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.”
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
‘NATO-PLUS’: ‘Our strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific are facing increasing aggression by the Chinese Communist Party,’ US Representative Rob Wittman said The US House of Representatives on Monday released its version of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which includes US$1.15 billion to support security cooperation with Taiwan. The omnibus act, covering US$1.2 trillion of spending, allocates US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, as well as US$150 million for the replacement of defense articles and reimbursement of defense services provided to Taiwan. The fund allocations were based on the US National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026 that was passed by the US Congress last month and authorized up to US$1 billion to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency in support of the
PAPERS, PLEASE: The gang exploited the high value of the passports, selling them at inflated prices to Chinese buyers, who would treat them as ‘invisibility cloaks’ The Yilan District Court has handed four members of a syndicate prison terms ranging from one year and two months to two years and two months for their involvement in a scheme to purchase Taiwanese passports and resell them abroad at a massive markup. A Chinese human smuggling syndicate purchased Taiwanese passports through local criminal networks, exploiting the passports’ visa-free travel privileges to turn a profit of more than 20 times the original price, the court said. Such criminal organizations enable people to impersonate Taiwanese when entering and exiting Taiwan and other countries, undermining social order and the credibility of the nation’s
RSS