September 27, 2017
No.167
The government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) expresses its appreciation to the 15 diplomatic allies that have written to Secretary-General António Guterres, and the 15 diplomatic allies whose heads of state, foreign ministers or permanent representatives to the UN spoke up for Taiwan at the 72nd UN General Assembly.
These allies, following the opening of the General Assembly September 12 in New York, expressed support for Taiwan’s participation in the UN system and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and also called upon the United Nations to end the discriminatory measures against Taiwanese preventing them from entering UN premises. This year, a total of 17 diplomatic allies have written letters or spoken up in support of Taiwan; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs extends its sincere gratitude to these allies.
The permanent representatives (or charge ď affaires) of 12 countries (Belize, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, Haiti, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, St. Christopher and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Swaziland and Tuvalu) jointly wrote to Secretary-General Guterres; the permanent representatives of Nicaragua and Paraguay, and the acting foreign minister of Honduras, wrote letters individually.
The joint letter echoed Taiwan’s three main goals for this year’s UN campaign. Urging the UN to include Taiwan in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to assist Taiwan in participating in the UN system, the letter said Taiwan’s exclusion from the UN system represents a violation of the UN Charter’s principle of universality, as well as the call to leave no one behind contained in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The letter also pointed out the UN Secretariat’s error in citing 1971’s General Assembly Resolution 2758 to demand that Taiwanese show a mainland China travel permit for Taiwan residents in order to enter UN premises, and stated that such practices discriminate against the people of Taiwan and represent an unacceptable contravention of the UN’s pursuit of equality and freedom. In fact, this resolution did not address the issue of representation of Taiwan and its people in the UN, nor did it give mainland China the right to represent the people of Taiwan within the UN and its specialized agencies.
Given that inclusiveness and global partnerships are the only means of effectively addressing global challenges, the UN secretary-general should arrange for and assist in Taiwan’s participation in the UN system, allowing Taiwan to obtain the status and opportunities it should rightly enjoy, so that it can make a meaningful contribution to human wellbeing.
Speaking in support of Taiwan during the General Assembly were the foreign minister of Belize, the president of Burkina Faso, the president of Haiti, the president of Kiribati, the foreign minister of the Marshall Islands, the president of Nauru, the permanent representative of Nicaragua to the UN (serving concurrently as vice foreign minister), the president of Palau, the president of Paraguay, the foreign minister of St. Christopher and Nevis, the prime minister of St. Lucia (serving concurrently as foreign minister), the deputy prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (serving concurrently as foreign minister), the prime minister of Solomon Islands, the king of Swaziland, and the prime minister of Tuvalu.
The ROC government once again thanks its diplomatic allies for writing to the UN secretary-general and speaking up for Taiwan at the UN General Assembly, and for supporting the hopes and aspirations of the Taiwanese people. Furthermore, it calls upon the United Nations to take action to admit Taiwan into the UN system, and thus together make a concerted effort to realize the sustainable development goals in accordance with global expectations. (E)