An expert invited by the government to review its first report on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has identified two immediate obstacles to the nation’s implementation of the UN protocol.
Taiwan does not have an independent national mechanism to monitor human rights protections and its laws are ineffective in promoting equality and eliminating discrimination against people with disabilities, Osamu Nagase said on Friday.
Nagase, a professor at Japan’s Ritsumeikan University and one of five international experts familiar with CRPD review procedures, suggested that Taiwan revise its laws and regulations to address the issues.
He also urged the nation to set up an independent human rights monitoring institution, instead of delegating the job to government departments in charge of matters concerning people with disabilities.
Despite not being a UN member, Taiwan adopted the CRPD in 2006 as part of its pledge to protect the human rights, basic freedoms and dignity of people with disabilities, and in August 2014 enacted the Act to Implement the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (身心障礙者權利公約施行法).
The Ministry of Health and Welfare then invited experts from Japan, the UK, Sweden, the US and Canada to review the report its initial report on the convention published on Dec. 2 last year.
At the end of the review, which was conducted from Monday to Friday, the experts commended Taiwan’s courage in accepting strict scrutiny that many other nations are reluctant to undergo.
However, British human rights expert Diane Kingston, who serves as vice chairperson of the Expert Committee for the UN CRPD, suggested that Taiwan pay more attention to the problem of multiple discrimination.
If a person with a disability is also female, Aboriginal or transgender, they could suffer from aggregate discrimination, Kingston said.
She also urged Taiwan to abolish the death penalty, saying it is at the core of human rights values.
The government should improve children’s outdoor spaces and accelerate carbon reduction programs, as the risk of heat-related injury due to high summer temperatures rises each year, Greenpeace told a news conference yesterday. Greenpeace examined summer temperatures in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung to determine the effects of high temperatures and climate change on children’s outdoor activities, citing data garnered by China Medical University, which defines a wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) of 29°C or higher as posing the risk of heat-related injury. According to the Central Weather Administration, WBGT, commonly referred to as the heat index, estimates
Taipei and other northern cities are to host air-raid drills from 1:30pm to 2pm tomorrow as part of urban resilience drills held alongside the Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan’s largest annual military exercises. Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Yilan County, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to hold the annual Wanan air defense exercise tomorrow, following similar drills held in central and southern Taiwan yesterday and today respectively. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Maokong Gondola are to run as usual, although stations and passenger parking lots would have an “entry only, no exit” policy once air raid sirens sound, Taipei
Taipei placed 14th in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Best Student Cities 2026 list, its highest ever, according to results released yesterday. With an overall score of 89.1, the city climbed 12 places from the previous year, surpassing its previous best ranking of 17th in 2019. Taipei is “one of Asia’s leading higher-education hubs,” with strong employer activity scores and students “enjoying their experience of the city and often keen to stay after graduation,” a QS staff writer said. In addition to Taipei, Hsinchu (71st), Tainan (92nd), Taichung (113th) and Taoyuan (130th) also made QS’ list of the top 150 student cities. Hsinchu showed the
Environmental groups yesterday filed an appeal with the Executive Yuan, seeking to revoke the environmental impact assessment (EIA) conditionally approved in February for the Hsieh-ho Power Plant’s planned fourth liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving station off the coast of Keelung. The appeal was filed jointly by the Protect Waimushan Seashore Action Group, the Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association and the Keelung City Taiwan Head Cultural Association, which together held a news conference outside the Executive Yuan in Taipei. Explaining the reasons for the appeal, Wang Hsing-chih (王醒之) of the Protect Waimushan Seashore Action Group said that the EIA failed to address
RSS