Thank you Mr. President. On behalf of my delegation, I wish to once again congratulate you on your assuming the very important position that you are holding, President of the 57th Session of the General Assembly.
Mr. President,
I would like to support the inclusion of the Question of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the United Nations.
Thirty years have passed since the people of the Republic of China (Taiwan) were last represented at the United Nations.
Today, with the sole exception of the ROC (Taiwan), every country on earth is able to participate in the United Nations. The ROC is a sovereign state. It is a constructive member of the international community. It is a full-fledged democracy. It is the world’s 17th largest economy. It is home to 23 million people. And those people are willing, able, and entitled to contribute to the international community. What rationale is there for continuing to exclude Taiwan from the United Nations, a practice that violates the UN’s own principle of universality?
Mr. President,
If the United Nations stands for anything, it stands for peace. Since the positive development of relations across the Taiwan Strait is critical to the enduring peace and security of the Asia-Pacific region, the United Nations has a responsibility to address this situation. Indeed, it can and it should play a facilitating role by providing a forum for reconciliation and rapprochement between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Mr. President,
Perhaps a small number of people have heard of Taiwan’s historic transformation into a vibrant democracy with respect for human rights and the rule of law. Even fewer people would suspect that the ROC, despite all its achievements, is the only country in the world excluded from the United Nations.
In 1971, UN resolution 2758 (XXVI) resolved the question of representation for the people of the People’s Republic of China, but it left unanswered the question of legitimate representation for the deserving people of Taiwan. Correcting this oversight would not only allow the United Nations to become a truly universal organization, it would also enable the UN to play a role to which it alone is best adapted: a role as facilitator of reconciliation between the ROC (Taiwan) and the PRC.
The government and people of Taiwan are ready, willing, and able. Is the UN?
May God continue to bless the United Nations. Thank you very much or as we say it in the Marshall Islands, KOMOL TATA.
