The government hopes Taiwan will acquire observer status at the World Health Organization within two years, and will do its best to turn the country into a leading meeting place for international non-governmental organizations (NGO), President Chen Shui-bian (
Local activists were less glowing in their assessment of the government's performance, however, saying that an appropriate level of funding was not being directed to the most capable NGOs.
Responding to questions about the participation of young people in international organizations during his meeting with more than 130 university students yesterday, Chen said the government had increased the number of programs helping young people to connect with the international community through NGOs.
He said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Youth Commission had paved roads for young people. As a result of this commitment, he said, the 2004 APEC International Youth Camp would be held in Taipei in early August.
"It's necessary for the rest of the world to know that young Taiwanese are making progress," Chen said.
Chen said that the government had spared no effort to lobby for internship opportunities at NGOs for young people to develop skills at an international level.
Taking the Democratic Pacific Union initiated by Vice President Annette Lu (
"In addition, we will do our best to help Taiwan acquire observer status at the World Health Organization within two years," Chen said.
Seasoned NGO activists, however, told the Taipei Times that strategies adopted by the government in approaching the international community through unofficial channels needed to be heavily adjusted with regard to the training of professionals and strengthening organizational skills.
The activists argued that the point of the exercise was not merely "having Taiwan seen or heard by the outside world."
"The point is what Taiwanese NGOs can contribute to their counterparts through international participation," said Lin Tze-luen (
TEAN, which is mainly composed of Taiwanese students studying in the US, strives to increase Taiwan's involvement in international efforts relating to environmental issues.
Working with the US-based Earth Island Institute, TEAN helped a number of Taiwanese environmental NGOs to report on local developments during a six-day World Sustainability Hearing, an event held parallel to the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in August, 2002.
Eric Liou (
Citing the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as an example, Liou said government funding for delegates wishing to participate in annual meetings had been monopolized by the government-backed Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).
Since 1995, the government has participated in the annual meetings as an observer under the umbrella of ITRI.
"In the past, the government did not spend the right amount of money on the right NGOs, which do things more creatively than ITRI," Liou said.
In 2002, the Environmental Quality Protection Foundation became the second Taiwanese NGO to be accepted as an observer by the secretariat of the UNFCCC.
But so far, the foundation has received no government support for participating in international activities.
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