Taiwan has made exemplary contributions in the global fight against COVID-19, including in Nauru, Nauruan President Lionel Aingimea told the UN General Assembly on Thursday.
In his virtual address at the 76th session of the assembly, Aingimea said that Nauru has made significant progress in its COVID-19 vaccination effort and its overall response to the pandemic, thanks to the ongoing support of its “genuine friends Australia, India, Japan and the Republic of China.”
Taiwan is an important global partner that is ready to share its experience in responding to the pandemic and should not be denied participation in international organizations such as the World Health Assembly, he said.
Photo: AP
“We call on the United Nations to embrace willing and able partners like Taiwan, who share common global challenges, and to ensure that the people of the Republic of China enjoy the same rights as the peoples of other nations,” Aingimea said.
The UN should live up to its own ideals of universality and respect the value of all individuals, he said.
Taiwan deserves to be included in Our Common Agenda, he said, referring to a report by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that offers a vision of common cause for global decisionmakers.
Taiwan has the capability to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and is already supporting the targets, he said.
Aingimea was the fifth leader among Taiwan’s 15 diplomatic allies to speak at the General Debate at the assembly since it opened on Tuesday in New York.
The leaders of Guatemala, the Marshall Islands and Palau all expressed support for Taiwan’s international participation, while Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez did not mention Taiwan in his address.
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