Taiwan Today

Taiwan NGOs are making a real difference in the lives of the needy while enhancing the reputation of the country as a responsible member of the international community.

Nongovernmental organizations (NGO) are invaluable vehicles for assisting the underprivileged and tackling tough tasks. But for Taiwan and its people, they are so much more. They are conduits for sharing the nation’s extensive development experience and affording locals the opportunity to cultivate a broader and deeper perspective on pressing global issues.

One such beneficiary of the Taiwan NGO experience is Hope Hsu (許菀庭). At age 20, she participated as a member of the Taiwan Youth Climate Coalition (TWYCC), the country’s first environmental organization for 18 to 30-year-olds, at the 2014 Conference of the Parties (COP) to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Peru.

“I learned so much from the overwhelmingly large amount of information shared at the event,” said Hsu, now the Taipei City-based NGO’s executive director. “The experience motivated me to take action on climate change after seeing other attendees trying to address the issue with great enthusiasm.”

Since its establishment in 2011, TWYCC has sent a six-to-eight-member delegation to activities on the sidelines of every edition of the COP. But it is not the sole NGO flying the flag for Taiwan at the annual event. Nine local NGOs hold UNFCCC observer status, enabling them to enter the main section of the COP’s Green Zone and set up booths showcasing Taiwan’s efforts to combat climate change. Such a participatory model is the only option available for local NGOs as the Republic of China (Taiwan) is not a member of the U.N. and cannot directly participate in the world body’s organizations and entities such as the UNFCCC.

International Outlook

According to the Department of NGO International Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Taiwan’s NGOs are providing humanitarian aid and contributing to global efforts in key areas like food production, green energy and public health. More than 50,000 NGOs are registered with the central and local governments, of which around 3,000 participate in overseas activities on a regular basis.

The religious NGOs—notably Dharma Drum Mountain Social Welfare and Charity Foundation, Fo Guang Shan and Tzu Chi Foundation—capture the most attention. Their efforts to provide services and support for those in need through branches in the four corners of the globe regularly earn headlines at home and abroad. It comes as no surprise, then, that each of these Buddhist groups headquartered in New Taipei and Kaohsiung cities and Hualien County, respectively, has an affiliate based abroad recognized as an NGO in special consultative status with the U.N. Economic and Social Council.

Large, highly internationalized NGOs also include the Taiwan branches of Junior Chamber International (JCI), Kiwanis International, Lions Club International and Rotary International. Boasting over 90,000 locally registered members, the four community service groups help members develop global perspectives through taking part in the international programs of their parent organizations. These include Rotary’s youth exchange program, which initiated student exchanges between high schools in Taiwan and their overseas counterparts in the late 1990s, and donation campaigns run by the groups to fight diseases like polio and malaria worldwide.

Many locals are major actors in these organizations. Gary C. K. Huang (黃其光) is the first Taiwan-born president of a major global NGO, namely Rotary International. At the end of his one-year presidency in June 2015, Taipei was selected as host of the 2021 Rotary International Conference—an annual event expected to attract more than 10,000 attendees from abroad. Similar activities enabling Taiwan to feature significantly on the world stage include the JCI Asia-Pacific Conference, which took place in June 2016 in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City. The gathering, organized by JCI Taiwan, was one of the biggest for the NGO and involved 3,500 foreign participants from 35 countries.

Pulling Together

Smaller NGOs in Taiwan are also working to advance the nation’s cause. One such example is the 29-member Taiwan Alliance in International Development, or Taiwan Aid, which traces its roots back to Taiwan Overseas Aid founded in 2004 by five NGOs devoted to providing humanitarian assistance in far-flung parts of the world. As the largest platform for NGO exchanges and interactions in Taiwan, the alliance employs a synergistic advantage in efficiently delivering services abroad, as well as importing and promoting the latest philanthropy concepts and practices.

Rebecca Wang (王金英‬), director-general of Taiwan Aid, said extending humanitarian support using a top-down approach is no longer a global trend. “Rather, we emphasize the recipients’ participation in an aid program and the need to equip them for seeking sustainable growth for their communities.

