Despite the United Nation's (UN) formation of a Global Partnership for Sustainable Development which supposedly includes all countries, all stakeholders and all people, Taiwan's 23 million people have been left out.
Even though Taiwan's valuable contributions are widely acclaimed around the globe, the UN continues to ignore what Taiwan can offer. By continually misusing the 1971's General Assembly Resolution 2758 (XXVI) to justify Taiwan's exclusion and isolation, this resolution neither addresses the issue of representation of Taiwan and its people nor does it define the relationship between Taiwan and China. The so-called "one-China principle" has been challenged by many UN Member States and yet outside political pressure seems to remain the deciding factor. It is wrong for the UN, an organisation created to serve all of humankind, to unilaterally define Taiwan's status and refuse its membership.
Irrespective of Taiwan not being allowed to participate in the UN's meetings, activities and mechanisms, it has never shirked its duties as a responsible stakeholder. Through the International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF), Taiwan has launched various programs in the Pacific, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean with the aims of achieving clean energy, food security, food safety, sustainable agriculture, better education, health and well-being for all people, and disaster reduction and adaptation. TaiwanICDF also works with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to assist countries in Central Asia and Central and Eastern Europe to develop market economies and a green economy.
Taiwan has also just released its first Voluntary National Review last year, detailing the whole-of-government approach to implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The concrete results achieved include alleviating poverty, zero hunger, reducing the percentage of low-income households to under 2 percent, cutting the maternal mortality rate to just 11.6 per 100,000 people and under-five child mortality rate to just 2.4 per 1,000, and improving the literacy rate to 98.7 percent. All of these are well above UN SDG standards.
At this critical juncture when humankind is facing multiple challenges, global cooperation that includes all countries, all stakeholders, and all people is ever more important. By excluding a willing and able partner like Taiwan, the UN not only violates the fundamental human rights of Taiwan’s 23 million people but also greatly harms human welfare. To ensure the UN remains relevant to all people, the organisation should stand up to external pressures and open its doors to Taiwan.
