US Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Michele Sison on Monday called for support for Taiwan’s “meaningful” participation in the UN system.
Sison posted a photograph on Twitter of her and Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), saying that it had been great to meet with Hsiao and that “Taiwan’s contributions benefit the international community on so many issues.”
“We encourage UN Member States to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation throughout the UN system,” Sison wrote.
Photo taken from Twitter
At the end of her post, Sison used the hashtag #TaiwanCanHelp, a slogan to show the country’s willingness to take part in international humanitarian efforts and provide help to those in need.
Separately, Hsiao wrote on Twitter: “Appreciated the opportunity to discuss how we can work together to expand Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations.”
While neither specified where and when they had met, sources said they met in a building of the US Department of State on Friday last week.
It was the first time Sison had met with Hsiao since she started in the post in December last year.
Sison was US ambassador to Haiti from February 2018 to October last year, and US deputy representative to the UN from 2014 to 2018, state department data show.
During her time as UN envoy, Sison helped build global coalitions to counter transnational threats to peace and security, and advocated for a more effective, efficient and accountable UN and multilateral system, the state department said.
In October last year, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the US had urged other UN member states to support “Taiwan’s robust, meaningful participation throughout the UN system and in the international community.”
Taiwan’s participation is not a political issue, but a pragmatic one, as the exclusion of Taiwan would be detrimental to the UN and its related agencies, Blinken said.
Blinken’s comments came a day after the 50th anniversary of UN Resolution 2758 on Oct. 25, in which the People’s Republic of China was designated as the representative of China at the UN, while the Republic of China, as Taiwan is officially known, was expelled.
Taiwan has not been a UN member since the passage of the resolution, limiting its participation in the body’s specialized agencies.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS