President Tsai Ing-wen attended the Empower Women Empower Latin America and the Caribbean Forum Feb. 15 in Taipei City, pledging to keep working with Taiwan’s like-minded partners in promoting economic empowerment for women in the post-pandemic era.
Organized by Taipei-based International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the inaugural event involved foreign dignitaries, business representatives, experts and officials from home and allies Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Paraguay, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Prominent attendees included Paraguay President Mario Abdo Benitez and first lady Silvana Abdo, Belize first lady Rossana Briceno, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Keisal Melissa Peters.
According to Tsai, promoting gender equity is a top policy priority in Taiwan. Years of effort have seen the country become the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage in 2019.
Equally impressive, Taiwan tops Asia with its 40 percent female representation in the legislature, while 37 percent of local small and medium enterprises are owned by women, the president said.
As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan cooperates closely with partners and organizations around the world to address gender-related issues and host seminars and workshops under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework, she added.
At the same time, no effort is being spared in providing vocational training and counseling to women in LAC allies so they can achieve greater economic independence and personal satisfaction, Tsai said.
It is hoped that the forum will allow all parties involved to share their respective experiences and best practices as they seek to facilitate post-pandemic recovery, the president added. (SFC-E)
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