Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

by David Tawei Lee, PhD, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Republic of China (Taiwan)

“As we embark on this great collective journey, we pledge that no one will be left behind.”

The United Nations is about people, yet the universality of human rights that the UN proclaims does not extend to Taiwan and its 23 million people. Nevertheless, this adversity has propelled Taiwan forward and we have never retreated, for we believe very strongly that those who follow the path of virtue can never truly be alone.

While travelling the world to carry out my duties as Minister of Foreign Affairs, I have always marvelled at how Taiwan’s experience in such areas as environmental protection, public health and medicine, agriculture, education and ICT has helped our partners develop and grow. We are committed to continuing our interaction and cooperation with our friends and partners, and to maintaining global peace, security and prosperity through mutually beneficial collaboration.

Taiwan has invested over US$6 billion in international medical and humanitarian aid efforts since 1996, benefiting millions of people worldwide—runs counter to common sense, and creates a blind spot in the World Health Organization’s operations, just like the one that cost lives during the 2003 SARS epidemic.

As the world’s 18th largest trading and 11th freest economy, Taiwan has brought its laws and regulations into line with the UN’s human rights conventions, and in terms of living up to democratic values, Taiwan has worked as hard as any country—and perhaps harder than most—to advance equality. The Taiwanese people elected their country’s first female president in 2016, and 38 per cent of their lawmakers are women. Taiwan is also home to a vibrant civil society whose civic organizations constantly reach out to the world. And whenever disasters strike, rescue workers from Taiwan’s nongovernmental organizations are right there on the ground, providing assistance, with their devotion and professionalism clear for all to see.

Taiwan is currently working on its first Voluntary National Review, which will document many of its concrete achievements regarding the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In terms of public health and medicine, for example, in recent years Taiwan has worked alongside a host of other countries to fight such infectious diseases as MERS, Ebola and Zika. Taiwan has also been promoting a green economy and green energy, aiming to raise the proportion of renewable energy generated for the country’s power supply to 20 percent—five times the current level—by 2025, while also aiming to lower carbon emissions to at least 50 per cent below 2005 levels by 2050.

Holders of ROC passports enjoy visa-free travel or other forms of travel convenience to 165 countries and territories, which speaks to the respect that Taiwan’s tourists, business people and academics have earned worldwide. Yet, they are unable to step inside the Headquarters of the UN.

While UN’s 1971 General Assembly Resolution 2758 (XXVI) seated the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the UN, this resolution did not address the issue of representation of Taiwan and its people in the organization; much less did it give the PRC the right to represent the people of Taiwan.

It is important to stress the political reality here, which is that the PRC does not now, nor has it ever, held jurisdiction over Taiwan.

The preamble of the UN Charter speaks powerfully of the organization’s mission 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.” The government and people of Taiwan strongly believe that their involvement, especially when the UN is calling for the universal implementation of the SDGs, would be to the benefit of all. The absence of Taiwan, on the other hand, will only continue to cripple the effectiveness of this global effort.

Taiwan can do much to help the world build a more sustainable future. The people of Taiwan need the international community to support our aspirations and our right to fair treatment by the UN.