Taiwan hosted two events in New York on Wednesday to raise awareness of climate change and the rights of indigenous peoples in advance of Earth Day today, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in New York said.
TECO hosted a seminar with the Council of Indigenous Peoples, with discussions focused on indigenous issues, climate change and human health, echoing the theme of the 22nd session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
The forum began in New York on Monday and runs through Friday next week, with the theme: “Indigenous peoples, human health, planetary and territorial health and climate change: A rights-based approach.”
TECO New York Director James Lee (李光章) spoke of the importance of indigenous language revitalization and protecting the indigenous rights in an address to an audience of more than 100 at the seminar, including UN-posted foreign officials and those participating in the UN forum.
Taiwan promulgated the Indigenous Languages Development Act (原住民族語言發展法) in June 2017, under which indigenous languages are defined as national languages, Lee said.
Indigenous cultures can offer solutions to ecological conservation and food security, among other challenges, Lee said.
Research on the climate resilience of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples, citing the devastation caused by Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan in 2009, was presented by students from Columbia University’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society.
Morakot tore through central and southern Taiwan in August 2009, causing serious flooding and massive landslides, including one that buried Siaolin Village (小林) in Kaohsiung, killing 462 residents, mostly indigenous people.
The team showed in their research that education, partnership and self-governance help indigenous people respond to natural disasters.
Council of Indigenous Peoples official Yapasuyongu Poiconu said that 60 percent of land in Taiwan is traditional indigenous territory, along with much of the nation’s forests and rivers.
“If we fail to protect indigenous peoples’ traditional territory, it will be difficult for Taiwan to cope with climate change,” he said.
An exhibition for the Creative Climate Awards also opened at the TECO New York office on Wednesday, themed “Inspiring a Climate Renaissance.”
The exhibition highlights the connection between diverse groups and climate change, and is open to the public on weekdays until May 12, the office said.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS