The promotion of sustainable development will add a dimension to Taiwan's international diplomacy and will bridge the gap between the nation and the rest of the world, Minister without Portfolio Yeh Jiunn-rong (
Before dozens of Taiwanese delegates to the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development head home, Yeh, the leader of the group, said that Taiwan had to find a way out of its predicament despite diplomatic difficulties.
"We've done our best to gain what we can from the summit," Yeh said. "Ten years ago at Rio none of the Taiwanese officials were able to get into the convention center."
From the start of the plenary meeting on Monday, two to three Taiwanese officials were allowed into the convention center to listen to keynote speakers and state leaders in the name of representatives of major groups.
"We can't change the situation we are in," Yeh said. "But we can find alternatives to strengthen ties with friends."
During their short stay in Johannesburg, Taiwanese officials hoped to broaden their space in the international community by contacting high-ranking officials from countries such as El Salvador, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Nicaragua, Panama, South Africa, Canada and Indonesia.
Yeh said the issue-oriented strategies adopted by Taiwan at the summit were a success.
"I believe that issues pertaining to sustainable development will become a new dimension of Taiwan's thinking when dealing with diplomatic difficulties," Yeh said.
National Science Council Vice Chairman Hsieh Ching-chih (
"It's a shame that the UN mechanism blocked Taiwan's contribution to countries in need," Hsieh said.
Public Construction Commission Vice Chairman Kuo Ching-chiang (郭清江) told the Taipei Times that eco-engineering had been widely promoted in Taiwan due to the nation's experience with natural disasters.
"The rest of the world should not dismiss Taiwan's sincerity to assist countries suffering from poverty," Kuo said.
Meanwhile, in accordance with the spirit of the summit, strategies were developed to promote sustainable development in Taiwan.
One day after the WaterDome wrapped up, one of the summit's parallel events, Water Resources Agency spokesman Chen Shen-hsien (陳伸賢) said that developing countries suffering from water problems had been encouraged by the agreement made by leaders of African countries on Tuesday to halve the number of people without water and sanitation in Africa by 2015.
"Taiwan would like to bring water and sanitation services to developing countries whose people don't have access to clean drinking water," Chen said.
To show its commitment to the global village, Chen said, Taiwan would form the National Program of Action within one month to increase access to clean drinking water.
"Taiwan would invest more than NT$4 billion to fix old aqueducts and build new ones in order to halve the number of people who don't have access to safe water supplies. The goal would be reached within seven or eight years, far earlier than 2015," Chen said.
According to Chen, about 11 percent of Taiwan's 23 million people, about 2.53 million citizens, don't have access to tap water.
However, Chen said, many of these people have simple ways to purify their natural water sources.
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