The fourth World Conference of Women’s Shelters wrapped up Nov. 8 in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City, spotlighting the country’s role as a leader in advancing gender equality and ending violence against women and girls.
Hosted by New Taipei City-based Garden of Hope Foundation and organized by Netherlands-headquartered Global Network of Women’s Shelters, the four-day WCWS was supported by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Health and Welfare. It involved 1,400 officials and representatives of nongovernmental organizations from 100-plus countries and territories discussing core issues like economic empowerment, legal systems, public policy frameworks and shelter management.
MOFA Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu said during his closing ceremony address that Taiwan’s staging of the first conference in Asia is recognition of the headway made by the government in leveling the opportunity playing field for women and girls. Around 38 percent of the country’s legislators are women, a regional best and accomplishment worthy of celebrating, he added.
According to Wu, Taiwan is working on a regular basis with like-minded international partners such as the EU and U.S. in promoting women’s rights and gender mainstreaming. The Taiwan-U.S. Global Cooperation and Training Framework is a particularly effective platform for staging related workshops and spurring real regional progress, he said.
WCWS is the largest and most diverse global gathering on protection services and prevention of violence against women. The first conference was held in 2008 in Canada, with the 2012 and 2015 editions staged in the U.S. and the Netherlands, respectively. (YCH-E)
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