Taiwan to make ecology a question of diplomacy

Diplomatic concerns pertaining to sustainable development will soon be added to the portfolio of the Cabinet's National Council for Sustainable Develop-ment (永續發展委員會). Minister without Portfolio Yeh Jiunn-rong (葉俊榮) said yesterday that this will not only improve Taiwan's image in the international community but will also ensure that the nation has a sustainable future.

At a conference held yesterday by the council to create action plans for sustainable development, Yeh said that working closely with other countries would be one of many important strategies to promote sustainable development.

Yeh told the Taipei Times that Premier Yu Shyi-kun clearly pointed out on Wednesday the necessity of letting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) work with the council. Yu came to this conclusion after reviewing Taiwan's recent participation in the UN's World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, South Africa.

"Our efforts in Johannesburg highlighted the necessity of working with other countries to promote sustainable development as being Taiwan's best new diplomatic direction," Yeh told the Taipei Times.

Yeh said that administrative procedures to incorporate the ministry into the council would not take long.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新), who served as Taiwan's first Environmental Protection Administrator in 1987, would take charge of a unit that would promote sustainable development at an international level, Yeh said.

The council yesterday also specified 62 important tasks for different sectors relevant to creating sustainable development, ranging from the sectors of education, health, biodiversity, state-owned land management, international environmental affairs, energy creation and industry.

Lee Ling-ling (李玲玲), a zoology professor at National Taiwan University, told the conference that the lack of updated information and good partnership between the government and local groups made the preservation of biodiversity a daunting task.

Yeh stressed that the implementation of all 62 tasks relied on the establishment of good partnership between central government and local action groups, between central government and local governments, and between local governments and action groups.

Vice Minister of Education Fan Sun-lu (范巽綠) told the conference that education projects should be well-designed in order to train more people who can work on the promotion of sustainable development at the international level.

Environmental Protection Administrator Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said that Taiwan would participate in international environmental pacts more aggressively. It would also present documents citing Taiwan's actions.

"Through the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment, Taiwan still has a lot to do," Hau said.

Speaking from a perspective of global environmental protection, Hau said that Taiwan should not neglect the emerging business opportunities in the environmental protection industry when considering sustainable development.

He also stressed the necessity of joining international organizations to monitor the long-range movement of airborne pollutants.

Environmental problems relating to acid rain united countries in eastern Asia such as China, Japan and South Korea. These countries have already established monitoring networks.