Africa-Press – Eswatini. The question of how Republic of China (Taiwan) is still excluded in the family of the United Nations takes centre stage once more with the UN General Assembly underway in New York.
The 77th UN General Assembly (UNGA) opened on September 13, with a high-level debate running from tomorrow to Monday September 26. This year’s theme for the Assembly is, ‘A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges’.
The Taiwan Ambassador to Eswatini Jeremy Liang spoke candidly about his country’s continued exclusion from the Assembly once more.
The theme for the UNGA seeks to acknowledge the shared roots of crisis such as COVID-19, climate change and conflict – and the need for solutions that build global sustainability and resilience, critical issues that the people of Taiwan believe they have demonstrated to the world.
Despite Taiwan’s population of 23 million people and support from the country’s international friends, the United Nations still excludes the east-Asian country from its UN system. Liang has called for the United Nations to take action and address ‘the unjustified exclusion’ of his country from the family of united nations.
In an exclusive interview with this newspaper, the ambassador opened up about their course for recognition by the UN, which had received support from diplomatic allies, including Eswatini. His Majesty has persistently stood on the side of Taiwan during his address at the UN General Assembly, calling for the UN to do the right thing by a country that has proved to the world its own independence.
Liang said their course should be premised from the very preamble of the United Nations (UN) Charter, which begins with ‘We the Peoples’, and is a self-explanatory statement of the organisation’s determination to ‘reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small’.
“Based on the principles of universality and equality, the United Nations must function as intended and serve the needs and hopes of all humankind in order to realise its vision,” said Liang. Ahead of the Assembly, Liang said all members of the international community should stand together to strengthen the collective commitment to upholding the core principles of the UN Charter at this watershed moment.
He states that the exclusion of the 23 million people of the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a breach of the organisation’s foundational values. “We sincerely call on the United Nations to fulfill its commitment to inclusiveness and human rights by ensuring that the people of Taiwan enjoy the same rights as the people of other nations,” he adds.
The people of Taiwan are disappointed that Resolution 2758 (XXVI) adopted by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in 1971 ‘continues to be misinterpreted and misused’. “To use this as the legal basis to justify the wrongful exclusion of Taiwan undermines the core values and goals of the organisation,” states the ambassador.
Taiwan is being excluded from the UN family on the basis that it is part of the People’s Republic of China and therefore cannot be recognised as an independent state. However, Liang argues that the UNGA Resolution 2758, by which Taiwan is excluded, merely decided the question of who represents the UN Member State ‘China’.
“The text of Resolution 2758 neither includes the word Taiwan nor seeks to define what China constitutes. Only Taiwan’s democratically elected government can represent its people on the international stage,” he explained.
The international community is facing deeply intertwined challenges, such as pandemic response and recovery, civil aviation safety and security, climate change and many others. These challenges can only be addressed through international cooperation. Taiwan has demonstrated to the world that it is an able, trustworthy and willing partner.
“We are confident that the global village would benefit substantially from Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the UN system. My government calls upon the United Nations to make the necessary arrangements for Taiwan to meaningfully participate in relevant UN specialised agencies and mechanisms,” pleads the ambassador, in reference to the World Health Organisation, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
People of Taiwan being discriminated against
The impact of the UN position on the issue of recognition of Taiwan is felt by the country’s passport holders, including journalists, in what is easily an act of discrimination. Ambassador Jeremy Liang has said in a wide-ranging interview that such discrimination should be rectified, for it is an injustice.
“The people of Taiwan continue to be barred from accessing UN premises for visits and meetings simply because the United Nations fails to recognise the Republic of China (Taiwan) passport—a document that is accepted by almost every country in the world,” he says.
“This is an injustice. Likewise, Taiwanese media outlets and journalists cannot obtain accreditation to cover UN meetings and events. It is alarming that the civic space in the United Nations and the freedom of the press are being restricted.
It is also unjustifiable that a person’s access to the UN premises depends on one’s nationality rather than on safety and security grounds.” He explained that granting Taiwanese passport holders access to UN premises is essential for the meaningful participation of Taiwan and the Taiwanese people in the UN system.
The ambassador pointed out that the United Nations was established to serve the public interest and all peoples. Having unhindered access to the family of nations should be a right for all and not just a privilege for some.
Taiwan’s critical role in achieving SDGs
The fundamental reason for the call for the recognition of Taiwan by the United Nations must also be seen through the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
By their exclusion, Taiwan cannot obviously participate in an equal and dignified manner in meetings, mechanism and activities related to the implementation of the SDGs.
The Taiwan Ambassador to Eswatini, Jeremy Liang has pointed out that their exclusion from the UN and ‘limited’ participation in such activities means Taiwan cannot therefore make greater contributions. “UN Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly expressed that the international community is at a critical juncture if the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are to be met.
