House Resolution 145 - Introduced

PAG LIN





  1  1                HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.    
  1  2                        BY  BELL
  1  3 A Resolution supporting a proposal to invite the
  1  4    Republic of China (Taiwan) to participate in the
  1  5    upcoming meeting of the World Health Assembly as an
  1  6    observer.
  1  7    WHEREAS, the next World Health Assembly meeting is
  1  8 scheduled to take place on May 18, 2006, in Geneva,
  1  9 Switzerland; and
  1 10    WHEREAS, the Republic of China, commonly known as
  1 11 Taiwan, was a founding member of the World Health
  1 12 Organization and participated for 24 years as a full
  1 13 member contributing to the achievement of the
  1 14 organization's objectives; and
  1 15    WHEREAS, in 1972, in the wake of the admission of
  1 16 the People's Republic of China to the United Nations,
  1 17 Taiwan's membership in the World Health Organization
  1 18 was discontinued; and
  1 19    WHEREAS, Taiwanese health officials and medical
  1 20 professionals have been unable to participate in World
  1 21 Health Organization forums and workshops regarding
  1 22 technological advances in the diagnosis, monitoring,
  1 23 and control of diseases since 1972, and have been
  1 24 denied the right to maintain contact and coordination
  1 25 with the World Health Organization in emergency
  1 26 situations involving the containment and cure of
  1 27 existing and newly emerging infectious diseases; and
  1 28    WHEREAS, Taiwan's location at the juncture of
  1 29 important maritime routes between northeast and
  1 30 southeast Asia has resulted in extensive world trade
  2  1 with Taiwan, a thriving Taiwanese tourism industry,
  2  2 and a large foreign migrant worker population in
  2  3 Taiwan; and
  2  4    WHEREAS, Taiwan's absence from the World Health
  2  5 Organization system has become a missing link in the
  2  6 global framework of providing health care; and
  2  7    WHEREAS, the granting of observer status to Taiwan
  2  8 would not constitute a challenge to participation by
  2  9 the People's Republic of China in the World Health
  2 10 Organization and would demonstrate that the
  2 11 organization is inclusive with regard to Taiwan's 23
  2 12 million inhabitants; and
  2 13    WHEREAS, as a democratically elected government,
  2 14 the government of Taiwan has a duty and responsibility
  2 15 to ensure that the people of Taiwan are represented by
  2 16 an organization which establishes and oversees an
  2 17 international framework for the control of disease and
  2 18 the promotion of universal health; and
  2 19    WHEREAS, Taiwan has made substantial progress in
  2 20 the health field, has one of the highest life
  2 21 expectancy rates in Asia, has maternal and infant
  2 22 mortality rates comparable to those in western
  2 23 countries, has eradicated infectious diseases such as
  2 24 cholera, smallpox, and the plague, and has been the
  2 25 first country in the region to eradicate polio and
  2 26 provide children with hepatitis B vaccinations; and
  2 27    WHEREAS, Taiwan has expressed a willingness in
  2 28 recent years to provide financial and technological
  2 29 assistance in international aid and health activities
  2 30 supported by the World Health Organization; NOW
  3  1 THEREFORE,
  3  2    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
  3  3 That the House of Representatives supports the
  3  4 granting of observer status to Taiwan during the World
  3  5 Health Assembly to be held in May 2006; and
  3  6    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That an official copy of
  3  7 this Resolution be prepared and forwarded by the Chief
  3  8 Clerk of the House to the President of the United
  3  9 States, the government of Taiwan, the Taipei economic
  3 10 and cultural office, located in Chicago, Illinois, and
  3 11 the governing authority of the World Health
  3 12 Organization.
  3 13 LSB 6618HH 81
  3 14 rn:rj/sh/8