Taiwan’s delegation to the UN’s COP28 climate summit received “widespread support” from diplomatic allies and other countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday.
Taiwan could not officially participate in conference events, because it is not a member of the UN, but it was able to make its presence felt, Roy Hsu (許柏逸), deputy head of MOFA’s Department of Treaty and Legal Affairs, told a briefing yesterday.
Attending again as an non-governmental organization observer under the government-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Taiwan’s delegation, led by Minister of Environment Shieu Fuh-sheng (薛富盛), was active while in Dubai, Hsu said.
Photo: grab from United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Press website
It held 46 bilateral meetings with representatives of the executive or legislative branches of the governments of 35 like-minded countries, as well as with two international organizations, to discuss topics such as climate change policy, 2050 net zero emissions targets, carbon pricing and energy transition, Hsu said.
The delegation also announced that it would contribute US$10 million toward establishing the Just Transition Fund with Taiwan’s four Pacific allies — the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau and Tuvalu — to promote climate change adaptation, he said.
Meanwhile, support for Taiwan’s international participation was echoed by several countries or representatives, Hsu said.
Twelve of Taiwan’s 13 diplomatic allies and 42 parliaments sent letters to UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Simon Stiell urging the global community to include Taiwan in negotiations and mechanisms related to the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement.
German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock spoke out on Taiwan’s behalf during the closing plenary session, even though Germany does not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Hsu said.
COP28 was held from Nov. 30 to Monday last week in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The conference has been held annually since the first UN climate agreement was reached in 1992. It is intended to be a platform for governments to discuss and agree on policies to limit global temperature rise and adapt to impacts associated with climate change.
Taiwanese officials have taken part in the annual conference through the ITRI since 1995.
After the briefing, MOFA spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) was asked about criticism it received from Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator and vice presidential candidate Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈).
Upon returning to Taiwan, Wu accused MOFA of being mostly at fault for a legislative delegation she was part of being denied entry to official COP28 events.
She called MOFA the “ministry of broken diplomatic ties,” referring to Taiwan’s loss of nine diplomatic allies to China since the Democratic Progressive Party assumed office in May 2016.
Liu reiterated MOFA’s stance that Wu should blame China instead of her own government for Taiwan’s exclusion from major UN events.
He said the ministry warned Wu beforehand of the possibility that the lawmakers could be barred from the proceedings, and clearly stated that the main reason Wu and others might be denied entry was because she is a vice presidential candidate.
To show respect for Wu as a lawmaker, MOFA did not ask her to cancel their trip and planned contingencies in case her delegation was denied entry, he said.
The ministry has said that Wu’s attempts to politicize the trip led to the issue.
It said she ignored its advice to keep a low profile and avoid announcing plans to attend COP28.
MOFA called Wu’s criticism of the ministry “puzzling and regrettable,” adding that the Chinese government and its constant suppression of Taiwan was mainly to blame.
Wu’s accusations were criticized by fellow lawmakers who traveled to COP28 with her, as well as TPP Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲).
Ko publicly urged her not to blame MOFA for the incident.
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