To give the public a better understanding of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs commissioned the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy to organize the 2019 Seminar on Climate Change and Sustainable Development from July 23 to 24.
SDG 17 on strengthening partnerships requires the cooperation of all major stakeholders. MOFA has provided assistance by transferring beneficial environmental technologies, implementing medical programs, and promoting technical cooperation as part of its official development assistance. MOFA invited experts to share their experiences in advancing the right to health and sustainable energy usage.
For example, Professor Wang Yu-Chun, chair of the Department of Environmental Engineering at Chung Yuan Christian University, briefed everyone on the Agreement on Cooperation in Meteorology between the Ministry of Transportation and Communications of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology of the Solomon Islands signed in 2017. Taiwan assisted this diplomatic ally in establishing an early warning system to measure atmospheric temperature and precipitation volume in order to predict dengue fever, earthquakes, and tsunamis. In addition, staff from the ROC (Taiwan) Embassy in Solomon Islands, the long-term medical mission from Kaohsiung Medical University, and local Taiwanese residents worked together to help build up Solomon Islands' capabilities to collect and analyze data, so as to contain a dengue fever outbreak in 2012.
Mr. Corey Lien, "Chief Gardener" of DOMI Earth Corporation, stressed that no country can face alone the problems brought about by global warming. Mr. Lien's social enterprise has worked with other companies in 18 countries to promote the use of power-saving LED lights and solar power. It is dedicated to raising public awareness regarding energy efficiency and sustainability, such as by providing educational videos online.
Dr. Shen Yung-shuen, Associate Professor at Mackay Medical College's Center of Holistic Education, expressed in a summary his wish that Taiwan—a responsible member of the international community—can continue to leverage its soft power and positive influence. This would help Taiwan navigate the challenges in the international landscape and reduce the impact of climate change.
#climate change
#sustainable development
#strengthen partnerships
#environmental technology
#medical cooperation
#official development assistance
#meteorological early warning
#global warming
#energy management
#energy efficiency