Also, President of the General Assembly Csaba K?rösi stressed that our responsibility was to find joint solutions and build a more sustainable and resilient world for us and the generations to come.
Indeed, we have reached a watershed moment in the history of the United Nations and we must adhere to its pledge of inclusiveness and leaving no one behind,” argues the Liang. To help make up for the shortfall in progress towards implementation of the SDGs, Taiwan has worked with partner countries on a wide range of topics, including epidemics, oceans, climate financing, gender equality and social innovation.
The absence of Taiwan’s valuable input and contributions to the UN system hurts the international community and the welfare of humanity. “As we enter the post-pandemic era, challenges still lie ahead. We should all work together to make our economic and social systems more equal, inclusive, sustainable and resilient,” he stressed.
This is true for the case of Eswatini, which continues to benefit from Taiwan’s assistance to achieve the SDGs through donations and arrangement of medical services in the rural areas. Based on the spirit of ‘Taiwan can help’, Taiwan also spared on efforts in assisting the country combat COVID-19 pandemic by contributing medical supplies and protective equipment to support the country’s health system.
“Thus we are confident to address that the absence of Taiwan’s valuable input and contributions to the UN system, hurts the international community and the welfare of humanity,” Liang emphasised. He stressed that Taiwan was an indispensable partner.
“We firmly believe that Taiwan deserves to play a meaningful role in the common endeavors of the United Nations.” The ambassador stated that Taiwan’s inclusion was a crucial and necessary step to recovering better together and realising the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in full and on time. “We call on the United Nations to allow Taiwan’s dignified and meaningful participation in the implementation of the UN SDGs,” he said.
Taiwan concerned over military exercises
The Taiwan Ambassador to Eswatini Jeremy Liang has challenged the United Nations to play its part in maintain peace and order – especially in the Taiwan Strait.
Liang said the UN Charter stated clearly that the purposes and the principles of the United Nations were to maintain international peace and stability, that international disputes should be resolved by peaceful means and that the United Nations should take effective collective measures in response to threats to peace.
“My government is gravely concerned by the recent military exercises in areas around Taiwan that undermine the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, escalate tensions, impact international trade and transportation and put regional peace and security at risk,” he said in an interview.
Response In commending his country for continuing to remain calm in response, the ambassador said it was imperative that UN member states refrained from the threat or use of force so as to uphold the rules-based international order based on the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Transforming Education Summit – the global moment of truth
As parents, teachers and students got ready for a return to school this autumn, few were thinking of the fact that across the world, education is in deep crisis. This is a slow and often unseen crisis, but its impacts affect us all.
At the upcoming UN summit on transforming education, world leaders have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take decisive action. The United Nations and the European Union now call on all member states to deliver much-needed commitments to ensure that all girls and boys can access, enjoy and benefit from a meaningful, modern, high-quality education.
Their rights and our collective futures depend on it. Education is the most powerful and transformative tool we have to empower girls and boys with hope, skills and opportunity for their future. It also paves the way for solving many of today’s global challenges.
However, in many parts, poverty and inequality still have a major influence over school attendance and learning achievement. And right across the world, education systems are struggling to equip learners with the values, skills and knowledge needed to thrive in our rapidly changing world.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated a pre-existing crisis and the global funding gap for education has increased significantly. Even before the pandemic, governments were spending less than half of the needed sum on education. Since then, two in three governments have cut their education budgets while some international donors have announced their intention to reduce aid to education.
Collective action on future-oriented learning and education financing is urgent, if we want to recover pandemic-related learning losses and ensure that children and young people everywhere are able to access their right to education as enshrined in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Investing in education has a transformative impact across the Sustainable Development Goals. It advances gender equality: educated girls are more likely to participate in the decisions that most affect them, to live longer, healthier lives, and to earn higher incomes. It makes a major contribution to national development: every euro spent on education can generate 10–15 euros in economic growth.
And by nurturing informed, empowered citizens, it can help countries to tackle major challenges such as climate change, social breakdown, conflict, gender-based violence and more. The European Union is significantly increasing its investment in education in partner countries. The EU will dedicate more than 10 per cent of its international partnerships budget, representing over six billion euros, towards global education.
Now we need others to do likewise. The UN secretary-general is calling on all government leaders and all actors, including private sector and civil society, as part of a global mobilisation, to make concrete commitments to increase funding for education, from all sources.
At the transforming education summit, the representatives of all countries and partners face a moment of truth: now is the time to collectively fill the investment gap to tackle the global education crisis.
Now is the time to invest in learning recovering and help put the SDGs back on track, thereby sowing the seeds for transformation of our education systems, so that education better prepares learners to contribute to a more inclusive, peaceful, sustainable and just future, leaving no one behind.
For More News And Analysis About Eswatini Follow Africa-Press