High-level officials from diplomatic allies Saint Lucia and Saint Kitts and Nevis spoke out on behalf of Taiwan at the UN General Debate, calling for Taiwan’s “meaningful inclusion” in the organization.
The General Debate of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly was held under the theme “Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights.” It began in New York on Tuesday last week, ending yesterday.
The two island nations joined a lineup of diplomatic allies that called for Taiwan’s inclusion and participation in the UN at the assembly last week, including Belize, Eswatini, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Paraguay, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tuvalu.
Photo: Screen grab the UN’s YouTube channel
“Saint Lucia renews calls for the [UN] to allow Taiwan to meaningfully participate in the UN system,” Saint Lucian Minister of External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation and Diaspora Affairs Alva Baptiste told the General Debate yesterday.
“Renewing our commitment to multilateralism also means that member states must take measures to reduce tensions and settle disputes in areas where, if not checked, conflict and war would prevail,” he said.
“I state categorically, Madame President, that UN Resolution 2758 of 1971 does not preclude Taiwan’s inclusion and participation in the [UN] system,” he said, speaking to UN General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa.
UN Resolution 2758 states that the UN recognizes “that the representatives of the Government of the People's Republic of China are the only lawful representatives of China to the United Nations,” and expels “forthwith the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek [蔣介石]” from the UN. It makes no mention of Taiwan.
On Saturday, Saint Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew told the UN General Debate that “excluding Taiwan from agencies where it can and must contribute, such as the World Health Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization undermines global capacity for collective problem-solving.”
“Taiwan’s contributions in public health, technology and disaster response are not partisan. They are practical. To keep a door closed [to] cooperation in these domains is to take a risk the world cannot afford,” Drew said.
“The Taiwan Strait is not merely a lane on a map. It is a lifeline of commerce and human connection. We must urge calm, council conversation and choose the diplomacy of dialogue over the dramatics of discord,” he said.
“Travel, trade and talks are how we protect the livelihoods of ordinary people, whether in Taipei or the twin islands of our federation,” he added.
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