Taiwan and the US have launched a program aimed at enhancing the economic prospects of women in Taiwan’s four diplomatic allies in the Pacific region — Palau, Nauru, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands, the US Department of State announced on Friday.
Taiwan and the State Department teamed up with the Grameen Foundation to launch the Building Economic Inclusion via the Blue Economy (BELUU) program under the auspices of the two countries’ de facto embassies, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representation Office (TECRO).
The jointly funded three-year program aims to “enhance women’s ability to thrive via a more connected business environment, demonstrating the benefits of inclusive development, women’s economic empowerment, and democratic values that foster participation from all,” the State Department said in a statement.
Photo: CNA
“The program will focus on the power of the blue and green economies to increase the market participation of women entrepreneurs in the island nations of Palau, Nauru, Tuvalu and the Republic of Marshall Islands,” it said.
The State Department did not disclose any financial details about the program.
BELUU would partner with women-led civil society organizations to address barriers that women in the four countries face in terms of market engagement and disruptions in the economy, it said.
In the wake of worsening effects of climate change, such as cyclones, drought and sea-level rise, as well as the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on women and girls, the State Department said the program would prioritize the advancement of equity through outreach to and consultation with individuals from rural areas, ethnic minorities and LGBTQI+ communities.
The program is expected to help more than 56,000 women, young entrepreneurs and marginalized community members, it said.
“The United States is committed to partnering with AIT and TECRO to enhance all women’s meaningful participation in the global economy,” the State Department said.
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it was delighted to see the launch of the program, as the COVID-19 pandemic adversely effected the four Pacific island nations.
“Taiwan has been actively pushing for gender equality and women empowerment for years,” the ministry said in a statement. “Taiwan will continue to work with like-minded countries and its allies to further facilitate the economic development and social sustainability in the Pacific region.”
CHAOS: Iranians took to the streets playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei’s death on Saturday, while mourners also gathered in Tehran yesterday Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the US, throwing the future of the Islamic republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old’s death early yesterday. US President Donald Trump said it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. The announcements came after a joint US and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites. Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue through the week or as long
TRUST: The KMT said it respected the US’ timing and considerations, and hoped it would continue to honor its commitments to helping Taiwan bolster its defenses and deterrence US President Donald Trump is delaying a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan to ensure his visit to Beijing is successful, a New York Times report said. The weapons sales package has stalled in the US Department of State, the report said, citing US officials it did not identify. The White House has told agencies not to push forward ahead of Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), it said. The two last month held a phone call to discuss trade and geopolitical flashpoints ahead of the summit. Xi raised the Taiwan issue and urged the US to handle arms sales to
BIG SPENDERS: Foreign investors bought the most Taiwan equities since 2005, signaling confidence that an AI boom would continue to benefit chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) market capitalization swelled to US$2 trillion for the first time following a 4.25 percent rally in its American depositary receipts (ADR) overnight, putting the world’s biggest contract chipmaker sixth on the list of the world’s biggest companies by market capitalization, just behind Amazon.com Inc. The site CompaniesMarketcap.com ranked TSMC ahead of Saudi Aramco and Meta Platforms Inc. The Taiwanese company’s ADRs on Tuesday surged to US$385.75 on the New York Stock Exchange, as strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications led to chip supply constraints and boost revenue growth to record-breaking levels. Each TSMC ADR represents
State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday said that it had confirmed on Saturday night with its liquefied natural gas (LNG) and crude oil suppliers that shipments are proceeding as scheduled and that domestic supplies remain unaffected. The CPC yesterday announced the gasoline and diesel prices will rise by NT$0.2 and NT$0.4 per liter, respectively, starting Monday, citing Middle East tensions and blizzards in the eastern United States. CPC also iterated it has been reducing the proportion of crude oil imports from the Middle East and diversifying its supply sources in the past few years in response to geopolitical risks, expanding
RSS