On the third day of their visit to Japan, Taiwan’s legislative delegation led by Vice President Dr. Johnny C. Chiang of the Legislative Yuan attended the 52nd General Assembly of the Asian-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Union (APPU) on the morning of March 12, 2024. After the first session in the morning, the afternoon session kicked off with country reports from the participating members. The Chairperson of the meeting invited the Taiwan delegation to start off, with the report delivered by Legislative Ko Chih-en.
Ko started by pointing out that extreme climate has brought upon the world serious disasters that know no borders, whether it is developing countries or developed ones. To prevent and reduce damages caused, it is necessary for all countries to take immediate actions. Legislator Ko added that the disasters Taiwan faces due to climate change include droughts, floods and landslides caused by extreme rainfall, and there are also dengue fever and forest fires caused by rising temperatures. She also introduced the new version of Taiwan’s Disaster Prevention and Protection Plan, which facilitates disaster relief and prevention through three major pillars- Disaster Adaptation, Digital Transformation, and Resilient Recovery. Ko stressed Taiwan has long taken the initiative to share its experience in disaster prevention and reduction to assist partnered countries and developing ones in improving their capabilities in climate adaptation. She also reiterated the importance of including Taiwan in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In closing, Legislator Ko called on all participating nations to work together in taking more effective and coordinated actions. The Republic of China (Taiwan) is willing to join hands with countries around the world and it looks forward to making more contributions to the international community.
The meeting continued with country reports from other participating nations, including Japan, Palau, the Marshall Islands, and Guam, which all expressed their gratitude to Taiwan for its assistance over the years and looked forward to continuing to deepen close partnerships in multiple fields.
After the country reports, Representative Shinichi Yamaguchi, Chairperson of the meeting, announced that Taiwan will host the APPU 53rd General Assembly and 87th Council Meeting next year, with Papua New Guinea hosting the 54th General Assembly and 88th Council Meeting in 2026. The second session of the APPU annual meeting concluded after about 2 hours. After the meeting, Vice President Chiang and the delegation members met with delegations from Japan, Papua New Guinea, Palau, the Marshall Islands, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and Guam respectively to express gratitude for their support, followed by group photos in warmth and joy.
