New Southbound Policy Portal

Taoyuan City, northern Taiwan, won the Best Practice in Citizen Participation award from the International Observatory on Participatory Democracy Nov. 27 in Barcelona for a program to help empower migrant workers.
 
Implemented by the Department of Labor under Taoyuan City Government, the Participatory Budgeting for Migrant Workers project provided online and offline channels for foreign residents to express their needs and ideas. Its primary aims were to make them feel like equal members of society and included in budgetary and policymaking processes, according to TCG. 
 
Launched last year, the initiative also involved nongovernmental organizations and the private sector and enabled migrant workers to use their native languages in sharing their opinions. According to Ministry of Labor statistics, Taoyuan is home to more than 113,000 migrant workers, many of whom are from Southeast Asia.
 
Speaking at the ceremony, DOL head Wang An-bang conveyed his gratitude toward everyone who participated in the program. The award is an honor for Taoyuan as well as an opportunity to help raise the city’s profile and Taiwan’s international image, he said.
 
Wang also took part in the organization’s annual conference to discuss the state of participatory democracy around the world.
 
Established in 2001, the OIDP is an international network consisting of over 800 members from local governments, NGOs and research institutes that aims to strengthen democracy at the municipal government level. (KWS-E)