To promote human rights diplomacy and raise awareness about the advancement and protection of human rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a human rights workshop on October 28, 2019, and its fifth-annual NGO Celebrity Talk on November 13, 2019. Deputy Minister Szu-chien Hsu hosted the events, inviting Ms. Debbie Stothard, the former Secretary General of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Ms. E-ling Chiu, the Secretary General of the Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR), to deliver speeches.
Ms. Stothard's speech, entitled "A Robust Human Rights Policy: Taiwan's Competitive Edge in the International Community," explored the ways in which, given the international community's support of human rights, Taiwan can employ soft power to advance its national competitiveness and international image.
In Ms. Chiu's speech, entitled "Human Rights and Diplomacy: Taiwan Human Rights NGOs International Participation and Alliances," she shared her experiences promoting a variety of human rights issues and actively cooperating with numerous NGOs, including the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), FIDH, International Detention Coalition, and CIVICUS. She discussed the establishment of an independent national human rights commission, the publication of shadow reports on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and the formulation of a maximum length of detention for foreign nationals. Ms. Chiu believes that diplomacy should include human rights issues, as in the case of international treaties.
More than 100 people attended the two events, including human rights team members from ministries under the Executive Yuan, Ambassador-at-Large Dr. Fan Yun, NGOs, youth ambassadors, and members of the public.
In his speech, Deputy Minister Hsu stated that democracy and human rights are common values and that Taiwan strives to align itself with international standards by incorporating human rights covenants, such as the ICCPR and the ICESCR, into domestic law and by passing the Enforcement Act for the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
The FIDH chose to hold the 40th FIDH Congress in Taiwan, marking the first time that this event has been held in the Asia-Pacific region. Ms. Chiu, because of her extensive human rights experience, was elected vice chairperson. These events clearly demonstrate the international community's recognition of Taiwan's accomplishments in the domains of democracy and human rights. Taiwan society will continue to strive toward these goals in order to enhance Taiwan's international standing.