[3108] “Taiwan for UN” bid raised at WCC liaison office and New York Time Square

“Taiwan for UN” bid raised at WCC liaison office and New York Time Square

Reported by Sam Lee

Written by Lydia Ma

PCT Church and Society Committee and Taiwan United Nations Alliance (TAUNA) visited World Council of Churches Liaison Office inside the UN headquarters in New York on September 16, 2011. This marked the first time that a Taiwanese delegation had ever made an official visit to the UN headquarters.

This delegation was led by PCT Church and Society Committee member Rev. Cheng Yin-er, TAUNA CEO William J.K. Lo, and PCT Church and Society Committee Secretary Huang Che-yen among others. During the meeting at the WCC office, they urged the organization to support Taiwan’s entry to the UN based on WCC’s own core values on faith and justice. The WCC’s response was that Taiwan’s future should be decided by the Taiwanese government.

Besides visiting the WCC office, the delegation also joined 300 other Taiwanese on the streets of New York the following day for a rally campaigning for Taiwan’s admission to the United Nations. This was followed by a stop at New York Times Square where they handed out flyers to raise awareness. Lo, Cheng, and other group leaders also gave various speeches on Taiwan’s qualifications to join the United Nations. Using English, Japanese, Mandarin, and Taiwanese, they captivated the attention of passersby, many of whom went on to request flyers for further reading.

This is the 19^th year this event has been held, said Cheng, who also noted that the biggest difference and highlight of this year’s campaign is the increased involvement of young people, which is a very good sign.