Thomas Debass, acting special representative for global partnerships at the U.S. Department of State, highlighted the important role that the private sector and civil society can play in advancing foreign policy objectives at a seminar Nov. 16 in Taipei City.
Titled Harnessing the Power of Public-Private Partnerships, the event was held under the Taiwan-U.S. Global Cooperation and Training Framework, a platform launched in June 2015 for expanding collaboration between the two sides on regional and international issues. In his address, the U.S. official emphasized the effectiveness of such partnerships in promoting common interests across areas including corporate innovation, economic growth and sustainable development.
According to Debass, since its inception in 2008 the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Partnerships has worked with over 1,100 groups and mobilized more than US$1.7 billion in public and private sector resources to enhance diplomacy and development outcomes. He urged Taiwan and the U.S. to cooperate on boosting civil society involvement in GCTF initiatives.
“The burden of engaging under GCTF should not just be on governments,” Debass said, adding that private sector and civic organizations in Taiwan such as the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei and startup companies should be actively encouraged to participate in related workshops and activities.
Co-organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the American Institute in Taiwan, the seminar was staged one day after the second Taiwan-U.S. GCTF Joint Committee meeting, which was attended by dignitaries including Debass, Vice MOFA Minister Leo Chen-jan Lee and AIT Director Kin Moy. Debass said that one of the reasons for his presence at the committee meeting was to assist in bolstering private sector involvement in GCTF.
Since the launch of the framework, Taiwan has held six international workshops in collaboration with the U.S. on issues such as e-commerce, energy efficiency, public health and women’s empowerment. More than 100 representatives from 21 nations have attended these events, including many from the 18 countries—comprising the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, six South Asian states, as well as Australia and New Zealand—that the government is seeking to deepen business, cultural, education and tourism links with under the New Southbound Policy.
Stephenie Foster, senior adviser in the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues, and Matthew J. Matthews, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state and ambassador for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, also visited the country under GCTF in March and June this year, respectively, to share their experiences in building a comprehensive, durable and mutually beneficial partnership with Taiwan.
In addition, Taiwan has joined global activities through the framework such as Fishackathon, an initiative launched by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in 2014 that gathers volunteer coders, designers and technologists to identify ways to protect marine life and solve problems such as overfishing. A Taiwan team, Akubic, won first place at this year’s edition. (KWS-E)
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