Taiwan reiterates bid for U.N. participation at GCTF workshop

By Deepak Arora

NEW YORK, Sept 24: Taiwan partnered up with Australia, Canada, Japan and the U.S. to hold a seminar on leveraging technology to achieve sustainable development here, underscoring the country’s indispensable role in realizing the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Organized under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework on September 19, the event attracted governmental officials and experts from over 10 countries and was presided over by Yanis Ben Amor, executive director of Columbia University’s Center for Sustainable Development.

Prominent attendees included Tom Chih-Chiang Lee, director-general of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York; Charles C. Li, secretary general of the Taipei-based International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF); Chris P. Lu, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations for management and reform; Rebecca Bryant, Australia’s ambassador and deputy permanent representative to the U.N.; Hussein Hirji, political counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Canada to the U.N.; and Hiromi Tengeji, representative director of Kopernik Japan.

Speaking at the seminar, Lee said that the U.N.’s launch of the Summit of the Future, which aims to facilitate international collaboration in utilizing technology to advance the well-being of future generations, highlights the significance of Taiwan’s inclusion in global bodies given that the country produces over 90 percent of the world’s advanced chips.

Despite the U.N.’s commitment to leave no one behind, it continues to shut out Taiwan’s 23.5 million people, he added.

According to the MOFA, there is a growing international consensus recognizing the importance of Taiwan in ensuring global welfare. This is evidenced by the joint statement released by Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. after their 4th Quadrilateral Security Dialogue that took place on September 21 in the U.S. state of Delaware, which stressed that maintaining cross-strait peace is vital to global prosperity.

Similar sentiments were expressed in joint statements released September 20 by Australia and the U.S. and September 21 by Japan and the U.S. following leaders’ meetings.

Both declarations reiterated their commitment to safeguarding Taiwan Strait stability while conveying concern over China’s aggressions in the South China Sea, the MOFA added.