PR-2109
April 1, 2021
U.S.-Taiwan virtual forum on expanding Taiwan’s participation on the global stage
On March 30, 2021, the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office convened high-level representatives of the U.S. Department of State and the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a virtual forum on expanding Taiwan’s participation in UN organizations and other international fora. The discussion focused on supporting Taiwan’s ability to participate meaningfully in organizations on important issues including global public health, the environment and climate change, development assistance, technical standards, and economic cooperation. U.S. participants lauded Taiwan’s recent pledge of $250,000 to combat the resurgence of Ebola in Africa and ongoing collaboration under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework, demonstrating Taiwan’s willingness and capacity to address global challenges through multilateral collaboration. Participants also discussed ongoing efforts to reinstate Taiwan’s observer status at the World Health Assembly as an important platform for sharing with the world the internationally recognized Taiwan Model for COVID-19 prevention.
Participants in the discussion included: AIT Director Brent Christensen, Deputy to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Jeffrey Prescott, State Department Senior Bureau Official for International Organizations Erica Barks-Ruggles, Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asia Pacific Affairs Jonathan Fritz, Deputy Assistant Secretaries for International Organizations Nerissa Cook and Jane Rhee, Secretary General of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lily Hsu, and TECRO Deputy Representative Liang-yu Wang.
