President Lai addresses the opening ceremony of an international workshop on “Whole-of-Society Resilience Building, Preparation, and Response.”
 

President Lai (fourth right), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (second right), and representatives of GCTF partners pose for a group photo.
 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) hosted an international workshop on “Whole-of-Society Resilience Building, Preparation, and Response” in Taiwan from March 4 to 6 under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF). The event was held jointly with the representative offices of the United States, Japan, Australia, and Canada in Taiwan, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior’s National Fire Agency (NFA). Industry representatives, government officials, and academics from Taiwan and overseas attended the workshop to explore innovative strategies and best practices for building whole-of-society resilience and enhancing nations’ response capabilities to both man-made and natural disasters. A total of 264 people from 30 countries attended, including Taiwanese participants and 61 foreign guests.

In his opening remarks, President Lai Ching-te pledged that as a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan was both willing and able to make greater contributions to global democracy, peace, and prosperity. He noted that Taiwan and partner countries shared their expertise and experience through the GCTF with the rest of the world so that concerted responses could be made to meet new challenges.
 

Minister Lin interacts with representatives of GCTF partners.
 

A group photo of participants at the GCTF international workshop.
 

President Lai stated that Taiwan would steadily implement three initiatives—central and local governments will join forces to strengthen societal resilience across the board, whole-of-society disaster response capabilities will be enhanced, and Taiwan will leverage its strengths to contribute to the international community. He added that the Taiwanese people would demonstrate to the world their determination to create an even more resilient Taiwan. He also said he hoped that Taiwan could pursue mutual assistance and exchanges with other countries so as to jointly promote global stability and prosperity.

In-depth discussions during the workshop covered a wide range of issues, including consensus building and command structures for whole-of-society resilience; civilian training and employment; the stockpiling of strategic supplies; the distribution of critical supplies; the safeguarding of energy and critical infrastructure operations; social well-being; medical care; the preparation of shelters and related facilities; and the security of information communication, transportation, and financial networks. In addition, executives from multinational enterprises shared their experiences of resilience enhancement and emergency planning. To cap off the workshop, international participants visited the NFA Training Center in Nantou County to gain an understanding of Taiwan’s firefighting and disaster prevention training programs.

Given the threats of natural disasters and geopolitical challenges, it is paramount for all countries to bolster whole-of-society resilience. Taiwan and partner nations will continue to work together through the GCTF platform to advance international exchanges and cooperation; build secure and resilient societies; and ensure global peace, stability, and prosperity. (E)