[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7515]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




DENIAL OF WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIP TO TAIWAN IS UNJUSTIFIED

  (Mr. BROWN of Ohio asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, in mid-February the World Health 
Organization began reporting cases of an atypical pneumonia throughout 
Asia identified as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Since then, more 
than 450 cases, with 17 deaths, have been reported in 13 countries.
  As members of the World Health Organization, most of these countries 
have received assistance in confronting this pandemic, but Taiwan, not 
a member, has not received any assistance from WHO.
  The WHO's refusal to assist Taiwan is unfair not only for the people 
of Taiwan but for the world at large, given the transnational nature of 
this outbreak. With a population of 23 million people, Taiwan is larger 
than 75 percent of the countries that belong to WHO and is prepared to 
contribute meaningfully to the global health efforts discussed at the 
World Health Assembly, but without membership or observer status, its 
delegates cannot even enter the room.
  Taiwan has eradicated smallpox and cholera and polio and has achieved 
infant mortality rates on par with western countries.
  Earlier this year, this House passed a bill ordering the State 
Department to endorse observer status for Taiwan at the World Health 
Assembly, yet the Bush administration continues to say no. The denial 
of WHO membership to Taiwan is an unjustifiable violation of its 
people's basic right to good health.

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