PALIKIR, POHNPEI. March 26, 2019. The Seventh Special Session of the Twentieth Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia adjourned sine-die on March 14, 2019 after a week-long session on matters pending before the Body, ranging from a National Declaration of Emergency, to diplomatic relations, to grants for on going community programs in the Nation.
Significant to the call of the special session was the National Declaration of Emergency. Through Congressional Resolution (CR) 20-181, the Congress extended for an additional 60 days, the President’s existing 30-day declaration. It would allow the executive branch ample time to seek and utilize untapped foreign aid from prior years for the purpose of providing relief assistance to the affected areas in the Nation caused by Typhoon Wutip.
The Congress adopted CR 20-183, to set the ceiling of the FSM General Fund estimated to be available for appropriation from the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019 in the aggregate amount of $136,271,879, inclusive of Compact Sector & Supplemental Education Grants.
Also of significance was the adoption of CR 20-184, which disapproved parts of a Joint Communiqué signed at the 19th Micronesian President’s Summit held in the Republic of Palau in mid February. The Congress strongly expressed its disapproval of section 39 of the communiqué which had called for the Pacific Islands Forum to treat China and Taiwan equally. According to the resolution, such call is “contrary to the one-China Policy which is the official policy of the FSM,” so it does not endorse, ratify or approve of section 39 and “reiterates its commitment to the One-China Policy.” The Congress called on other countries to “respect the sovereign right of the FSM to determine its foreign policy and no attempt should be made by neighboring countries to undermine that right…”
As Chair of the 19th Asian Pacific Group of the IPU, the FSM is mindful of the feelings of its group’s members and has witnessed Vietnam’s desires to become a non-permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations for the 2020-2021 tenure. Vietnam has proven itself on more than one occasion to merit its candidacy, a candidacy endorsed by the Asia Pacific Group at the United Nations. Therefore, CR 20- 104 is a resolution, introduced by Speaker Simina during the 4th Special Session, adopted during the 7th Special Session urging the President of the Federated States of Micronesia, if consistent with national policy, to endorse and support the membership of Vietnam to be on the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member for the 2020-2021 tenure.
Condolence Resolutions & Resolutions of Appreciation:
CR 20-182, Expressing the sincere gratitude and appreciation of the Twentieth Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia to the United States Congress for passing the REAL ID Act Modification for the Freely Associated States Act.
CR 20-188, Expressing the sincere sadness and condolences of the Twentieth Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia to the family and friends of the Late Father Wiliam McGarry, at his passing on December 29, 2018.
CR 20-189, Expressing the sincere sadness and condolence of the Twentieth Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia to the family of the late Honorable Theodore Francis at his passing on January 26, 2019.
CR 20-190, Expressing the sincere sadness and condolences of the Twentieth Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia to the family of the late Honorable Marius Julio Akapito, Lieutenant Governor of the state of Chuuk, at his passing on February 20, 2019.
CR 20-194, Expressing the sincere sadness and condolence of the Twentieth Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia to the family of the late Mrs. Chieko Edward Simina, at her passing on March 7, 2019
The remainder of the resolutions approved various grant assistances to the Nation through either the amended Compact of Free Association with the United States of America or through its bilateral and/or international relationships, and they include the following:
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services extended a grant in the amount of $248,000 to fund the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and intervention Project through resolution CR 20-186.
The next grant approved by Congress through CR 20-187 is from the World Health Organization in the amount of $500,000 to support identified priority areas agree to by the FSM Department of Health and Social Affairs and the WHO in the Country Cooperation Strategy (CSS) 2018-2020.
The last two grants are from the United Nations. Congress approved resolutionCR 20-192, a grant in the amount of $852,000 from the Global Environment Facility, through the UN Development Programme to provide funding for the Third National Communication and First Biennial update Report of the FSM. CR 20-193, one of the last grants approved by the body for the 7th Special Session, is a grant in the amount of $74,975 from the United Nation’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to provide funding for various projects of the Federated States for Micronesia under the Participation Programme for 2018-2019, including all the terms and conditions of the assistance.
For more details, please visit cfsm.fm.
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