Four of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies urged the UN to include the country in its system during the UN Summit of the Future held during the annual UN General Assembly.
Marshallese President Hilda Heine, Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr, Eswatini Prime Minister Russell Dlamini and Paraguayan President Santiago Pena all called for Taiwan’s participation in the UN system at the inaugural summit held on Sunday and Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
In her address, Heine highlighted Taiwan’s role as a “key partner” to the Marshall Islands.
Photo: Reuters
“Taiwan’s important partnership deserves appropriate recognition. If we are to truly ‘leave no one behind,’ then Taiwan deserves meaningful and enhanced participation in the UN system,” she said.
Whipps said that Taiwan’s absence from the international organization and its specialized agencies was “ironic” given that this year’s UN General Assembly theme is “leaving no one behind.”
He also said that Taiwan’s absence from the UN was due to a “misinterpretation” of UN Resolution 2758.
Photo: Bloomberg
Resolution 2758, adopted by the 26th UN General Assembly in 1971, states that the assembly recognizes the People’s Republic of China as “the only lawful representative of China” to the international body, resulting in the Republic of China losing its UN seat.
Although the issue of Taiwan’s sovereignty or representation at the UN is not addressed in the resolution, Taiwan has since been excluded from participating in the global body and its affiliates.
In his Summit of the Future speech, Dlamini said Taiwan “contributes significantly to global public health, economic development and technological innovation,” and called for Taiwan’s “meaningful participation in international organizations.”
Meanwhile, Pena said that Paraguay was “convinced that the future should be one of peace, taking us further from violence and conquest.”
“In a phrase, ‘might does not make right.’ For this reason, we defend countries like Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, that have a right to be respected and treated with dignity,” he said.
The inaugural summit came at the start of the UN General Assembly’s “high-level week” in New York.
The summit endorsed the “Pact for the Future,” a sweeping document intended to make the UN system fit for the needs of the 21st century.
Among other ambitions, the pact includes commitments to reform the global financial architecture, adapt the UN to new security threats, advance sustainable development, harness digital technologies, and address the needs of youth and future generations.
The 79th session of the UN General Assembly started on Sept. 10 in New York. The General Debate, which started yesterday, is expected to run until Monday, with a break on Sunday.
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