September 18, 2019
No. 210
The 74th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly opened on September 17 at the UN headquarters in New York. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) expresses sincere gratitude to the diplomatic allies that have written to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres to convey firm support for Taiwan’s participation in the UN. Eleven allies—Belize, Eswatini, Haiti, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tuvalu—submitted a joint letter, while Honduras and Paraguay submitted individual letters.
The joint letter was presented to the Executive Office of the Secretary-General on the opening day of the General Assembly by representatives from Belize, Eswatini, Haiti, the Holy See, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Tuvalu. They personally explained the three main appeals of Taiwan’s UN campaign this year, and reiterated that the UN’s refusal to allow Taiwanese passport holders access to UN premises to take part in tours, cover UN-related events as journalists, or attend UN meetings runs contrary to the UN principle of inclusiveness and universality. They urged the Secretary-General to formulate appropriate measures for Taiwan’s participation as soon as possible, and to rectify the UN’s unreasonable and exclusionary approach toward Taiwan.
The joint letter pointed out that Taiwan is a global leader in various fields and is willing to share its development experience with others. Given the importance recently attached by Secretary-General Guterres to the inclusion imperative, the letter called on the UN to embrace a reliable and trustworthy partner like Taiwan.
As noted in the letter, Taiwan boasts a vibrant democratic society and has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to freedom and human rights—values that are at the heart of the UN vision as well. For many countries, it is a matter of great regret that Taiwan has been barred from taking part in UN mechanisms, meetings and activities on the basis of the obsolete and misused 1971 General Assembly Resolution 2758.
The government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) once again thanks its diplomatic allies for their staunch support, and reiterates that the 23 million people of Taiwan have the right to participate in the UN system. It urges the UN to take prompt action to include Taiwan, so that it can work in partnership with countries worldwide to soon realize the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which are critical to the welfare of all mankind. (E)