Taiwan has hit yet another snag in its attempts to participate in international organizations. Quick on the heels of a rejection from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), came a rejection to a request to set up a booth and participate in side events at an international climate change conference.
The conference, known as COP22, is the 22nd Session of the Conference of Parties of the UNFCCC (or United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). It will be held from November 7 – 18 in Marrakesh, Morocco. Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Agency has commissioned the government-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to form an NGO delegation that can participate as an observer, as it did at COP21.
Taiwan is unable to participate as a full member, due to opposition from China, which considers Taiwan part of Chinese territory even though the two sides have been ruled separately for nearly 70 years.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry said Sunday that despite the setback, Taiwan’s delegation will set out for Marrakesh as planned. It said the goal is for Taiwan to make meaningful contributions to the international discussion on climate change.
The foreign ministry says delegates will continue to actively seek support from other nations for Taiwan’s participation in the UNFCCC. The ministry says it will also continue to uphold President Tsai Ing-wen’s policy of “using sincere friendship as a foundation for building substantive cooperative relationships with other countries.”