MOFA to send Taiwan NGO delegation to 2018 InterAction Forum

2018/06/04

A delegation of Taiwan nongovernmental organization representatives will attend the InterAction Forum June 12-14 in Washington as part of efforts by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to strengthen ties between local nonprofits and their counterparts abroad.
 
 Led by Lai Ming-chi, director-general of the MOFA’s Department of NGO International Affairs, the group comprises nine leaders of local nonprofits spanning environmental protection, humanitarian aid and medical care.
 
 These include Taipei City-based Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation and Environmental Quality Protection Foundation, as well as Taoyuan City-based Step30 International Ministries. The former has facilitated procedures on those with cleft lip and palate deformities in such countries as Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, the Philippines and Vietnam, while the latter collects and sends clothes, schoolbags and shoes to the economically disadvantaged in Africa.
 
 According to the MOFA, Taiwan’s nonprofits have provided humanitarian aid and contributed to global efforts in key areas like food production, green energy and public health for decades, and first took part in InterAction with the support of the MOFA in 2009.
 
 It is anticipated that Taiwan’s participation in the American Council for Voluntary International Action-organized event will further raise awareness of the achievements and efforts of its NGOs while highlighting their willingness to play a bigger role in international affairs, the ministry said.
 
 The latest MOFA statistics reveal that more than 50,000 nonprofits are registered with the central and local governments, of which around 3,000 participate in overseas activities on a regular basis.
 
 Established in 1984 and headquartered in Washington, InterAction is a global alliance of around 190 NGOs and holds general consultative status with the U.N. Economic and Social Council.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=2&post=135405)