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.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
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