James. K.J. Lee, director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, delivers a speech at the GCTF Seminar on Building an Inclusive, Resilient and Secure Indo-Pacific Through Partnership Aimed at Accelerating the SDGs held on the sidelines of the 78th U.N. General Assembly Sept. 21 in the Big Apple. (MOFA)
 

A seminar on promoting the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals was staged by Taiwan, the U.S., Japan and Australia under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework Sept. 21 in New York City, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Aimed at building an inclusive, resilient and secure Indo-Pacific to accelerate progress on the SDGs, the event was jointly organized by the MOFA, American Institute in Taiwan, Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association and Australian Office in Taipei on the sidelines of the 78th U.N. General Assembly.

During his opening remarks, James K.J. Lee, director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, said stability in the Indo-Pacific has great bearing on global economic development and security, adding that the region is also key to realizing the SDGs globally.

As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan will continue to work on advancing the SDGS with its like-minded partners under the GCTF platform, taking a professional and practical approach to sharing its expertise and experience, he added.

According to the MOFA, the event was held both in person and online, with more than 60 academics and officials from over 10 countries taking part. Those in attendance included Jonathan Shrier, U.S. deputy representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, and Kensuke Fukushi, director of the Institute for Future Initiatives at the University of Tokyo.

According to the MOFA, Steven Victor, minister of agriculture, fisheries and the environment of Taiwan ally Palau, also spotlighted the achievements of bilateral cooperative projects and commended the Taiwan government for helping Pacific island states combat climate change and strengthen disaster response capabilities. (SFC-E)