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.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS