The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to work with NGOs at home and abroad to raise Taiwan’s international profile and expand its global participation in 2024. (MOFA)
 

Engagement with nongovernmental organizations will remain an integral part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ diplomatic work to raise Taiwan’s international profile in 2024, the ministry said Jan. 18.

According to the MOFA, projects focusing on women’s empowerment, the exchange of international youth ambassadors, and NGO talent training and leadership cultivation are being given highest priority. Taiwan Gender Equality Week, planned for the sidelines of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women’s 68th session in March, is the ministry’s flagship event on the theme of women’s economic empowerment and will feature a raft of events that highlight Taiwan’s successes in promoting the power of women and fostering gender innovation as the government continues to advance gender equality.

The MOFA also announced that it will accept applications for the annual International Youth Ambassadors Exchange Program in the first half of the year and dispatch the representatives to Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in late August or early September. The annual NGO Leaders Forum and other talent cultivation and overseas internship programs will be held as planned, the ministry added.

In line with efforts to encourage international organizations to open branches in Taiwan, the government will continue to review regulations to strengthen local NGOs’ connection with their global counterparts and promote the country as a regional hub for international groups, the MOFA said. Since the beginning of similar efforts in 2020, more than 10 renowned organizations, including Washington D.C.-based National Democratic Institute, have established a presence in Taiwan, the ministry added. (SFC-E)