Taiwan’s diplomatic allies have called for it to be included in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the UN’s COP28 climate summit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
Officials from five of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, the Marshall Islands and Nauru — spoke out for the nation at the resumed high-level segment of COP28 on Saturday, the ministry said in a news release.
Haitian Minister of the Environment James Cadet commended Taiwanese for having “done much on climate action,” including financing a large number of projects to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Photo: Reuters
“The ‘status quo’ and different types of exclusion are not an option,” he said.
Belizean Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Orlando Habet called for Taiwan’s “professional, pragmatic and constructive participation” in the UNFCCC process.
Marshall Islands Minister of Natural Resources and Commerce John Silk called on all parties to support Taiwan’s participation in the UNFCCC as an observer, saying it is “ready to share its experience and technology.”
“The people of Taiwan enjoy the same rights as the peoples of other nations. They must not be left behind, nor should their contributions [be] ignored,” he said.
Guatemalan Vice Minister of Natural Resources and Climate Change Marco Vinicio Ochoa Galindo said that Taiwan has made contributions to bolster Guatemala’s resilience to climate change.
Nauruan Secretary for Climate Change and National Resilience Reagan Moses thanked Taiwan for helping launch its Just Transition Fund to help the island nation adapt to climate change.
The five nations’ statements followed messages of support from the heads of state from Taiwan’s allies Eswatini, Paraguay, Palau, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Tuvalu at COP28’s World Climate Action Summit on Dec. 1 and 2, the ministry said.
The ministry expressed “sincere gratitude” to the 11 countries for taking practical actions to support Taiwan and its participation in the international climate governance mechanism.
As a member of the international community, Taiwan is willing to fulfill its responsibilities and work closely with its diplomatic allies and like-minded international partners to make positive contributions regarding climate change, it said.
The ministry called on international society to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the UNFCCC.
The Chinese delegation at the conference raised a complaint over statements supporting Taiwan’s participation, calling them “unacceptable,” Reuters reported on Saturday.
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