Taiwan's young people are a marginalized group, the Taiwan Youth Rights and Welfare Advocacy Association said on International Youth Day yesterday, calling on the government to focus on the development of the nation's youth, rather than on restricting them.
The government should strive toward four goals, the association said. First, it should ensure that local governments set aside 4 percent of their social welfare budgets for youth development. Second, the policy power of the Executive Yuan's Youth Affairs Advancement Committee should be enhanced. Third, the government should allocate special funding for the training of professionals in youth development. Fourth, it should support suffrage for youths aged 18 and above.
PHOTO: CHEN TSE-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
"The government says that benefits trickle down to the youth eventually through allocations to institutions like the education ministry. But we need to focus on the youth directly; if we do not invest in our youth now, there will be a greater social cost to pay later on," the association's deputy secretary-general Kao Cheng-yen (高正言) said.
The representation of young people in the central government is inadequate, the association said, urging the government to grant the Youth Affairs Advancement Committee, which was established last year, greater powers to implement policy decisions.
"The National Youth Commission will be disbanded eventually, and its focus has been on volunteer service. The Youth Affairs Advancement Committee so far has basically met every six months and hasn't taken much concrete action," youth affairs committee member Chi Hui-jung (紀惠容) said.
The main problem is that youth policy is directed toward prevention, rather than development, the alliance said.
About half of the youth budget is spent on welfare handouts for the underprivileged, while the other half is spent on preventive campaigns against smoking, drugs and others, the association's secretary-general Yeh Ta-hua (
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS