President Tsai Ing-wen said Dec. 26 that she anticipates Taiwan Law Society members will continue utilizing the country’s unique democratic experiences in advancing reforms to the legal system while safeguarding human rights.
This commitment is underscored by the establishment in August of the National Human Rights Commission, Tsai said. It also highlights two decades of efforts in satisfying the Paris Principles adopted in December 1993 by the U.N. General Assembly, she added.
Tsai made the remarks during a ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of TLS in Taipei City.
According to Tsai, legal professionals played a vital role during Taiwan’s democratic transformation. These talents helped bring the country’s laws and regulations more in line with international standards, she said.
TLS members, for example, are indispensable in advancing intellectual property rights protection, cross-border talent acquisition and international trade negotiations amid global restructuring of supply chains, Tsai said. A deeper understanding of Taiwan’s historic legal development is also a key to reforming the country’s laws and regulations, she added.
Tsai also took the opportunity to thank TLS for its invaluable contributions in promoting Taiwan’s democratic transformation, human rights protection and judicial reform over the past five decades.
Overseen by the president and nine members of the Control Yuan, the NHRC’s organizational brief includes reviewing complaints of abuses and discrimination, as well as drafting and proposing the National Human Rights Report and advising government agencies on related policymaking. (YCH-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw