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The 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will convene at the UN Headquarters in New York on September 18, 2018.
The General Debate is scheduled to be held from September 25 to October 1.
In order to meet the expectations of the 23 million people of Taiwan of participating in the UN system, the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has decided to continue UN- related campaigns.
The UN Theme
This year’s theme will be “Taiwan, a Vital Global Partner in the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).’
This echoes the theme of the 73rd session of the UNGA General Debate, namely, ‘Making the United Nations relevant to all people: Global leadership and shared responsibilities for peaceful, equitable, and sustainable societies.’
Taiwan is calling on the international community to recognise its determination to contribute to regional and global affairs.
In addition to requesting its diplomatic allies to speak up at the UNGA General Debate, Taiwan’s government has solicited allies’ Permanent Representatives to the UN to write to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, urging him to resolve the long-pending issue of the exclusion of Taiwan’s 23 million people from the UN system in accordance with the spirit of the UN Charter and upholding the principles of fairness and justice.
Main Appeals
This year, the main appeals of Taiwan’s UN bid are (1) The people of Taiwan should be treated equally to those of other nations. The UN should resolve the serious issue of Taiwan’s 23 million people being excluded from the UN system (2) Taiwan passport-holders and journalists should be granted unfettered access to the UN premises (3) The UN Sustainable Development Goals concern the wellbeing of all humankind; Taiwan should not be left behind.
An Open-Ed
To help the international community gain a better understanding of Taiwan’s appeals, Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu will author an op-ed, and the Ministry will produce a series of short videos about its implementation of SDGs addressing Taiwan’s fulfillments in the areas of clean energy, universal health coverage and the circular economy.
(Please read the Open-Ed under Businesslink in this issue).
The government will also host a series of events on sustainable development in New York City during the UN General Assembly to demonstrate that Taiwan places great importance on achieving the SDGs. These events can help deepen the understanding of the UN community about Taiwan’s relevant effort.
Taiwan’s determination
Taiwan’s civil society and overseas compatriot communities will hold creative and lively events at the same time to express a clear message to the UN, that Taiwan’s 23 million people are willing and able to implement the SDGs in conjunction with the rest of the world.
The ROC government sincerely thanks its diplomatic allies and friendly nations for supporting and assisting Taiwan’s participation in the UN system.
The Appeal
It also calls upon the United Nations to recognise Taiwan’s willingness and determination to make contributions to the world and the region.
Taiwan urges the UN to respond positively to its appeals, and welcome its participation in the UN system in line with the principles of equality and reciprocity, in order to safeguard UN ideals and wellbeing of the humankind.
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Photo Caption:
The Presidential Building in Taipei, Taiwan
(Picture Courtesy: Wikipedia)
