S. Con. Res. 17 Agreed to September 11, 2012

One Hundred Twelfth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE SECOND SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday, 

the third day of January, two thousand and twelve 

Concurrent Resolution 

Whereas the Convention on International Civil Aviation, signed 

in Chicago, Illinois, on December 7, 1944, and entered into force 

April 4, 1947, approved the establishment of the International 

Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), stating ‘‘The aims and objectives of the Organization are to develop the principles and techniques of international air navigation and to foster the planning 

and development of international air transport so as to . . . 

meet the needs of the peoples of the world for safe, regular, 

efficient and economical air transport’’; 

Whereas, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, 

the ICAO convened a high-level Ministerial Conference on Aviation Security that endorsed a global strategy for strengthening 

aviation security worldwide and issued a public declaration that 

‘‘a uniform approach in a global system is essential to ensure 

aviation security throughout the world and that deficiencies in 

any part of the system constitute a threat to the entire global 

system,’’ and that there should be a commitment to ‘‘foster international cooperation in the field of aviation security and harmonize the implementation of security measures’’; 

Whereas, the 37th ICAO Assembly in October 2010 adopted a 

Declaration on Aviation Security largely in response to the 

attempted sabotage of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on December 

25, 2009, which established new criminal penalties for the use 

of civil aircraft as a weapon, the use of dangerous materials 

to attack aircraft or other targets on the ground, and the unlawful 

transport of biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons and related 

materials, along with extradition arrangements that facilitate 

cooperation among nations in apprehending and prosecuting those 

who have undertaken these and other criminal acts; 

Whereas, on October 8, 2010, the Department of State praised 

the 37th ICAO Assembly on its adoption of the Declaration on 

Aviation Security, but noted that ‘‘because every airport offers 

a potential entry point into this global system, every nation 

faces the threat from gaps in aviation security throughout the 

world—and all nations must share the responsibility for securing 

that system’’; 

Whereas the Taipei Flight Information Region, under the jurisdiction of Taiwan, ROC, covers an airspace of 176,000 square nautical miles and provides air traffic control services to over 

1,350,000 flights annually, with the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport recognized as the 8th and 18th largest airport 
S. Con. Res. 17—2 

by international cargo volume and number of international passengers, respectively; 

Whereas exclusion from the ICAO since 1971 has impeded the 

efforts of the Government of Taiwan to maintain civil aviation 

practices that comport with evolving international standards, due 

to its inability to contact the ICAO for up-to-date information 

on aviation standards and norms, secure amendments to the 

organization’s regulations in a timely manner, obtain sufficient 

and timely information needed to prepare for the implementation 

of new systems and procedures set forth by the ICAO, receive 

technical assistance in implementing new regulations, and participate in technical and academic seminars hosted by the ICAO; 

Whereas the United States, in the 1994 Taiwan Policy Review, 

clearly declared its support for the participation of Taiwan in 

appropriate international organizations, in particular, on September 27, 1994, with the announcement by the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs that, pursuant 

to the Review and recognizing Taiwan’s important role in 

transnational issues, the United States ‘‘will support its membership in organizations where statehood is not a prerequisite, and 

[the United States] will support opportunities for Taiwan’s voice 

to be heard in organizations where its membership is not possible’’; and 

Whereas ICAO rules and existing practices have allowed for the 

meaningful participation of noncontracting countries as well as 

other bodies in its meetings and activities through granting of 

observer status: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that— 

(1) meaningful participation by the Government of Taiwan 

as an observer in the meetings and activities of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will contribute 

both to the fulfillment of the ICAO’s overarching mission and 

to the success of a global strategy to address aviation security 

threats based on effective international cooperation; 

(2) the United States Government should take a leading 

role in garnering international support for the granting of 

observer status to Taiwan in the ICAO for the purpose of 

such participation; and 

(3) the Department of State should provide briefings to 

or consult with Congress on any efforts conducted by the United 
S. Con. Res. 17—3 

States Government in support of Taiwan’s attainment of 

observer status in the ICAO. 

Attest: 

Secretary of the Senate. 

Attest: 

Clerk of the House of Representatives.