International Council of Women meeting opens in Taipei

2016/11/16

The Executive Committee Meeting of the Paris-headquartered International Council of Women kicked off Nov. 14 in Taipei City, marking the first time the global women’s rights organization has staged the assembly in Taiwan.

Hosted by the National Council of Women of Taiwan, Republic of China (NCWT), the four-day event is organized under the theme “Transforming Society through Women’s Empowerment” and includes a conference examining women’s roles in decision-making, local communities and workplaces. Speakers include politicians, scholars and representatives of rights groups from Egypt, Guatemala, Japan, Marshall Islands, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, South Korea and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Speaking at the opening of the event, President Tsai Ing-wen highlighted Taiwan’s successful efforts to boost women’s participation in public affairs, pointing out that more than one-third of the country’s legislators are female. “As a woman president, I am also evidence of this trend,” she added.

In addition, Tsai cited the nation’s progress in enacting the provisions of the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Taiwan has produced two national reports on the implementation of the CEDAW since the accord was ratified by the Legislative Yuan in 2007, she noted.

The president said that there is still much to be done to achieve true equality and justice in Taiwan, drawing attention to such problems as the gender pay gap and work-life balance issues as well as the low labor participation rate for women over 35. She stressed that the government is working to strengthen family support systems so as to help relieve the burdens faced by women, who often take on the roles of caregivers to children and the elderly.

In her opening address, ICW President Jungsook Kim, from South Korea, praised Taiwan’s efforts to promote gender equality through constitutional amendments and legislation. The election of a female national leader “speaks loudly of the progress taking place in your nation and bodes very well for continued movement toward gender equality,” she said.

The 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 organs as the Economic and Social Council. Consisting of 10 local groups, the NCWT was founded in 1990 and joined the ICW in 1994.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=249472&ctNode=2194&mp=9)