“That’s why the alliance calls on Taiwan NGOs’ overseas missions to pursue the Sustainable Development Goals,” she added, referring to the initiative announced by the U.N. in 2015 encouraging developed countries to assist developing ones through capacity building in areas ranging from eradicating poverty to ensuring environmental sustainability.

Wang is also CEO of Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation (NCF), one of the founding members of Taiwan Aid. This Taipei-headquartered group does the country proud through its ambitious program of specialized surgeries, treatments and training. Since 1998, it has facilitated procedures on 1,745 patients in nine countries, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, the Philippines and Vietnam, for cleft lip and palate and other craniofacial deformities. In addition, NCF has trained 153 medical professionals from 19 countries since 2000.

Valuable Support

Government funding is instrumental in allowing Taiwan’s smaller NGOs to punch above their weight in the international arena. Diego L. Chou (周麟), director-general of the MOFA’s Department of NGO International Affairs and former ROC ambassador to Central American diplomatic ally Panama, said since its establishment 17 years ago, the department has made sure Taiwan’s small NGOs get the financial assistance they need when operating abroad. In recent years, about 1,000 NGOs apply annually for government subsidies, of which about 800 are approved.

In addition to the provision of funding, the department has developed projects aimed at improving an NGO’s international engagement capability. In 2004, it started organizing workshops on international affairs for NGO staffers. “These activities focus on raising awareness of high-profile global issues so as to improve an NGO’s ability to make worthwhile contributions,” Chou said. “We also invite those professionals with relevant and wide-ranging experience such as Huang to share their thoughts on how these groups can best grow their influence.”

A cross-border internship program is another initiative of the department paying handsome dividends. Launched in 2005, the undertaking involves sponsoring NGO executives on monthslong stays with groups working in similar areas abroad. For the past decade, representatives from Taipei-headquartered Taiwan AIDS Foundation have served in various capacities with Rise, a community center in the Japanese city of Nagoya established by NGO Angel Life Nagoya to promote HIV/AIDS awareness and exchanges on such issues as acceptance, equality and health care among members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Sandy King (金家玉), vice secretary-general of Taiwan AIDS Foundation, said during a two-month stint with Rise in autumn last year, she met with Japanese medical experts and those visiting from Indonesia, Pakistan and Thailand. “These exchanges afforded me a valuable opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of Japan’s fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic.”

Chou said King’s experience—one of many positive testimonials by program participants—underscores the importance of the initiative in forging consensus and cooperation on areas of mutual concern between local and overseas NGOs. “The program undoubtedly helps its participants build or strengthen their international connections.”

Shouldering Responsibility

But it takes more than government support for an NGO in raising its visibility and adding gravitas to its voice on the global stage. In the case of TWYCC, responsibility for achieving these goals falls squarely on the shoulders of its members, Hsu said, adding that no chance is ever passed up to voice opinions and conduct meaningful exchanges with peers. One forum in which the group is making real headway in this regard is YOUNGO, or Youth NGOs, one of the nine UNFCCC constituencies through which groups or individuals can build their capacity to participate in the convention’s negotiation process.

Equally committed is NCF. After decades of dedicated care and selfless service, it has established a reputation as a beacon of hope for those seeking relief from the physiological and psychological trauma of congenital craniofacial deformities. Word of the foundation’s good work has spread far and wide, leading to partnerships with top international organizations such as German Cleft Children’s Aid Society. Last year, the society began channeling donations to NCF with a view to expanding the Taiwan NGO’s activities in Vietnam—a practice it has since expressed interest in repeating for other countries.

For Wang, the success of the foundation, as well as Taiwan’s many unsung NGO heroes, reflects well on the country and is a testament to the can-do spirit of the people. “If you’re truly dedicated to your work, you’ll naturally win recognition and build international connections,” she said. “And then you’ll find you are able to accomplish more than you think.”

Write to Oscar Chung at mhchung@mofa.gov.tw