GENEVA, Dec 17 (AFP) - Taiwan, a non-member of the United Nations, has donated a million euros (1.03 million dollars) to the UN-initiated Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, Taiwan's cultural and economic delegation has announced here.
Taiwan's representative to Washington has handed over the sum of money for payment into the fund by the chairman of the UN Foundation Timothy Wirth, the statement released on Monday said.
The UN Foundation channels funding from private donors to the United Nations.
The fund, launched last year in response to an initiative by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, is a public-private partnership combining governments and foundations, pharmaceutical and other corporations and non-government organisations.
"Through this donation, Taiwan is showing once again its commitment in the area of world health, commitment that it would want to see developed thanks to its admission to the World Health Organisation (WHO)," the Taiwanese mission said.
The United Nations granted a seat to China but excluded Taiwan in a resolution in 1971.
In May, the WHO's annual assembly refused to grant Taiwan observer status because of opposition from Beijing. It was Taiwan's sixth attempt to gain observer status.
The fund has around 2.1 billion dollars in commitments.
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