Observer status is a privilege granted by some organizations to non-members to give them an ability to participate in the organization's activities. Observer status is often granted by intergovernmental organizations (IGO) to non-member states and
international nongovernmental organizationAn international nongovernmental organization is a voluntary association of organizations or individuals for worldwide or regional action....
s (INGO) that have an interest in the IGO's activities. Observers generally have a limited ability to participate in the IGO, lacking the ability to vote or propose resolutions.
The
United Nations General AssemblyFor two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:*General Assembly members*General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
may grant entities observer status.
Observer status is a privilege granted by some organizations to non-members to give them an ability to participate in the organization's activities. Observer status is often granted by intergovernmental organizations (IGO) to non-member states and
international nongovernmental organizationAn international nongovernmental organization is a voluntary association of organizations or individuals for worldwide or regional action....
s (INGO) that have an interest in the IGO's activities. Observers generally have a limited ability to participate in the IGO, lacking the ability to vote or propose resolutions.
United Nations
The
United Nations General AssemblyFor two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:*General Assembly members*General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
may grant entities observer status. The United Nations welcomes many international agencies, entities, and one non-member state as observers. Observers have the right to speak at United Nations General Assembly meetings, but not to vote on resolutions.
Non-member observer states are recognized as
sovereign stateA sovereign state is a political association with effective internal and external sovereignty over a geographic area and population which is not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state...
s, and are free to submit a petition to join as a full member at their discretion. At present, the
Holy SeeThe Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and speaks for the whole Catholic...
is the only observer state at the
United NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace...
, although
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
also maintained such status until it became a member state.
Observer status is granted by a
United Nations General Assembly resolutionA United Nations General Assembly Resolution is voted on by all member states of the United Nations in the General Assembly.General Assembly resolutions usually require a simple majority to pass...
at some point in time. Other international organizations (including other UN agencies) may also grant observer status.
World Health Organization
As defined in the
World Health OrganizationThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health...
(WHO) Constitution, observer status is a status which the
World Health AssemblyThe World Health Assembly is the forum through which the World Health Organization is governed by its 193 member states. It is the world's highest health policy setting body and is composed of health ministers from member states....
(WHA) may grant to "any organization, international or national, governmental or non-governmental, which has responsibilities related to those of the Organization." It allows representatives of the grantee to participate in meetings and committees held by the World Health Organization, without granting the right to vote.
The
State of PalestineThe State of Palestine , officially simply Palestine , is a political entity that enjoys limited recognition as a state in Palestine. A Palestinian Declaration of Independence was made by the Palestine Liberation Organization on November 15 1988 in a meeting of the Palestine National Council in...
, the
Holy SeeThe Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and speaks for the whole Catholic...
, and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta currently hold observer status in the World Health Organization.
Republic of China
From 1997 to 2008, the
Republic of ChinaThe Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, is a state in East Asia that has evolved from a single-party state with full global recognition and jurisdiction over China into a democratic state with limited international recognition and jurisdiction only over Taiwan and minor islands, though it...
(ROC) (
TaiwanTaiwan , also known as Formosa , is the largest island of the Republic of China in East Asia. Taiwan is located east of the Taiwan Strait, off the southeastern coast of mainland China...
) applied for observer status in the WHO every year, under different names including "Republic of China", "Taiwan Health Entity" and "Taiwan". All these efforts failed, mainly due to firm objections from the
People's Republic of ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
(PRC) which does not recognize the ROC and considers Taiwan as one of its provinces. The
Cross-Strait RelationsCross-Strait relations refers to the relations between mainland China, which sits to the west of the Taiwan Strait, and Taiwan, which sits to the east; especially the relations between their respective governments, the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China .In 1949, with the...
(between the PRC and ROC governments) have significantly improved in 2008 and 2009, and the PRC government agreed to negotiate over this issue. On April 29 2009, the WHO invited the
Department of HealthDepartment of Health of the Republic of China is an executive agency of the Executive Yuan responsible for the administration of the public health system, affordable and universal health care, hospitals, pharmaceutical, immunisation programmes, disease prevention, supervision and coordination of...
of the ROC to attend the 2009
World Health AssemblyThe World Health Assembly is the forum through which the World Health Organization is governed by its 193 member states. It is the world's highest health policy setting body and is composed of health ministers from member states....
under "
Chinese TaipeiChinese Taipei is the designated name used by the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, to participate in some international organizations and almost all sporting events, such as the Olympics and Asian Games...
", a compromised name which both the PRC and ROC accept.
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