Participants in the first Taiwan-hosted International Council of Women Executive Committee Meeting received a warm welcome at a reception organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nov. 15 in Taipei City.
The 22 academics, government officials and representatives of nongovernmental organizations from 14 countries, who are in country for the Nov. 14-17 ICW meeting staged by the National Council of Women of Taiwan, Republic of China, were feted by MOFA Deputy Minister Francois Chih-chung Wu during an address at the ministry’s HQ.
Through this international meeting, the MOFA seeks to foster friendships and create cooperation channels to better engage in dialogue with female leaders from around the world, Wu said. It is hoped that all the women leaders assist and support Taiwan’s efforts to participate in and contribute more to global initiatives, he added.
Lourdes Xitumul Piox, secretary of the Peace Secretariat of the Presidential Office of Guatemala—an ROC diplomatic ally—responded by praising Taiwan’s significant improvements in advancing women’s education. She also highlighted the important role of Taiwan’s women in such fields as economics and technology, and said the country is a good example for nations in Central America lacking similar developments.
Themed Transforming Society through Women’s Empowerment, the ICW meeting includes keynote speeches, panel discussions and workshops. Participants are expected to formulate viable solutions for tackling gender-based inequalities in areas like earnings, education and employment.
In addition, participants will visit the Legislative Yuan and discuss ways of safeguarding women’s rights through legislation with a number of Taiwan’s female lawmakers. A total of 43 women hold seats in the 113-member Legislative Yuan, up from 38 in the eighth edition. This equates to 38 percent and the highest in Asia, according to statistics released by Switzerland-based Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Paris-headquartered ICW was established in 1888 as the first group to promote women’s rights on the international stage. It enjoys consultative status with the U.N. and sends permanent representatives to such bodies as the Economic and Social Council. Taipei-based NCWT, which was founded in 1990 and joined the ICW in 1994, is also a member of the two other major international women’s rights organizations: Federation of Asia-Pacific Women’s Association in the Philippines and General Federation of Women’s Clubs in the U.S. (KH-E)
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