effective control, but in recent years, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis has been spreading in Europe and other regions.
SARS, which caused widespread panic three years ago, may return at any time. Moreover, we may see outbreaks of avian flu in the near future. Just a few days ago, it was reported that about 6,000 chickens were suspected to have died from avian flu in South Korea, a nation right in Taiwan's backyard. Test results later confirmed that the chickens died from highly pathogenic avian influenza, which will, we believe, cause nations all over the world to remain on high alert.
In addition to these, suicide, obesity, chronic diseases, drug abuse, population aging, and long-term care are public health issues that many countries are seriously concerned about. I would like to urge the UN, WHO, and world leaders to review international regulations and national policies, make the pursuit of health a focus of their work, and implement effective disease prevention measures to improve people's health the world over, in the hope that someday we may attain the goals of "health for all" and "health without gaps or weaknesses."
You, our distinguished guests, have traveled here to exchange your experiences and discuss those health issues common to all nations at this important health event. Taiwan, with its successful experiences and passion to serve, is willing to become an increasingly positive and dependable member of the global community. The warm support of our friends and distinguished guests from Taiwan and abroad has kept us from feeling alone in our long and arduous journey to make advances in international health matters and seek entrance into the WHO.
That world body recently elected a new director-general. We were pleased to see how smoothly the election process went, and would like to extend our congratulations to Dr. Margaret Chan for her election to this important office. We shall all support efforts made on the six key issues Dr. Chan has outlined for the WHO to tackle. At this important time of transition for the WHO, Taiwan is willing to work with other countries to bring about better health for all of humankind. We believe that if given the opportunity to participate in this world body, Taiwan will be able to make even greater contributions to the development of a sustainable global healthcare management system.
In closing, I would like to wish the Global Forum for Health Leaders great success and our distinguished guests health and happiness. Thank you.