Officials from Taiwan, the U.S., Japan, Australia and St. Lucia give the thumbs-up at the opening of the GCTF International Workshop on Maritime Disasters Measures Oct. 18 in Taipei City. (MOFA)
 

A workshop on measures for managing maritime disasters staged by Taiwan, the U.S., Japan, Australia and St. Lucia under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework wrapped up Oct. 19 in Taipei City, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The two-day event was organized by the MOFA, Ocean Affairs Council and National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction in collaboration with the St. Lucia Embassy and local representative offices of the three partner countries.

According to the MOFA, the event involved around 80 participants from home and abroad, with nearly 30 academics, experts and officials from 13 countries in the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean sharing their experience with managing threats such as tsunamis and ocean pollution. St. Lucia Amb. Robert Kennedy Lewis, Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Chief Representative Hiroyasu Izumi and Australia’s Acting Representative Lachlan Crews all delivered remarks.

The event followed the GCTF Workshop on Sustainable Oceans Based On the Rule of Law held in Tokyo last October and underscores the commitment of Taiwan and its partners to promoting sustainable development and safeguarding the maritime environment, the ministry added.

Since its launch in June 2015 by Taiwan and the U.S., with Japan and Australia joining later, GCTF has become a critical platform for the four sides to contribute to global problem-solving and share expertise with regional stakeholders, the MOFA said.

Under the initiative, a total of 64 workshops have been organized for over 7,000 participants from 127 countries and territories on topics spanning energy cooperation, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, media literacy, public health, and women’s empowerment, the ministry added. (SFC-E)