Council of Indigenous Peoples Minister Icyang Parod addresses participants at the inaugural Austronesian Forum of Female Opinion Leadership Nov. 26 at Taipei International Convention Center. (Courtesy of CIP)
 

The inaugural Austronesian Forum of Female Opinion Leadership was held Nov. 26 at Taipei International Convention Center to deepen exchanges with Taiwan’s Indo-Pacific partners and expand connections within the global Indigenous community.
 
Organized by the Cabinet-level Council of Indigenous Peoples, the event was attended by around 200 participants. High-profile guests included Kitlang Kabua, minister of culture and internal affairs for the Marshall Islands, and female opinion leaders from eight other countries.
 
According to the CIP, the discussions focused on cultural, economic, educational and public policies for Indigenous peoples. The event aimed to strengthen the public influence of Indigenous women, as well as to create a platform for exchanges between Taiwan’s Indigenous groups and their counterparts overseas, the council added.
 
A group of international participants visited Yilan County’s Nan’ao Township in northeastern Taiwan the day after the forum, the council said, adding that they called at a culture and health station set up by the local government to interact with elders from the Atayal tribe, visited Na Sun Na Gu Leisure Farm to hear from entrepreneurs and experienced Atayal cultural activities in Dongyue Village.
 
The CIP said it launched the Six-Year Plan for the Austronesian Forum in 2020 to boost cooperation among neighbors in the Indo-Pacific. The plan comprises strategies for academic and policy research, talent cultivation, language and cultural exchanges, and regional industry development. (YCH-E)