WHEREAS, The preamble to the Charter of the United Nations declares that the United Nations are determined to “reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small ... .” Similarly, Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “[e]veryone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in [that] Declaration, without distinction of any kind ... . Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs ...”; and

WHEREAS, The global issues tackled by the specialized agencies of the United Nations system are closely connected to the well-being of all humankind. Because Taiwan cannot attend the conferences, mechanisms, and activities of the specialized agencies, the welfare of its people, as well as the interests of all humankind, have been seriously jeopardized; and

WHEREAS, Taiwan has been campaigning for participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) for years, but has been unable to establish direct access to, and communication with, the WHO regarding disease prevention. In addition, Taiwan is restricted from attending the WHO technical conferences and activities. As a result, Taiwan can neither acquire the latest medical and health updates nor receive timely assistance when epidemics occur, as was the case with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic; and

WHEREAS, As early as May 2006, Taiwan announced its decision to voluntarily comply with the International Health Regulations that took effect on June 15, 2007. Although Taiwan has repeatedly submitted updates to the WHO about various diseases, the WHO has never responded. This has been detrimental to the health rights of the 23 million people of Taiwan and the foreigners residing or traveling in Taiwan. It also creates a weak spot in the global epidemic surveillance network that will harm the international community; and

WHEREAS, Being the world’s 18th largest economy and 20th largest outbound investor, Taiwan possesses significant economic strength. Taiwan hopes to share its development experiences with many developing countries. Taiwan is also willing to give back to the world through humanitarian assistance and technical cooperation; and

WHEREAS, The issues that the specialized agencies of the United Nations system handle tend to be functional and technical in nature. Therefore, allowing Taiwan’s participation would help the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to set aside differences and strengthen cooperation on issues of mutual concern, thereby reducing friction gradually and promoting stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region; now, therefore, be it