[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4004 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4004

      Concerning the participation of Taiwan in the World Health 
                             Organization.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 16, 2000

Mr. Brown of Ohio (for himself, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Lantos, Mr. Stark, Mr. 
 English, Mr. Larson, Mr. Rohrabacher, and Mr. Wexler) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on International 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
      Concerning the participation of Taiwan in the World Health 
                             Organization.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. CONCERNING THE PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN IN THE WORLD HEALTH 
              ORGANIZATION (WHO).

    (a) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Good health is a basic right for every citizen of the 
        world and access to the highest standards of health information 
        and services is necessary to help guarantee this right.
            (2) Direct and unobstructed participation in international 
        health cooperation forums and programs is therefore crucial for 
        all parts of the world, especially with today's greater 
        potential for the cross-border spread of various infectious 
        diseases such as AIDS.
            (3) Taiwan's population of 22,000,000 people is larger than 
        that of \3/4\ of the member states already in the WHO.
            (4) Taiwan's achievements in the field of health are 
        substantial, including one of the highest life expectancy 
        levels in Asia, maternal and infant mortality rates comparable 
        to those of western countries, the eradication of such 
        infectious diseases as cholera, smallpox, and the plague, and 
        the first to be rid of polio and provide children with free 
        hepatitis B vaccinations.
            (5) In 1998, an outbreak of enterovirus 71 killed 70 
        Taiwanese children whose deaths could have been prevented if 
        Taiwan would have had access to the WHO.
            (6) In recent years Taiwan has expressed a willingness to 
        assist financially and technically in WHO-supported 
        international aid and health activities, but has been unable to 
        render such assistance.
            (7) The WHO has allowed observers to participate in the 
        activities of the organization, including the Palestinian 
        Liberation Organization, the Knights of Malta, and the Vatican.
            (8) The United States, in the 1994 Taiwan Policy Review, 
        declared its intention to support Taiwan's participation in 
        appropriate international organizations.
            (9) Public Law 106-137 required the Secretary of State to 
        submit a report to Congress on administration efforts to 
        support Taiwan's participation in international organizations, 
        in particular the WHO.
            (10) On January 4, 2000, the State Department issued its 
        report to the Congress, ``Taiwan Participation in the World 
        Health Organization,'' which notes that ``historically, 
        observers have sometimes been authorized at the World Health 
        Assembly meetings'' but refuses to follow the spirit of the 
        1994 Taiwan Policy Review and endorse Taiwanese participation 
        in this manner.
            (11) In light of all benefits that Taiwan's participation 
        in the WHO can bring to the state of health not only in Taiwan, 
        but also regionally and globally, Taiwan and its 22,000,000 
        people should have appropriate and meaningful participation in 
        the WHO.
    (b) Plan.--The Secretary of State shall initiate a United States 
plan to endorse and obtain observer status for Taiwan at the annual 
week-long summit of the World Health Assembly in May 2000 in Geneva, 
Switzerland, and shall instruct the United States delegation to Geneva 
to implement such plan.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 14 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a written report to 
the Congress in unclassified form containing the plan required under 
subsection (b).
                                 <all>