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Taiwan Gender Equality Week wraps up in New York

From Taiwan Today 2023-03-13

Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York Director-General James K. Lee (fifth left) joins Alvina Reynolds, president of the Senate of Saint Lucia (fifth right); Betul Yuruk (left), vice president of the U.N. Correspondents Association; and other guests during the TGEW seminar March 9 in New York City. (MOFA)

Taiwan Gender Equality Week wrapped up March 9 in New York City with a seminar titled “Promoting Gender Equality in the Digital Age,” according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Co-hosted by Palau and Saint Lucia, the event was held at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York alongside the 67th session of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women running March 6-17.

The seminar featured opening remarks by James K. Lee, director-general of TECO in NY, who said that Taiwan is honored to play a leading role in promoting gender equality as a basic right. Accomplishing the goal will make the world a better place, he added.

Vice President J. Uduch Sengebau Senior of Palau delivered the keynote video, and the event also involved two panel discussions moderated by Betul Yuruk, vice president of the U.N. Correspondents Association.

Other high-profile participants included Alvina Reynolds, president of the Senate of Saint Lucia; Chern Yi-juang, deputy minister of Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council; Carolien Demey, president of Soroptimist International of Europe; and Vivi Lin, founder of the Red House Period Museum and founder and CEO of With Red.

During the event, Reynolds shared that Taiwan has donated more than 3,500 computers to her country and assisted in the construction of multimedia smart classrooms to facilitate interactive learning among girls and women. She thanked the government and people of Taiwan for their generosity and contributions toward gender equality in the Caribbean nation.

In a pre-recorded video, Uduch Sengebau Senior said digital technology has become indispensable to people’s daily life. Increasing female labor force participation will help ensure women’s right to take part in politics and public decision-making, she added.

Launched in 2020 by the MOFA and Taipei City-based Foundation of Women’s Rights Promotion and Development, TGEW is a collaborative platform for NGO networks that spotlights Taiwan’s work to achieve gender equality in all sectors. (DL-E)