[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2092 Reported in Senate (RS)]






                                                       Calendar No. 492
108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2092

      To address the participation of Taiwan in the World Health 
                             Organization.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 12, 2004

     Mr. Allen (for himself, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Kyl, Mr. 
Lieberman, Mr. Lott, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Voinovich, Ms. Collins, Mr. Crapo, 
Mr. Bond, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Chambliss, and Mr. Feingold) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                           Foreign Relations

                             April 29, 2004

                Reported by Mr. Lugar, with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
      To address 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,

<DELETED>SECTION 1. CONCERNING THE PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN IN THE WORLD 
              HEALTH ORGANIZATION.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following 
findings:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Good health is important to every citizen of 
        the world and access to the highest standards of health 
        information and services is necessary to improve the public 
        health.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Direct and unobstructed participation in 
        international health cooperation forums and programs is 
        beneficial for all parts of the world, especially today with 
        the great potential for the cross-border spread of various 
        infectious diseases such as the human immunodeficiency virus 
        (HIV), tuberculosis, and malaria.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Taiwan's population of 23,500,000 people is 
        greater than that of </DELETED>\<DELETED>3/4</DELETED>\ 
        <DELETED>of the member states already in the World Health 
        Organization (WHO).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) Taiwan's achievements in the field of health 
        are substantial, including--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) attaining--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) 1 of the highest life 
                        expectancy levels in Asia; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) maternal and infant mortality 
                        rates comparable to those of western 
                        countries;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) eradicating such infectious diseases 
                as cholera, smallpox, the plague, and polio; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) providing children with hepatitis B 
                vaccinations.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) The United States Centers for Disease Control 
        and Prevention and its counterpart agencies in Taiwan have 
        enjoyed close collaboration on a wide range of public health 
        issues.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) In recent years Taiwan has expressed a 
        willingness to assist financially and technically in 
        international aid and health activities supported by the 
        WHO.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (9) The United States, in the 1994 Taiwan Policy 
        Review, declared its intention to support Taiwan's 
        participation in appropriate international 
        organizations.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (10) Public Law 106-137 required the Secretary of 
        State to submit a report to Congress on efforts by the 
        executive branch to support Taiwan's participation in 
        international organizations, in particular the WHO.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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 23,500,000 people should have appropriate and meaningful 
        participation in the WHO.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (12) On May 11, 2001, President Bush stated in a 
        letter to Senator Murkowski that the United States ``should 
        find opportunities for Taiwan's voice to be heard in 
        international organizations in order to make a contribution, 
        even if membership is not possible'', further stating that the 
        administration ``has focused on finding concrete ways for 
        Taiwan to benefit and contribute to the WHO''.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (13) In his speech made in the World Medical 
        Association on May 14, 2002, Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services, Tommy Thompson, announced ``America's work for a 
        healthy world cuts across political lines. That is why my 
        government supports Taiwan's efforts to gain observership 
        status at the World Health Assembly. We know this is a 
        controversial issue, but we do not shrink from taking a public 
        stance on it. The people of Taiwan deserve the same level of 
        public health as citizens of every nation on earth, and we 
        support them in their efforts to achieve it''.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (14) The Government of the Republic of China on 
        Taiwan, in response to an appeal from the United Nations and 
        the United States for resources to control the spread of HIV/
        AIDS, donated $1,000,000 to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, 
        Tuberculosis and Malaria in December 2002.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (15) In 2003, the outbreak of Severe Acute 
        Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) caused 73 deaths in 
        Taiwan.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (16) Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, 
        has reemerged in Asia with strains of the influenza reported by 
        the People's Republic of China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, 
        Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and 
        Laos.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (17) The SARS and avian influenza outbreaks 
        illustrate that disease knows no boundaries and emphasize the 
        importance of allowing all people access to the WHO.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (18) As the pace of globalization quickens and the 
        spread of infectious disease accelerates, it is crucial that 
        all people, including the people of Taiwan, be given the 
        opportunity to participate in international health 
        organizations such as the WHO.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (19) The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
        acknowledged during the 2003 World Health Assembly meeting that 
        ``[t]he need for effective public health exists among all 
        peoples''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Plan.--The Secretary of State is authorized to--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) 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 2004 in Geneva, 
        Switzerland;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) instruct the United States delegation to the 
        World Health Assembly in Geneva to implement that plan; 
        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) introduce a resolution in support of observer 
        status for Taiwan at the summit of the World Health 
        Assembly.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Report.--Not later than 14 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to 
Congress in unclassified form describing the action taken to carry out 
the plan described in subsection (b).</DELETED>

