[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 428 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  1st Session
                                H. R. 428


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 25, 2001

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
      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 23,500,000 people is larger than 
        that of \3/4\ of the member states already in the World Health 
        Organization (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 to provide children with free 
        hepatitis B vaccinations.
            (5) The United States Centers for Disease Control and its 
        Taiwan counterpart agencies have enjoyed close collaboration on 
        a wide range of public health issues.
            (6) In recent years Taiwan has expressed a willingness to 
        assist financially and technically in international aid and 
        health activities supported by the WHO.
            (7) On January 14, 2001, an earthquake, registering between 
        7.6 and 7.9 on the Richter scale, struck El Salvador. In 
        response, the Taiwanese government sent 2 rescue teams, 
        consisting of 90 individuals specializing in firefighting, 
        medicine, and civil engineering. The Taiwanese Ministry of 
        Foreign Affairs also donated $200,000 in relief aid to the 
        Salvadoran Government.
            (8) The World Health Assembly has allowed observers to 
        participate in the activities of the organization, including 
        the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1974, the Order of 
        Malta, and the Holy See in the early 1950's.
            (9) The United States, in the 1994 Taiwan Policy Review, 
        declared its intention to support Taiwan's participation in 
        appropriate international organizations.
            (10) Public Law 106-137 required the Secretary of State to 
        submit a report to the Congress on efforts by the executive 
        branch to support Taiwan's participation in international 
        organizations, in particular the WHO.
            (11) In light of all the 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 23,500,000 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 2001 in Geneva, 
Switzerland, and shall instruct the United States delegation to Geneva 
to implement that 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).

            Passed the House of Representatives April 24, 2001.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.