The annual event of the United Nations Training Program “UN Go!” by the Shidai United Fund (STUF) welcomed the distinguished guest, former Vice President and former Premier of Taiwan, Academician Chen Chien-jen. The welcoming banquet took place on July 9 in Flushing, where Chen Chien-jen delivered a speech discussing Taiwan’s contributions to addressing global challenges, its efforts in participating in the United Nations, and its hope for international support for Taiwan to engage in the UN system.
At the event, around 300 attendees including leaders from the overseas Taiwanese community, young Taiwanese Americans, New York State representatives Wei Pulin, Li Luosha, Bronstein, Berg, and diplomatic representatives from Taiwan’s diplomatic allies gathered. Chen Chien-jen had previously visited New York as Taiwan’s Vice President in 2016.
Chen Chien-jen revealed in an interview that earlier on July 9, he delivered an academic lecture at Columbia University on the relationship between epidemiology and public health policies. His speech at the banquet aimed to encourage more young Taiwanese to engage in UN activities, to help Taiwan gain more international visibility, and contribute to the world in a more meaningful way.
During his speech, Chen Chien-jen emphasized Taiwan’s efforts since 1993 to join the United Nations and its significant contributions to addressing global challenges. However, due to political obstruction from the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan has been excluded from the UN system, citing Resolution 2758 as the basis for its exclusion.
Chen Chien-jen pointed out, “Resolution 2758 only concerns the seating rights of the People’s Republic of China in the UN and does not claim that Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic of China nor authorize the People’s Republic of China to represent Taiwan in the UN. This resolution does not determine Taiwan’s ultimate political status within the UN system, nor does it preclude Taiwan from meaningfully participating in the UN system and other multilateral forums.” He also mentioned that officials from the US State Department have refuted the PRC’s claim, stating that the resolution should not be conflated with the ‘One China’ principle and should not obstruct Taiwan’s participation in the UN system.
Chen Chien-jen urged the international community to take concrete actions against the PRC’s violation of Resolution 2758 and to reject its use of force against Taiwan. He stressed that such actions would prevent further unilateral attempts by the PRC to alter the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and create legal justifications for invading Taiwan. He called for collective efforts from all countries to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region.
The STUF’s “UN Go!” Global Training Program, launched in 2023, aims to deepen the understanding of UN-related issues and Taiwan’s involvement in international affairs among young Taiwanese and students, as well as NGO workers domestically and internationally. On July 10, in alignment with the UN’s High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the “UN Go!” program will host peripheral meetings at Nomadworks Times Square in Times Square on the topic: “Unraveling Geopolitical Ripples: Assessing the Impact of the Ukraine Conflict on the Risk Landscape in the Asia-Pacific and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”