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

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Good health is important to every citizen of the world 
        and access to the highest standards of health information and 
        services is necessary to improve the public health.
            (2) Direct and unobstructed participation in international 
        health cooperation forums and programs is beneficial for all 
        parts of the world, especially today with the great potential 
        for the cross-border spread of various infectious diseases such 
        as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), tuberculosis, and 
        malaria.
            (3) Taiwan's population of 23,500,000 people is greater 
        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--
                    (A) attaining--
                            (i) 1 of the highest life expectancy levels 
                        in Asia; and
                            (ii) maternal and infant mortality rates 
                        comparable to those of western countries;
                    (B) eradicating such infectious diseases as 
                cholera, smallpox, the plague, and polio; and
                    (C) providing children with hepatitis B 
                vaccinations.
            (5) The United States Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention and its counterpart agencies in Taiwan 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 Congress on efforts by the executive branch 
        to support Taiwan's participation in international 
        organizations, in particular the WHO.
            (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 23,500,000 
        people should have appropriate and meaningful participation in 
        the WHO.
            (12) On May 11, 2001, President Bush stated in a letter to 
        Senator Murkowski that the United States ``should find 
        opportunities for Taiwan's voice to be heard in international 
        organizations in order to make a contribution, even if 
        membership is not possible'', further stating that the 
administration ``has focused on finding concrete ways for Taiwan to 
benefit and contribute to the WHO''.
            (13) In his speech made in the World Medical Association on 
        May 14, 2002, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy 
        Thompson announced ``America's work for a healthy world cuts 
        across political lines. That is why my government supports 
        Taiwan's efforts to gain observership status at the World 
        Health Assembly. We know this is a controversial issue, but we 
        do not shrink from taking a public stance on it. The people of 
        Taiwan deserve the same level of public health as citizens of 
        every nation on earth, and we support them in their efforts to 
        achieve it''.
            (14) The Government of the Republic of China on Taiwan, in 
        response to an appeal from the United Nations and the United 
        States for resources to control the spread of HIV/AIDS, donated 
        $1,000,000 to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and 
        Malaria in December 2002.
            (15) In 2003, the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory 
        Syndrome (SARS) caused 84 deaths in Taiwan.
            (16) Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, has 
        reemerged in Asia, with strains of the influenza reported by 
        the People's Republic of China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, 
        Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos.
            (17) The SARS and avian influenza outbreaks illustrate that 
        disease knows no boundaries and emphasize the importance of 
        allowing all people access to the WHO.
            (18) As the pace of globalization quickens and the spread 
        of infectious disease accelerates, it is crucial that all 
        people, including the people of Taiwan, be given the 
        opportunity to participate in international health 
        organizations such as the WHO.
            (19) The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
        acknowledged during the 2003 World Health Assembly meeting that 
        ``[t]he need for effective public health exists among all 
        peoples''.
    (b) Plan.--The Secretary of State is authorized to--
            (1) initiate a United States plan to endorse and obtain 
        observer status for Taiwan at the annual week-long summit of 
        the World Health Assembly each year in Geneva, Switzerland;
            (2) instruct the United States delegation to the World 
        Health Assembly in Geneva to implement that plan; and
            (3) introduce a resolution in support of observer status 
        for Taiwan at the summit of the World Health Assembly.
    (c) Report Concerning Observer Status for Taiwan at the Summit of 
the World Health Assembly.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, and not later than April 1 of each year 
thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the 
Congress, in unclassified form, describing the United States plan to 
endorse and obtain observer status for Taiwan at the annual week-long 
summit of the World Health Assembly (WHA) held by the World Health 
Organization (WHO) in May of each year in Geneva, Switzerland. Each 
report shall include the following:
            (1) An account of the efforts the Secretary of State has 
        made, following the last meeting of the World Health Assembly, 
        to encourage WHO member states to promote Taiwan's bid to 
        obtain observer status.
            (2) The steps the Secretary of State will take to endorse 
        and obtain observer status at the next annual meeting of the 
        World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.




                                                       Calendar No. 492

108th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 2092

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

      To address the participation of Taiwan in the World Health 
                             Organization.

_______________________________________________________________________

                             April 29, 2004

                       Reported with an amendment